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 (21–30)

paper plate castanets

@welbe.co.jp
Easy Craft Series: Paper Plate Castanets#NeurodevelopmentalDisorders Parenting # developmental support (ryōiku)Habi
Akuma Night Disco (feat. Nozomi Sato) – The Ghost's Strange Tale

This is a sound-play item that you can easily make with familiar materials.

First, fold a paper plate in half and attach a plastic bottle cap.

Make a hole in the middle of the fold, thread a rubber band through it, and tie it so it won’t come out.

Decorate it, and you’re done! When you tap it lightly, it produces a fun sound that helps develop hand movement and a sense of rhythm.

By varying the volume and rhythm, it can also boost concentration and promote emotional stability.

The time spent making it with your child becomes a wonderful opportunity for communication filled with smiles.

Be sure to include it in your playtime with your child.

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Spring Stroll Bag

Let’s head out with a little walk bag! This is a walk bag made from a storage bag.

After decorating the bag freely with drawings or stickers, attach a string to both ends and it’s done.

Children have lots of treasures not only outside the preschool but also in the playground, so be sure to make a bag where they can keep their precious finds! If you use paper or another easily torn material for the neck strap, it will break away quickly if it gets caught, making it safe to use.

Children who have just entered or moved up a class will be excited to see what kinds of treasures they’ll discover.

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Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques (31–40)

[Empty containers of lactic acid bacteria drinks] Snowflake stamp

Easy Craft: Snowflake Stamps Made from Lactic Acid Drink Containers [Ages 0–1]

[Empty containers of lactic acid bacteria drinks] Snowflake stamp

Let’s make a snowflake stamp that 1-year-olds can enjoy playing with! This is an easy craft idea using an empty lactic acid bacteria drink container.

First, place a plastic bottle cap over the mouth of the empty container and secure it with vinyl tape.

Next, cut a collision-prevention cushion sheet into a snowflake shape and attach it to the top of the cap with double-sided tape—that’s it! Add color with a stamp pad or paint, then dab and stamp away.

By changing the snowflake shapes and trying different colors, you can further nurture children’s imagination.

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Sensory Color Play

[Ages 0–1] Touch and Explore! Sensory Color Play

Sensory Color Play

This is a color play activity where children can enjoy visuals, textures, and the fun of colors mixing.

First, prepare a sheet of white drawing paper covered generously with several colors of paint and sealed inside a clear plastic bag.

As an introduction, it’s also a good idea to spark interest in colors with a picture book or songs about colors before starting.

Then hand out the paint-filled bags and let the children touch them freely.

It will be exciting to see what expressions and comments they share.

They can look and touch, enjoy the textures of the paint and paper, and press to mix the colors and watch new colors appear—all while keeping their hands clean.

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Ants’ Errand

Here’s a craft project featuring the familiar “Ant’s Errand” from the song.

Prepare black construction paper and crayons, and let’s get started.

Have the children draw pictures on the construction paper using crayons.

When cutting out the ant’s parts from the paper, the key is to cut from the areas where the children’s drawings are.

Once all the parts are glued onto the base sheet, stick on round stickers for the eyes, add a mouth cut from construction paper, and it’s complete! Adding stickers or torn origami around it gives it a warm, handmade feel—highly recommended.

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Soramame-kun’s Bed

Here’s an introduction to making a fava bean bed craft that’s perfect for May.

Gather paint, sponge stampers (tanpo), construction paper, cotton, colored pens, and glue, and let’s get started.

Stamp paint onto construction paper cut into the shape of a pod to create the fava bean’s bed.

Use colored pens to freely draw grass on the base sheet of construction paper.

Glue the pod onto the base, add the cotton, and the fava bean bed is complete.

Kids can enjoy the feel of the cotton and the color variations created by dabbing with the sponge stampers.

Give it a try!

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Takenoko-chan

Here’s an introduction to making a fun art project with Bamboo Shoot-chan using paints.

Prepare a paper plate, crayons, paint, brushes, scissors, and glue.

First, enjoy scribbling on the paper plate with crayons.

Next, paint over it to enjoy a resist painting effect.

It’s recommended to dilute the paint a little.

Since some children may be using paint for the first time, proceed while keeping a close eye on them to prevent accidental ingestion and ensure safety.

Cut the paper plate into quarters, then glue the pieces together in a three-dimensional way to form a bamboo shoot shape.

Finally, add the face, and it’s complete.

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