Craft activity ideas for 4-year-olds
By the time children are four, their fine motor skills become more refined—they can use scissors and glue more smoothly—and as their language develops, their imaginative world expands, greatly broadening the range of crafts they can do.
Let’s actively incorporate a variety of craft activities using different materials in daily childcare to stimulate their five senses more and more!
This time, we’re introducing craft play ideas recommended for four-year-olds.
We’ve gathered a wide range of ideas—from event-themed crafts like Halloween and Christmas, to toys they can make and play with, to wall decorations that reflect the seasons.
Use these as a reference and, while drawing on the children’s free ideas, try creating wonderful, personality-filled works together.
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- Exciting September crafts for 4-year-olds! A special collection of fun ideas with autumn-themed motifs
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- [For toddlers] Simple but amazing craft ideas — including toys they can play with
- Let’s make it with 3-year-olds! Fun handmade toy ideas
[4-Year-Olds] Craft Activity Ideas (11–20)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar painting
This is a creative play activity themed on the classic picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been loved by children for many years.
Prepare colored construction paper for the base and pre-cut parts such as the butterfly’s body and face.
The fun part for the four-year-olds is tearing newspaper and painting it with water-thinned paint.
The soft texture of watercolors will feel fresh to the children, and they’re sure to enjoy it.
To finish, cut gold and silver origami into circles and paste them on—the piece will instantly look vivid and crisp.
swirl grape
A simple craft for making spiral grapes by just rolling paper.
Cut paper into long, thin strips and wind them tightly around a pencil or any thin stick.
When you slide the strip off after finishing the roll, you’ll have a spiral-shaped grape! Glue these onto a piece of square construction paper to create a bunch of grapes on the vine.
Mixing lighter and darker shades of purple will make it look more realistic, which is highly recommended.
You can also use yellow-green or green paper to turn them into Muscat grapes.
The process of rolling the strips and combining the finished grapes is fun, so kids will enjoy making this craft too!
printmaking; woodblock print; engraving (context-dependent)
“Styrene printmaking” involves drawing with a pencil on a material made of foamed plastic called styrene board and transferring the image created by the indented lines.
Because the material is soft, it’s recommended for 4-year-olds.
For the transfer paint, use acrylics rather than watercolors, as watercolors will bead up.
The theme of the drawing can be anything, but guide the child to draw while making clear indentations.
The raised effect that appears in the print gives the artwork a texture different from ordinary drawings, which will likely spark new interest and enjoyment.
ogre mask
Tulips are spring flowers with large petals and vivid colors that children love.
Why not use origami with cute patterns or colorful paper to make an adorable room decoration? The three-dimensional flower part may look difficult at first glance, but tasks like cutting with scissors and gluing are fun even for four-year-olds, and it comes together in no time.
It would also make a delightful gift to take home for occasions like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Christmas wreath
This is a simple Christmas wreath you can make with a paper plate and yarn.
Cutting a circle out of the center of the paper plate is a great scissor practice for a four-year-old.
Wrap light green and green yarn around and around for the Christmas colors, then lightly wind some red yarn at the end.
Finally, join the ends together, secure them with a stapler, and slide the yarn to cover the staples—now it’s almost done.
For the finishing touch, glue on beads wherever you like.
By doing most of the steps themselves—cutting, wrapping, and gluing—kids can enjoy the feeling of “I did it!”
A cute kotatsu you can make with 100-yen shop items!
The kotatsu makes its appearance when winter comes and temperatures drop.
The only downside is that once you get in, it’s hard to get out—but that gentle, enveloping warmth makes you feel so happy, doesn’t it? A kotatsu also makes a perfect motif for winter craft ideas.
Here, two ideas are introduced: one kotatsu made by placing a circular piece of fabric over a doll-sized table, and another made by cutting and shaping a square box.
There’s also a tutorial for making mandarins using decorative pom-poms and pipe cleaners, so feel free to use it as a reference and give it a try.
[4-Year-Olds] Craft Activity Ideas (21–30)
A fun igloo with stamp play
@hekimen_25 [Building a Kamakura with Stamp Play ☃️] Using a sponge to stamp—pop! pop! A stamping craft that kids can enjoy with total fascination 😆✨ In snowy regions, their imaginations might expand even more, making it even more fun… 🤭#Childcare Crafting#Production VideoNursery teacher / Childcare worker#Nursery school ProductionKamakura Stamp #paint
Tomodachi Collection – Love
Let’s try a fun winter craft with stamping.
First, apply white paint to a square sponge and stamp it all over a sheet of blue construction paper.
After the paint dries, cut the paper into the shape of an igloo.
Cut out the entrance of the igloo, a kotatsu, and the face and hands from construction paper, then glue them onto the igloo to finish.
Draw expressions on the face parts with crayons, and add any pattern you like to the kotatsu.
You can also use stamps or stickers to add patterns.