Lovely childcare

Origami Fun in Winter for One-Year-Olds! Simple ideas for tearing and sticking, too

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.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

Winter origami fun with little fingertips.

Even one-year-olds can tear paper with a rip-rip, crumple it up, and stick it on with a pat-pat to create wonderful works.

With wintry motifs like snowmen, Santa Claus, and reindeer, children’s faces naturally light up.

Why not spend a lovely time with your kids, enjoying the fun of moving their hands and the joy of finishing a project together? Here, we’ll share easy and cute winter origami ideas you can make and display.

Origami fun in winter with 1-year-olds! A simple collection of ideas—from tearing to sticking—that everyone can enjoy (1–10)

Christmas tree made with torn-paper collage

[For the Christmas wall display♪] Just tear and stick! Easy-peasy tree 🎄 #preschoolcrafts #nurseryt eacher #teachingideas #traineenurseryt eacher #teacherlife #withkids #origamicraft #christmastree #christmas

Christmas tree made with torn-paper collage

The steps are simple! Here are some ideas for making a Christmas tree with torn-paper collage.

Prepare green origami paper, patterned or light green origami paper, brown construction paper, yellow construction paper, a backing sheet of construction paper, and glue.

First, tear the origami paper.

Ripping the paper with a tearing motion helps develop fine motor skills.

Next, spread glue over the entire backing sheet and start sticking on the torn pieces of origami paper.

The key is to place them freely.

Finally, cut the collage into a tree shape, add a trunk and a star made from construction paper, and you’re done!

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Shaking Snow Globe

[Christmas Craft] Easy with 100-yen shop materials! A Santa snow globe made with a plastic cup

Shaking Snow Globe

Here’s a craft for making a Santa Claus snow globe using a clear plastic cup.

Let the children enjoy the steps of sticking and tearing! First, make Santa’s hat with red construction paper, then use white round stickers and paper facial parts to create Santa’s face.

Draw the eyes with a pen, attach the face to the cup with double-sided tape, and decorate the cup with pieces of washi tape.

Next, tear white origami paper, and make a lid from construction paper to fit the rim of the cup.

Put the torn origami inside the cup, place the lid on top, tie it with jute twine, and it’s complete!

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A spinning top made with paper plates and origami

[Craft] Spinning top [Paper plate] [Ages 1+ ] [Easy]

A spinning top made with paper plates and origami

You can make it with paper plates and plastic bottle caps! Here’s a recommended spinning top craft for 1-year-olds.

Fold a paper plate into a cross shape, then place a cap in the center and trace its outline.

Tear up chiyogami or origami paper, apply glue to the paper plate, and stick the pieces on.

If your child has trouble tearing, making small starter cuts will help.

Fold any overhanging edges to the back, and finally attach double-sided tape to the cap and stick it in the center of the paper plate to finish! There are lots of ways to arrange the patterns, so 1-year-olds can have plenty of fun just doing the decorating.

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Origami Fun in Winter with 1-Year-Olds! Simple Ideas They Can Enjoy Tearing and Sticking (11–20)

Kite flying made with origami

Flies easily and really well! An origami kite that parents and kids can fold with ease

Kite flying made with origami

Here’s a kite craft you can make with kids.

It really flies, so make it together and have fun as New Year’s approaches.

First, fold a sheet of origami paper using a kite fold.

Fold the left and right corners toward the left and right edges to make crease lines, then unfold.

Next, tape the kite’s tails onto the three vertical straight crease lines.

Attach kite strings to the upper left and right corners, and finally, align them with the center crease and tie the two strings together into a single kite string.

It’s done! Can’t wait to see how high it flies.

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Snowman made with torn-paper collage

This is a snowman craft that lets children discover the joy of making things by tearing paper into any size they like.

Since it can be made without using scissors, it’s easy to incorporate into preschool activities.

First, draw the outline of a snowman on construction paper.

Using a compass or a cup helps you draw neat circles, resulting in a perfectly round snowman.

Next, paste the hand-torn pieces of paper however you like.

Finally, add the facial expression and body parts to finish.

Try making this lovely wall decoration that brings a wintry feel to your indoor space.

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A wreath you can make with just two folds

Easy wreath with just two folds in origami [simple wreath], with variations too ♪ How to make an Origami Easy Wreath.

A wreath you can make with just two folds

For your Christmas decorations, why not make a wreath together with the kids? The steps are simple, yet you’ll end up with an impressive wreath! Fold origami paper twice to make eight pieces, connect them, and your origami wreath is complete! By slightly changing where you fold, you can freely reshape this wreath.

Kids will love it too.

It’s fun to use solid-and-patterned or patterned-and-patterned paper, and to add stickers or craft embellishments for decoration! It’ll make a great winter memory, so give it a try.

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Ehomaki made by rolling it up and up

Ehomaki are known as a lucky food that people enjoy for Setsubun while making wishes.

How about creating three-dimensional ehomaki filled with ingredients together with children? Prepare origami sheets for seaweed along with ingredients like egg, cucumber, and lettuce, then roll them up in order.

Wrap bubble wrap over the ingredients, roll it with the seaweed, and the ehomaki is complete.

Because it’s a simple origami activity that involves rolling paper, even one-year-old children can enjoy taking part.

It’s an origami idea themed around Setsubun, a seasonal tradition of winter.

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