14 Valentines Crafts for Seniors - Part 1

By Anna Hazard

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Part 2 - Hand Warmers, Card Holders, & More

Introduction

Here are a selection of up to 14 crafts specially tailored to help spread the love as well as brighten & decorate February 14th. Tutorials have been selected based on how easily they can be completed by those with hand dexterity or strength issues such as those associated with arthritis or essential tremor. Most crafting steps can also be completed by children (with some adult assistance in certain cases) and thus can be an activity for the whole family to enjoy together.

Crafts

Valentines Bird Feeder

• You and your senior loved one can prepare for the return of seasonal birds this spring by creating these Valentine's Day styled bird feeders using birdseed or available cereals as their bases. Some tutorials will require cooking or the use of cooking utensils (such as cookie cutters) and thus may require a bit more of assistance for those seniors not comfortable in the kitchen.
• Wine & Glue | Sweet & Simple Living | Rebecca's Bird Garden | 366 Days of Pinterest

Valentines Wreaths

• These colorful interior wreathes use a variety of easy-to-find materials including straws, tissue paper, fabric & ribbons, and pompoms. Do-it-yourself wreath bases made of cardboard, foam, coat hangers, and pipe insulation can be subbed in for the more expensive pre-made wreath bases found in craft stores. A bit of hand dexterity for folding, cutting, and gluing will be necessary.
• Oriental Trading | Aspen Jay|  Nikki in Stitches | Fynes Designs

Valentine Garlands

• These D-I-Y garlands use materials that can be commonly found around the house or picked up at a local grocery or craft store including such items as paper, twine, strips of fabric, playing cards, felt, and ribbon. While all of the tutorials have simple steps to follow, some assistance with a few activities that require a bit more hand strength (such as punching holes in paper) may be required.
• Green Wedding Shoes | Happiness is Home Made | We Know Stuff | Lemon Squeezy

Heart Ornaments

• These heart-shaped decorations come in a variety of styles and use a variety of materials as their bases ranging from photo paper to yarn to borax to clay (either store bought or prepared by hand as another activity). Most steps are simple enough to be completed even by those with hand strength or dexterity issues such as arthritis. Supplies (such as x & x) may be a bit more specialized than what is normally found around the house & thus may need to be purchased ahead of time.
• Scrapper Girl | Some the Wiser | CBC.ca | Bored Fast Food

Valentines Candy Holders

• These home-made candy holders come in a variety of styles with a variety of uses from those meant to hold a single piece of candy, to those that incorporate candy within their actual design, to those meant to hold & hide several candy pieces as parts of a gift. Most tutorials use easy-to-handle materials, although the candy jar may require a bit more of hand strength when handling as it's clay pot case is breakable.
• Elder One Stop | Origami Tree | Fun Home Things | Creative Capital B

Valentine Love Bugs

• While all these cute decorative bugs bring all their love with them, they come in a wide variety of styles from simple paper & toilet paper rolls to yarn or pompoms to fruit cups that can pull double duty as a snack once the holiday has passed. Gluing and cutting are the main skills required in assembling these decorations and thus these crafts are suitable for most levels of hand dexterity & strength, especially when using scissors or glue holders that have been tailored for arthritis users.
• Red Ted Art | Delightful Life | Mom Luck | I Heart Nap Time

Valentines Clothespin Decorations

• Clothespins make a fun, old fashioned style base for these do-it-yourself Valentines decorations. They can be used to great effect in wreathes, decorative arrows, magnets, as well as valentine puppets. Standard craft items such as stamps, feathers, ribbon, pompoms, felt, or googley eyes will also be required. Gluing is the main skill involved throughout the tutorials, so these crafts should be suitable for anyone able to easily handle something the size of a clothespin.
• I Gotta Create | The Dating Divas | Homeketeers | Puppet Pie