Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Craft activity ideas

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.
Keyboard playerSAKI
I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”

Around the age of three, children develop a sense of self, their imaginative world expands, their vocabulary increases, and their fine motor skills improve—there are so many signs of growth.

We hope they continue to grow significantly as they receive plenty of stimulation in their daily lives.

In this article, we’ll introduce craft activity ideas recommended for three-year-olds.

We’ve gathered fun ideas that will spark the curiosity of three-year-olds: perfect for wall displays, toys they can make and play with, projects that use unique techniques, and activities that can be used for pretend play!

There are also ideas ideal for practicing with scissors and glue, so choose activities that match the children’s developmental stage and give them a try!

[Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Craft play ideas (91–100)

Exploration Dragonfly

Here’s a fall craft idea that kids can keep playing with even after they finish making it: dragonfly glasses! Dye kitchen paper towels with colored water to create pastel shades and let them dry thoroughly.

Then tear the paper towels and paste them onto dragonfly parts made from construction paper.

Next, attach the parts to a chopstick decorated with masking tape.

Add cellophane to the dragonfly’s eyes so that when children look through them, they can experience a world of colors different from usual.

It’s a craft that can excite both kids and adults!

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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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[Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Craft play ideas (101–110)

Empty Can Tambourine

Let me share an idea for making tambourines out of empty cans and boxes.

What you’ll need: empty candy or cookie tins or small boxes, double-sided tape or glue, paper parts made from construction paper, and decorative materials.

Have you ever looked at a round cookie tin or an empty cheese box and thought, “I could use this for something”? Using materials like these, let’s make tambourines that are fun to craft and delightful to play, together with the kids! The step where you freely stick the parts together is exciting for both children and adults.

Give it a try!

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air cannon

After cutting pool noodles and connecting pieces of different colors to make a colorful tube, cover one end with a balloon and your air cannon is ready! Put pom-poms into the hole of the pool noodle, pull the balloon, and release—the pom-poms will shoot out.

As long as the children are old enough not to put pom-poms in their mouths and there’s no risk of swallowing, everyone can play together.

It’s a good idea to make several air cannons so they can play a lot.

You can also prepare targets that topple with a light impact and enjoy it like a shooting game.

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Kashiwa-mochi castanets

[Handmade Instruments] With Paper Clay! Kashiwa Mochi Castanets [Children’s Day Craft]

Kashiwa-mochi castanets

Let’s get crafting for Children’s Day! Here’s a fun idea for making Kashiwa Mochi castanets.

Many preschools and kindergartens probably sing children’s songs like “Koinobori” together during Children’s Day events, right? Let’s make Kashiwa Mochi castanets that will come in handy for those moments! You’ll need cardboard or a milk carton, green construction paper, white air-dry clay, buttons, colored pens, glue, craft adhesive, and scissors.

It’s a delightful, event-specific craft—give it a try!

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Fluffy Heart Stencil

[Painting Technique] Soft and cute 💗 Heart Stencil #at-homeplay #athomeplay #stencil #conte #Valentine

Fluffy Heart Stencil

The heart stencil is super cute! Here’s a heart-themed craft that’s great for 3-year-olds.

First, draw a heart shape on construction paper or cardstock and cut out the inside.

After cutting it out, color the edge of the heart with conte or pastel crayons.

Place the stencil on a sheet of paper and gently rub in circles with your finger inside the opening—the heart will appear like magic.

It’s also fun to layer hearts of different sizes or combine your favorite colors, so I highly recommend trying that.

The finished stencil looks adorable just as it is on the paper, but you can also try cutting it into your favorite shapes—get creative!

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A cute crumpled ogre mask

Crumpled and Cute Oni Mask [February / Setsubun Craft]

A cute crumpled ogre mask

Enjoy the fun, crinkly feel of scrunching paper! Here’s a recommended oni (demon) mask craft for 3-year-olds.

First, crumple a brown envelope into a ball.

Open the envelope and put crumpled newspaper inside.

Add enough so the envelope puffs up a little, then seal it.

Next, make the oni’s facial parts with construction paper.

Stick round stickers onto the hair piece, then attach the hair, horn pieces, and face pieces to the envelope.

Draw any eyes you like on the eye pieces with a pen.

Cut construction paper into long, thin strips and make them into loops.

Add a rubber band so the size can be adjusted, and you’re done!

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