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 (31–40)

Skeleton flower

Introducing how to make a skeleton flower with a charming glossy shine.

Prepare transparent origami paper, a flower template, round stickers, glue, scissors, crayons, and clear tape.

Use the flower template to trace the shape onto the backing paper and cut it out.

Apply clear tape to the back of the construction paper so you can attach transparent origami paper to the flower area.

Have the children stick the cut transparent origami pieces from the front.

Mixing different transparent origami colors when sticking them makes the colors blend and look adorable.

Draw the stem with a crayon, and it’s complete.

Give it a try!

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Magnet and fabric sticking play

https://www.tiktok.com/@nagoya_kodomo/video/7119471763578244353

It’s fun how they stick with a snap! Here are some ideas for magnet-and-fabric sticking play.

Let’s make fabric toys that even infants can enjoy! You’ll need fabric or felt, magnets, fabric adhesive, needles, and thread.

If you create popular characters or illustrations from picture books with fabric or felt, children will be captivated! Sew magnets into each piece, and they’ll snap together so kids can play over and over.

Please be very careful to prevent accidental swallowing of magnets.

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Goldfish made with balloon stamps

We’ll introduce a colorful, pop, and cute goldfish craft made with balloon stamps.

Prepare paint, brushes, water balloons, construction paper, glue, and scissors.

After cutting the construction paper into the shape of a large jar and goldfish, dip an inflated water balloon in paint and stamp it onto the jar-shaped paper.

Switching colors as you stamp makes it even more fun.

Stick adhesive eyes on the goldfish, place them wherever you like, and you’re done.

Give it a try!

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Onigiri Boy

Make the most of paper towels! Here’s a fun idea for creating an Onigiri Boy.

Many kids love the Bread Thief series, especially “Bread Thief: The Departure of Onigiri Boy,” don’t they? This time, let’s make an Onigiri Boy using paper towels.

You’ll need construction paper, crayons, scissors, paper towels, double-sided tape, and regular tape.

Draw the onigiri fillings on the paper towel, then wrap it with a seaweed sheet made from construction paper—and you’re done! Pack it in a container and take it on a walk to enjoy a pretend picnic, too!

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The goldfish ran away.

Let’s stamp while dabbing with a sponge! Here’s an idea inspired by “The Goldfish Got Away.” The picture book “The Goldfish Got Away,” with its charming art style and the fun of searching for the escaped goldfish, is a favorite among children! This time, let’s enjoy making a craft with sponges.

You’ll need white drawing paper, sponges, paints, and paper parts you’ve made from construction paper.

Use paint to represent the water in the fishbowl where the goldfish is.

Using a single color is fine, but mixing light blue, blue, and white will give it a different feel!

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Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques (41–50)

A little bird made with scribbles

Let’s draw freely with crayons! Here are some ideas for making little birds from scribbles.

Scribbling refers to the bold, free lines and drawings that children create just as they please.

It’s characterized by lines drawn casually with big movements of the hands and arms.

This is an important time to enjoy the fun of drawing and take the first step in self-expression, so let’s make something that makes the most of children’s drawings! What you’ll need: drawing paper, crayons, paper parts (made from construction paper), glue, and scissors.

Give it a try!

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