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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: 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 (51–60)

Easter Bunny made of fluffy cotton

[Easter Craft] Fluffy Bunny Made with a Plastic Bag 🐇 #PreschoolCrafts #NurseryTeacher #TeachingIdeas #TeacherTrainee #TeacherLife #WithKids #Easter #EasyCraft #EasterCraft #Bunny

Easter Bunny made of fluffy cotton

A plastic bag that’s often used for crafts.

This time, let’s use this plastic bag to make a bunny that children love! We’ll also use cotton, so before you start, let the kids enjoy the feel of the cotton.

After they’ve explored the texture, pack the cotton into a white plastic bag with handles, and once it’s filled, tie the handles together.

The tied part will look like bunny ears, so you might hear the kids exclaim, “Bunny!” Hide the knot with a ribbon, draw the eyes and mouth, and it’s complete.

It’s fluffy and looks like a little doll.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Decorating tambourines is fun

Let's Play with the Rhythm of Handmade Instruments! Plate Tambourine

Decorating tambourines is fun

Here are some fun ideas for decorating tambourines.

You’ll need two paper plates, straws, scissors, tape, a pen, and masking tape.

Put the cut pieces of straw between the paper plates, press them together, and seal the edges with tape and masking tape—that’s it! Use pens in your favorite colors to draw expressions on the tambourine.

It’s also fun to give the front and back different expressions, like a smiling face on one side and a sleeping face on the other.

The simple method makes it easy for kids to follow, which is part of its charm!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

ball

A round and cute ball made by weaving paper – DIY How to Make a Paper Ball / Paper Weaving

ball

Here’s an idea for making a ball out of paper.

First, prepare six strips of paper, each 1 cm by 20 cm.

Connect one of the strips into a loop.

Next, layer the remaining five strips one by one to form a star shape.

If you overlap them so that the center forms a pentagon, you’ll get a neat star.

Once layered, temporarily clip the ends of the strips upright, then pass the loop you made earlier through them.

At this point, only thread the strips that were on the bottom during the layering.

Swap the top and bottom positions of the overlapped strips, connect strips of the same color, and you’re done!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques (61–70)

Crumpled-origami Karaage Bento

Crumpled Origami: How to Make a Fried Chicken Bento [Easy Craft] Fun at Home

Crumpled-origami Karaage Bento

Speaking of autumn, it’s the excursion season, isn’t it? One of the things we bring during excursion season is a packed lunch, right? So, let’s try making a cute bento that you can create by crumpling and squeezing origami paper.

For the bento box, use any empty box or can you like, and fill it with items you’ve shaped by hand, like cabbage, fried chicken, pickled plum, and rice.

Using your imagination to make your favorite side dishes sounds like a lot of fun.

Making hamburger patties or rolled omelets would look delicious, too.

Raise the rankinglower

Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

Report a problem

Shirokuma-chan’s Hotcakes

Here’s an introduction to making a craft inspired by the popular children’s picture book, Shirokuma-chan’s Pancakes.

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

Cut out and assemble a plate and pancakes from the construction paper ahead of time.

If you prepare plates in several colors, children may enjoy choosing their favorite.

Use paint to represent butter and add color to the pancakes with a brush.

Form butter shapes from cellophane or origami paper, then glue them on top to complete a delicious-looking pancake.

For Shirokuma-chan’s eyes, we recommend using round stickers.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Dandelions Made with Sponge Stamps

https://www.tiktok.com/@hoiku.labo/video/7218485641850522882

Have fun stamping with a pop-pop rhythm! Here are some dandelion craft ideas you can make with sponge stamps.

Many kids don’t like getting their hands dirty, but these sponge stamps are perfect even for them.

Attach a piece of sponge to the tip of a disposable chopstick with a rubber band, soak it in paint, and pop-pop stamp onto construction paper! The dandelion flowers you make from paper will look even more vibrant.

Be sure to try this for your spring crafts!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem