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 as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is 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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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

Marble Art

Let's create mysterious patterns with marbles♪ Marble Art

Marble Art

Let me introduce marble art, where you can create mysterious patterns using marbles! Since all you do is roll paint-covered marbles inside a tissue box, even a one-year-old can enjoy it.

You will need one tissue box, a postcard-sized sheet of drawing paper, paints in your favorite colors, 3–4 marbles, scissors, and rubber gloves.

Here’s how to make it: First, cut off the top part of the tissue box.

Next, place the postcard-sized paper inside the box.

Then put the marbles into the paint so the paint adheres to them.

Place the marbles on the paper, roll them around, and let everything dry—that’s it! You might end up with an unexpectedly masterpiece.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Drawing with colored ice

[Summer Craft] Painting with Colored Ice! [For 1-Year-Olds]

Drawing with colored ice

Here’s a drawing activity using colored ice that even a one-year-old can enjoy.

You’ll need red, yellow, and blue food coloring, water, wooden sticks, a white crayon, drawing paper, and an ice tray.

How to make it: First, use the white crayon to draw ocean-themed pictures—like fish and octopuses—on the paper.

Next, put food coloring and water into the ice tray.

Insert the wooden sticks and freeze.

Once the colored ice is frozen, draw on the paper by letting the ice melt little by little as you move it around.

The pictures you drew with the white crayon will appear as the color spreads, making it a fun activity to enjoy with children.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Autumn crafts with newspaper stamping

[Autumn Crafts for 1-Year-Olds 🍁] Tensai Kids Club Rakuyukan Tsunashima Campus

Autumn crafts with newspaper stamping

Crumpling up a sheet of newspaper instantly turns it into a stamp.

Let the children enjoy crumpling a big piece of newspaper to start.

Pour paint into a large container like a tub, and stamp with the newspaper.

Using brown and yellow is perfect for depicting autumn foliage.

Attach autumn nuts and insects to the finished tree.

If the children are deeply engaged and having fun, it’s important to step back and simply watch over them.

Create an environment that helps them express themselves freely.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem