[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 (81–90)
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!
Simple chopstick gun
This is a very simple chopstick rubber-band gun you can make with just two pairs of disposable chopsticks.
Clamp the tip of one chopstick set with the tip of the other and secure them with a rubber band.
At this point, use both chopsticks un-split, just as they are.
That’s actually all there is to the assembly! Then hook a rubber band onto the tip to set it, and slowly tilt the clamped chopstick diagonally like a trigger—the rubber band will launch.
Since you don’t need scissors, a cutter, glue, or anything else, it’s perfect for a craft project with small children.
Give it a try!
Sliding puzzle
Why not try making a sliding puzzle by hand? It’s a toy that makes use of a five-year-old’s thinking skills and imagination, and because it’s handmade, you can create the puzzle with a motif that interests them.
First, prepare three flat pieces of cardboard of the same size.
Set one aside as the base, then draw a frame on the other two and cut out the centers.
Stack the frames you made and glue them together.
For the puzzle section, cut it just slightly smaller so it fits easily, and draw the puzzle piece lines on the back.
After attaching the picture to the front, cut along the lines of the pieces on the back.
Finally, fit the pieces into the frame and remove one piece—done!
Marble Drop
Why not try making a marble drop inspired by Anpanman? The base will be a plastic bottle.
First, cut it into three equal sections, then insert a piece of thick paper between the sections and reassemble them.
Punch marble-drop holes in the thick paper and decorate it to evoke Anpanman.
You could also make the thick paper look like Anpanman’s or Baikinman’s face.
Once you add the marbles, it’s complete.
Its cute appearance and the sound of the marbles dropping will captivate children.
Rocket manufacturing
Let’s make a rocket you’ll want to take on outdoor adventures! Tie two rubber bands together and tape the knot to the middle of a sheet of newspaper so the bands extend out from both sides.
Roll the newspaper tightly into a thin tube and secure it with tape, then wrap colored tape around it to decorate.
Attach a straw, about 10 cm long, to the end of the rubber bands to complete the launcher.
For the rocket, cover a toilet paper tube with origami paper and add fins and window parts made from construction paper.
Hook the rocket onto the straw, pull it back firmly, and release—your rocket will launch using the rubber bands’ snapping force!
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!
[Childcare] Playful craft ideas to enjoy with 5-year-olds (91–100)
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.
