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 (11–20)

Torn-paper collage grapes

Indoor play for 1-year-olds: Torn-paper collage | At-home activity / Autumn craft / Grape craft

Torn-paper collage grapes

Let’s make grapes with torn-paper art! First, draw a bunch of grapes on construction paper in advance.

Then have your child tear purple origami paper into small pieces in various shades, and stick them onto the drawn grapes to add color.

Kids are sure to enjoy the ripping part.

For the sticking step, it’s best to apply glue to the drawing first, then have your child place the paper pieces onto the glued areas.

You’ll end up with a charming, characterful bunch of grapes!

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Let’s roll and make a snowman!

[January - Craft Activity] Crumple-and-Tear Snowman ☃

Let’s roll and make a snowman!

Crumpling tissue paper and sticking on stickers is so much fun! How about making a snowman craft that’s perfect for winter? First, have the children crumple white tissue paper into balls in whatever size they like.

You’ll also use tissue paper torn into strips; if that step is tricky, an adult can prepare it in advance.

Put the crumpled tissue paper and the torn strips together into a clear plastic bag, then shape it into an oval.

Tie the middle with a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) to form a snowman shape.

Use round stickers for the face, make a bucket hat from construction paper, and attach it with double-sided tape.

If you want to hang it, punch a hole in the bucket, and thread a string through.

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A craft spinning top that 1-year-olds can enjoy!

Work No.038 “Spinning Top Making” [Handmade Toy by a Nursery Teacher]

A craft spinning top that 1-year-olds can enjoy!

Here’s an idea for making a spinning top that even infants can enjoy.

You’ll need a milk carton, a plastic bottle cap, and round stickers.

First, snip the four corners and open the milk carton into a cross shape.

From the edge of the square base, measure 11 cm and cut all four opened sides at that line.

Next, round off the corners and use a craft knife to make round holes near the top of each side.

Decorate with stickers, then glue a plastic bottle cap to the center, and you’re done! If it’s hard to spin using the cap, try hooking a finger through one of the side holes to spin it.

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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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Handprint Sunflower

[Handprint Art] Let's draw a sunflower! Suitable from age 1! (*^^*)

Handprint Sunflower

Let’s use handprints to create a lively sunflower! Once you put yellow paint on your hand, stamp from lots of different directions.

For the center of the sunflower, as well as the stem and leaves, change colors and keep pressing your handprints from various angles in the same way.

For finer details, it’s recommended to dab paint on your fingertips and use finger stamps.

You can also try using the side of a closed fist, or experiment with different hand shapes—not just an open hand—which could be fun too.

For kids, the process of stamping—dab, dab, stamp, stamp—will surely be the most enjoyable part.

Give it a try as a summer craft activity.

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Making a phone out of cardboard

[1-year-olds] Hello? Let’s make a phone and play!

Making a phone out of cardboard

Let’s make a play telephone so you can enjoy chatting with friends or parents by saying “Hello!” Cover a piece of cardboard with paper in your favorite color, then add number stickers and drawings to act as the screen.

A smartphone-style phone works too, but a flip phone or cordless-handset style is recommended because the numbers are always visible, giving your child more chances to interact with numbers.

You can explain the number layout as you build it, or just let them work freely without worrying about placement.

Have lots of fun chatting with your own cute, original phone!

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Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques (21–30)

Making a spinning top with a paper plate

[Craft] Spinning top [Paper plate] [Ages 1+ ] [Easy]

Making a spinning top with a paper plate

Let’s make a spinning top with a paper plate and play with it! Fold the paper plate in half and open it back up, and repeat this process in two places.

The key is to make firm creases.

You’ll later glue a plastic bottle cap at the center where the creases cross, so draw a boundary line so your drawings don’t overlap that area.

Once the prep is done, have your child draw pictures or place stickers to create patterns.

Tearing and gluing colored origami paper also works well.

When the design is finished, glue on the cap—and you’re done! Twist the cap to spin the top round and round.

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