Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Playful craft ideas to enjoy with 5-year-olds

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!

I want to enjoy crafts with a five-year-old, but they get bored with flat, two-dimensional projects…

Does that sound familiar?

Here are some craft ideas perfect for five-year-olds, whose thinking skills and ability to work on tasks are really blossoming—plus, they double as toys you can play with.

Enjoy the crafting process, and then try playing with the toys you made, both indoors and outdoors.

It’s also fine to lend and borrow toys with friends.

Kids tend to cherish toys they made themselves, so they’ll likely play with them carefully.

Teachers, why not make and play together too?

[Childcare] Playful craft ideas to enjoy with 5-year-olds (61–70)

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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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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CD

Let's make and play with a 'CD spinning top' that spins really well! The black-and-white patterns will look like colors.

If you’ve got CDs lying around at home, why not repurpose them into handmade spinning tops? By combining a CD with a marble, you can transform it into a top that spins really well! The trick is to choose a marble that’s slightly larger than the hole in the center of the CD.

To make it, just apply glue around the center hole of the CD and fix the marble in place.

You can also add a small piece of double-sided tape where you pinch it, or use a finger cot for extra grip, making it easier to spin.

Plus, it’s fun to design and decorate the disc! Try making your own original top in your favorite colors and have fun spinning it.

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Fishing for fish

I made a felt fishing toy / handmade / hand-crafted / educational toy

Fishing for fish

Fishing is one of the most popular pastimes for children.

So why not try making various sea creatures out of felt? In addition to fish, kids might be delighted to have creatures you wouldn’t normally catch when fishing, like sharks, dolphins, and turtles.

If you put a material inside that sticks to a magnet, they can enjoy “catching” them with a rod that has a magnet on the end.

You can make them by layering and gluing felt, or stuff them with cotton to give them a three-dimensional shape—both are recommended.

Since they’re toys, be sure to make them colorful!

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Ponpoko Animals

[Handmade Toys to Enjoy with Kids] Pompoko Animals / Let’s Make It Together with Mom! A DIY toy craft video that boosts the creativity and creative drive of 4- and 5-year-old children.

Ponpoko Animals

Ponpoko Animals is a craft project that’s fun because it makes sounds.

There are many steps a five-year-old can do on their own, so making it together as a group will be lively and exciting.

First, as prep work, the teacher should make holes in plastic bottle caps and thread strings through them.

Have the children start from the step of tying knots at the ends of the strings.

After making two, attach them to the plastic bottle body so they line up where the hands would be.

Using vinyl tape works well.

Next, stick a face made from construction paper onto the bottle.

If the children make the faces themselves, the result will be even more original.

When you shake the bottle, the caps hit the body and make a rattling sound—your cute little toy is complete!

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Pompom Yo-Yo

@chii_1514m
Bouncy pom-pom yo-yo made from a plastic bag ✩.*˚#Kindergarten #Nursery school #Production video How-to video #Production Video
♪ Original song – Chi☺︎ – Chi☺︎

Perfect for indoor activities! Here’s how to make a “Pompom Yo-Yo” that even a 5-year-old can easily create.

It’s very simple.

First, put sequins and finely cut sparkly tape or origami paper into a clear plastic bag.

Then seal the opening with tape and inflate it by filling it tightly with air.

Next, attach four strips of masking tape without pulling them too tight.

Finally, wrap a rubber band to make a handle—and it’s done! Try making it together with your child and have fun.

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Easter egg maracas

[Spring Craft] Perfect for music play♪ Let’s make Easter egg maracas 🥚🌸

Easter egg maracas

April has Easter, right? Here’s a perfect craft for April festivities: making egg-shaped maracas that make a rattling sound.

Prepare two bottle caps, beads, newspaper, aluminum foil, a permanent marker, and vinyl tape.

Put beads into one cap, place the other cap on top, and secure them tightly with vinyl tape so the beads don’t spill.

If you add too many beads, the sound can become muffled, so a moderate amount is recommended.

Wrap the capped beads with newspaper to create volume and shape it into an egg.

Finally, color the aluminum foil with a permanent marker in any colors you like, carefully smooth it into an egg shape, wrap it around, and your maracas are complete!

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