Lovely childcare

Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Creative activities are not only great for developing fine motor skills; they also let children touch a variety of materials, enjoy different textures, and express their own ideas—making them an essential part of healthy growth.

In this article, we’ll introduce craft ideas recommended for one-year-olds.

From projects that use various techniques to ones you can play with after making, it’s packed with fun, sensory-rich ideas.

We’ve gathered lots of activities that one-year-olds can enjoy, like crumpling paper and touching paint with their fingers.

Watch over the children’s expressions and creative gestures, and try making them together!

Because the children’s creations are regarded as works (art pieces), we use the term “seisaku” (制作) in the text to refer to them.

Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques (1–10)

Fluffy, puffy sheep

Here’s a craft idea for making a sheep with cute, fluffy fur.

You’ll need a paper plate, cotton balls, construction paper, crayons, and glue.

First, use crayons in various colors to draw spirals on the construction paper.

Be careful not to let the colors blend.

Once you’ve drawn the circles, rub them with the cotton to transfer the color onto the cotton.

After making several cotton pieces in different colors, glue them onto the paper plate to cover it, and finally attach the sheep parts to finish.

It’s a lovely idea with soft, gentle colors.

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Making fish with paper plates

Sticker play suitable from age 1: Let’s make colorful fish with paper plates!

Making fish with paper plates

Let’s make a fish using a paper plate! Cut a wedge out of the plate as if you were cutting a slice of cake, then attach the cut-out piece to the opposite side to create the fish’s tail fin.

Once that’s ready, have your child decorate the fish’s pattern.

They can stick on round stickers, add color by stamping with a sponge or dauber, or use any coloring method they like.

For the eye, your child can draw a circle, place a round sticker, or you can prepare it in advance.

By letting them decorate freely, you’ll end up with an adorable, original fish full of personality!

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Salt painting

@s_sennsei_
Salt painting you can enjoy from age 1. Even Halloween ghosts aren’t scary ☺️#HandmadeToys Production Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #CapCut
Taisho Romance – YOASOBI

Here’s an introduction to “salt painting,” an activity even 1-year-olds can easily enjoy.

You’ll need construction paper, salt, glue, paint, cotton swabs, and water.

It’s very easy to make.

First, draw a picture on the construction paper using glue.

Next, sprinkle salt over the glue design.

Finally, soak a cotton swab in paint diluted with water and touch it to the salt—done! Adults should join in the fun and adjust the amounts of glue and salt as needed.

And please make sure children don’t put any materials in their mouths.

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Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques (11–20)

Crumpled origami hydrangea

Easy original hydrangea with origami! Includes kids' crafting process!

Crumpled origami hydrangea

This is a hydrangea craft expressed by crumpling origami.

Since you simply squeeze and crumple the paper in your hands, all you need is finger strength—no tools required.

It’s a simple craft idea that’s perfect for children around one year old.

If the teacher prepares the hydrangea base, as well as leaves and snails to decorate around it, the activity will go smoothly.

Prepare three sheets of origami in different colors, and just glue on the crumpled pieces to finish.

Crumpling the origami lets children enjoy the tactile sensation, so it’s highly recommended.

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ramen fan

[For 1-year-olds] We made a fan at home and gave it as a Father’s Day present.

ramen fan

We’ll introduce a Father’s Day craft you can make with a one-year-old! It’s a “Ramen Fan,” perfect for dads who love ramen.

Here’s what you’ll need: a handheld fan (uchiwa), colored construction paper for the bowl, decorations for the toppings, paper for drawing the noodles, paint, marbles or dairy containers for making patterns on the fan, a box that fits the fan, scissors, and glue.

How to make it:1) First, cut the construction paper for the bowl to fit one side of the fan and glue it on.2) Next, on the paper for the noodles, paint lines in your favorite colors that match noodle colors.3) Glue the noodle paper onto the bowl, then add the topping decorations.4) Place the fan face-down in the box, dip marbles (or similar items) in paint of your choice, and roll them around to create patterns.

Your “Ramen Fan” is complete! Dad will love it.

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Mushrooms in bleeding watercolor

Daycare Craft: Mushroom Art! A Preschool Craft Activity Starting from Age 1!

Mushrooms in bleeding watercolor

Let’s make colorful mushrooms using a wet-on-wet (bleed) painting technique.

For the mushroom stem, use something cylindrical like a toilet paper roll.

For the cap, construction paper works, but I recommend using a coffee filter because it easily forms a mushroom-cap shape.

We’ll add color to the coffee filter with the bleed painting technique.

First, have the child draw any patterns they like using water-based markers or paint.

Once the patterns are done, spray water over them to let the colors bleed—that completes the bleed painting! It’s also fine to reverse the order: wet the paper first and then draw the patterns.

Finally, cover the tube—wrapped with origami paper that matches the stem color—with the colored filter, and you’re done! Let your child handle the pattern-making step.

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Crown making

[1-Year-Olds] Making Crowns with Collected Materials – Part 1

Crown making

Feel like a king or a princess! Let’s make a lovely crown using all sorts of materials.

Prepare the crown base in advance with construction paper or cardstock.

If you put double-sided tape on it, you can simply peel off the backing and easily attach decorations—highly recommended.

For decorations, anything goes: fabric scraps, yarn, pom-poms, as well as nuts, seeds, and leaves.

Fresh flowers will wilt, so it’s best not to use them much.

Let your child freely add any decorations they like.

Once it’s done, put it on and have fun with all kinds of pretend play.

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