Lovely childcare

Fun spring craft ideas using origami to make with your one-year-old!

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

A warm and sunny spring.

Many teachers are probably thinking, “I want to enjoy spring-themed crafts with the children!” So this time, we’re introducing craft ideas using origami for one-year-olds.

In addition to folding, we’ve packed in ideas that stimulate children’s senses by letting them rip paper, stick pieces on, and use their fingers in lots of ways.

We’ve gathered plenty of spring motifs that are familiar to children, such as tulips, cherry blossoms, ladybugs, and butterflies! Please use these as a reference and enjoy making cute spring crafts together.

Because the children’s creations are treated as works, we use the term “制作” (seisaku: production/work) in the text.

Fun spring crafts to make with 1-year-olds! Creative origami ideas (21–30)

A strawberry you can make with a basic folding method

Origami for 3-year-olds: Strawberry

A strawberry you can make with a basic folding method

Enjoy the different shapes that appear with different folding methods! Here are some strawberry ideas you can make with basic folds.

What you’ll need: two sheets of red origami paper, a backing sheet of construction paper, glue or double-sided tape, and crayons or colored pencils.

Origami is fascinating because you can use various folding techniques to create detailed, delicate pieces.

But even those delicate works start with the basics! This idea is recommended because it lets you learn basic triangular and square folds.

It also seems like good practice for matching your folds to the features of the motif you want to create!

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In conclusion

We introduced spring craft ideas using origami that you can make with one-year-olds. Since many one-year-olds may be touching origami for the first time, we recommend starting by letting them enjoy the feel of the paper—tearing it into pieces or crumpling it into balls—as you proceed with the activity. Because this is a stage with large individual differences in development, it’s best to provide support tailored to each child so they can discover how fun making things can be.