[Childcare] Playful craft ideas to enjoy with 5-year-olds
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?
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[Childcare] Playful Craft Ideas to Enjoy with 5-Year-Olds (71–80)
A toy train with magnets
Let’s create a tiny world inside a plastic bottle! Here’s an idea for a toy train that moves with magnets.
Even without touching the train, it moves like magic—sure to capture children’s interest! You’ll need a 1.5-liter plastic bottle, magnets, string, two bottle caps, colored paper, scissors, a utility knife, cellophane tape, vinyl tape, double-sided tape, and an awl.
If you make it together with kids, the little world inside the bottle will grow even more imaginative!
Magnetic matching game
Let’s promote fine motor development by sticking magnets on and pulling them off! Here are some ideas for magnet matching games.
These are handmade toys that even infants can enjoy, so take this opportunity to give them a try.
You’ll need a whiteboard, clear tape, magnetic sheets, colored pens, construction paper, and scissors.
For the designs, you can draw motifs that interest the children, or adapt them to focus on colors or numbers.
A nice bonus is that you can get the materials at a 100-yen shop!
Space Travel Game
Let me introduce a handmade space travel game.
Prepare 10 round magnets, round stickers, straws, and construction paper, and let’s make it together.
For the spaceship, attach a straw to a magnet, stick on a round sticker, and draw a rocket illustration.
Next, create a flight course for the spaceship on a base sheet of construction paper.
Cut black construction paper into circles and glue magnets at the center to make black holes.
Stick several of these black holes along the course, and you’re done.
Pilot the spaceship and try to reach the goal without getting swallowed by the black holes.
[Childcare] Playful craft ideas to enjoy with 5-year-olds (81–90)
Handmade microphone
Let me introduce a cute original microphone craft.
Prepare a plastic wrap tube, a capsule toy container, origami paper, and yarn, and let’s make it.
Wrap the origami paper around the plastic wrap tube so that a bit of the paper sticks out on either the left or right side.
On the side where the paper sticks out, tape on the yarn, crumple the extra paper to make it small, and tuck it into the center of the wrap tube—this completes the microphone handle.
Next, place the capsule toy container on top of the wrap tube and tape it so it won’t fall off, and your microphone is complete! Draw a switch on the handle, and add illustrations or stickers as you like to create your very own original microphone.
Sakura sensory bottle
When you see cherry blossoms in full bloom, your heart suddenly feels bright and cheerful, doesn’t it? How about making a sensory bottle using those cute pink cherry blossoms? Just put liquid starch (or clear glue) and cherry blossoms into an empty bottle or jar, then secure the lid with adhesive—and it’s done in no time.
Feel free to add beads or glitter if you like.
You’ll be soothed for sure by the gently drifting blossoms each time you tilt the bottle.
It’s a craft that both adults and children can enjoy, so give it a try!
milk carton
This is a spinning top made from an opened milk carton, with four wings spread out in all directions.
As you cut each wing, try to keep them the same size and aim for a shape that spins more easily.
To improve spin, cut the tips of the wings at an angle and attach a plastic bottle cap in the center as the axle.
It’s recommended to build it with the inside (white side) of the carton facing up, as it makes pen decorations easier.
To keep the wings straight and stable, you can also reinforce them by layering thick paper or cardboard.
Jack-in-the-box made from a milk carton
Let’s make a perfect jack-in-the-box for birthday parties and celebrations, and have some thrilling fun with five-year-olds! First, flatten a milk carton and cut it into 5 cm-wide strips.
Decorating the cut pieces with hologram stickers will enhance the look.
Make small slits above and below around the center and hook a rubber band into them.
Fold it the other way, and you’ve created a mechanism that springs up with the power of the rubber band! Make several of these to match the size of your box.
Prepare some confetti as well and set everything in the box.
You can also add a message or a small gift.
When the lid is opened, the springy pieces and confetti pop out—this jack-in-the-box is a surefire hit that’s exciting every time you open it!
