Lovely childcare

[For toddlers] Simple but amazing craft ideas — including toys they can play with

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 as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is 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!”

There are so many opportunities to do crafts at daycare and kindergarten, aren’t there?

Crafts help develop fine motor skills, nurture imagination and concentration, and offer plenty of great benefits for children’s development.

But are there teachers and parents out there thinking, “What should we make?” and running out of ideas?

In this article, we’ll introduce simple yet impressive craft ideas.

Many of them can be played with after making them, so the kids are sure to have a great time!

They’re all easy to make with materials that are simple to gather, so please use these as a reference.

[For toddlers] Simple but amazing craft ideas. Playable toys too (61–70)

Running Rabbit

@naughtyboytoybylily
Used disposable paper cups can be turned into running rabbits🐰 #handmadecraft #creativeideas #kindergartenhandicraft #recycledpaper #papercupcraft #rabbittoys #runningrabbit #toyforkids #momkidsfun #gift #fyp #educationaltoy
♬ See Tình (Speed Up Version) – Hoàng Thùy Linh

Let me introduce a running rabbit made with a paper cup.

Prepare a paper cup, construction paper, two plastic bottle caps, a rubber band, and some tape, then let’s make it.

Cut two vertical slits on opposite sides at the bottom of the paper cup so they’re evenly spaced.

Glue the two bottle caps together.

Wrap tape around the outside of the joined caps with a rubber band to secure it.

Hook the rubber band onto the slits you made in the paper cup and fix it in place—that’s it! Twist the caps to wind it up and let go, and the rabbit will start to run.

The caps inside act as a weight that balances the whole thing, making the movement fun to watch!

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Dishes you can make with magnets

Improvised Craft No. 74: “Jisha-Cook” #improvisedcraft #handmadetoy

Dishes you can make with magnets

Let me introduce a magnetic cooking craft that lets you enjoy flipping food.

Prepare construction paper, two paper cups, colored pens, magnets, tape, and vinyl tape, and let’s get started.

First, make a frying pan out of a paper cup.

Wrap the handle part with vinyl tape to reinforce it.

Draw a gas stove on another paper cup with colored pens and attach a magnet to the bottom.

Cut construction paper into circles and draw a sunny-side-up egg on the front and the flipped side on the back, then sandwich a magnet in the middle and stick the pieces together.

It’s also fun to make fish or meat in the same way.

Once everything is ready, place the food on the frying pan and set it on the gas stove made from the paper cup—the food inside will flip, and you can enjoy the action.

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Kaleidoscope of Flowers

I tried making a flower kaleidoscope.

Kaleidoscope of Flowers

A flower kaleidoscope with such beautiful, intricate movements that you’ll want to watch it over and over.

It looks really difficult… but you can actually make it easily with thin ribbon, round stickers, a bamboo skewer, and a straw.

First, prepare three round stickers with holes in the center.

Place ribbon cut to the same length on top of one sticker, then stick another sticker over it.

Attach the ribbon ends at equal intervals to the remaining sticker, and secure them with a solid (no-hole) sticker to form a springy sphere.

Thread a bamboo skewer through it, add a bead or similar to the tip, and secure it with glue.

Slide a straw onto the skewer, and it’s complete.

Twist, push, and pull to enjoy a variety of expressions.

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Balloon air cannon

Easy craft with balloons: a plastic bottle air cannon

Balloon air cannon

Let’s make a balloon air cannon you can use for target practice! You will need a balloon, a plastic bottle, a toilet paper tube, and vinyl tape.

Remove the cap from the plastic bottle, and cut off a bit of the bottom to make an opening.

Then slightly trim the top of a balloon, tie off the mouth of the balloon, and attach the balloon to the bottle’s opening.

Next, cut slits in one end of the toilet paper tube and spread them out like petals, then attach the tube around the middle of the bottle to make a handle for the air cannon.

Decorate as you like, and you’re done! When you pull the balloon, the air inside the bottle shoots out and knocks over objects set up in front.

Please divide the tasks between the teacher and the children according to the children’s ages.

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animal hat

Let's make your favorite animal with just one sheet of construction paper! Easy animal hat

animal hat

Why not make a cute animal hat out of construction paper? With a bit of creativity, you can make a rabbit, panda, elephant, and more.

First, attach two sheets of construction paper horizontally and fold them in half.

Then fold it twice vertically and into thirds horizontally, and unfold.

You should have creases forming 8 columns across and 3 rows down.

Cut off the leftmost column to make it 7 columns wide.

Fold the paper back up and cut the top two-thirds into an arch shape.

Open the paper and attach a pair of rubber bands linked together at both ends.

Gather the arched section and staple it in place, then add the animal’s face and ear parts to finish!

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