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 (41–50)

Colorful fish with decalcomania

Decalcomania is a simple technique that even one-year-olds can try, and it’s a delightful way to enjoy the fun of colors.

Using decalcomania, let’s make some smoothly swimming fish.

First, enjoy decalcomania with construction paper.

It’s wonderful if you can involve the one-year-old from the step of placing the paint.

Once the paint dries, cut the construction paper into the shape of a fish and use round stickers to make the eyes and mouth.

Finally, stick the fish onto another sheet of construction paper that represents the sea, and you’re done! Please give it a try and make these adorable fish that look like they’re swimming in the ocean.

Raise the rankinglower

tsukada moe

Report a problem

Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques (51–60)

Fireworks with toilet paper rolls

Let’s use toilet paper rolls to create fireworks pictures that will captivate one-year-olds.

Cut slits into the end of a toilet paper roll and spread them out to form petal shapes.

Dip the roll in paint and stamp it onto paper—cute little fireworks will appear.

Layer different colors, or add origami paper and stickers to make more dynamic fireworks.

The process itself is exciting, so it will be fun to see how the children react.

Prepare plenty of stampers so the children can enjoy stamping freely.

Raise the rankinglower

tsukada moe

Report a problem

Balloons made of felt

This is a project for making balloons with the fun texture of felt.

Felt fabric has a different feel from paper, and I think children will like its touch.

It’s often used for handmade toys, so it might be a familiar material.

Simply cut the felt into various shapes and stick them onto a balloon template to finish.

You can use wood glue when attaching the pieces, but double-sided tape also works.

Many 100-yen shops sell adhesive felt sheets, so using those can make the process even smoother.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Tulips made with sensory play

Introducing a tulip craft made with sensory play that 2-year-olds will love and that both kids and adults can enjoy together.

Prepare paint, construction paper, and a zip-top bag.

Drip your favorite paints onto the construction paper, place it inside the bag, and seal it.

Spread the paint by pressing and sliding it from outside the bag.

Children can experience the cool temperature of the paint and how the colors mix.

Take the paper out, let the paint dry, and then cut it into the shape of tulips.

Finally, glue the cut-out tulip flowers onto another sheet where you’ve drawn the stems and leaves—and it’s complete!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Valentine’s chocolates made with paint and stickers

Why not try making a cute heart-themed craft for Valentine’s Day? First, prepare two types of hearts: pink and white.

The key is to make one slightly larger so that when you layer them, the white creates a border.

Have the children paint on the hearts with brown paint.

Once the paint is dry, add stickers to decorate the hearts even more.

Next, make a pastry chef holding a heart.

Prepare facial parts in advance and let the children glue them on freely.

Arrange it so the pastry chef is holding the heart, and it’s complete!

Raise the rankinglower

tsukada moe

Report a problem

Rapeseed blossoms made with cotton swab stamps

@hoiku.labo
[Easy Spring Craft for Kids] Make Rapeseed Blossoms with Cotton Swab Stamps 🌼Childcare Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher Childcare job openings Childcare Column #NurseryTeacherThings #IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers #Nursery School Craft #DaycarePreparation Nursery School Practicum Childcare student Aspiring childcare worker Childcare Job Lab Nursery teacher skills Job change activities #JobChange #nursery_teacher_job_change Nursery teacher employment Production #Craft work Production drawing paper #ConstructionPaperCrafts #Wall Creation
♬ Give Love – AKMU (악뮤)

Speaking of spring, the bright yellow fields of canola flowers are so beautiful, aren’t they? Here’s a craft featuring canola blossoms that even one-year-olds can enjoy.

Prepare construction paper, paint, and five cotton swabs, and let’s get started.

First, make the base for the canola blossoms and stems using construction paper.

Bundle the five cotton swabs with a rubber band to create a stamp for the flower portion.

Dip the bundled swabs, thinned with a little water, into yellow paint and stamp the flower area.

The slightly raised paint texture looks so delicate and really brings out the canola-flower feel.

It’s also fun to change the paint and paper colors to create your own original canola blossoms.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Penguin made by tearing tissue paper

Why not try making a penguin while enjoying the feel of tearing and sticking tissue paper? For preparation, get the penguin’s body, the white belly piece, and the penguin’s flippers ready.

Have the children tear white tissue paper and glue it onto the construction paper for the belly.

The fluffy texture of the fur is expressed with the tissue paper, so it’ll be fun to hear what the children say about it.

Once the belly is attached to the body and you add a face with round stickers, it’s complete.

It’s a simple method, so feel free to add your own twists.

Have fun making a cute penguin!

Raise the rankinglower

tsukada moe

Report a problem