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 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.
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 (91–100)

Magnetic matching game

Handmade magnetic matching game! A childcare worker explains how to make a 100-yen shop toy (for 1- and 2-year-olds)

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!

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Soap bubbles made with pipe cleaners

[Done in 1 minute] That bubble thing made with pipe cleaners is a huge hit with kids 🫧✨ #shorts #childcare #crafts

Soap bubbles made with pipe cleaners

Like a magic wand! Let’s make a cute item that makes blowing bubbles even more fun.

First, prepare a cookie cutter in your favorite shape.

Shape a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) along the cutter and twist to secure it.

Next, thread a few beads of your choice onto the lower part of the stem.

To prevent the beads from slipping off, twist the tip into a small loop—and you’re done! The steps are simple and exciting to do, so try making it with family or friends and use it for your bubble play.

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[For Toddlers] Simple but Amazing Craft Ideas. Playable Toys, Too (101–110)

Space Travel Game

Crafts: A fun game powered by magnets, “Space Travel Game” #shorts #handmadeToys #crafts

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.

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Shinkansen

[Upcycled Crafts] Easy and cute! 3 handmade toys using toilet paper rolls 🌟

Shinkansen

Perfect for kids who love vehicles! Let’s make a movable Shinkansen (bullet train).

Recommended for children ages 4 and up.

First, cut a straw to match the length of a toilet paper roll core, and attach it to the top of the core.

Decorate it by using vinyl tape to create the Shinkansen design and drawing windows with a pen.

Finally, thread some kite string through the straw, and it’s done! Children can play by each holding one end of the string with a friend, or enjoy it as a wall-mounted toy—there are lots of ways to have fun.

You can make it even more exciting by increasing the number of trains or creating different types of trains to expand the play.

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underwater soap bubbles

Easy Home Experiment: Trapped Underwater Soap Bubble

underwater soap bubbles

Here’s an idea for underwater bubbles that also leads to learning.

First, fill two cups with water and add a few drops of dish soap to each.

Mix well, then use a straw like a dropper to suck up the soapy water from one cup and drip it into the other.

You should see bubbles form under the water.

Try thinking about why this happens as you do it.

If the bubbles don’t form well, adjusting the amount of soap often helps.

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Crafting fish with 100-yen shop magnets

[Easy Kids Craft] Flippity-Flopping with 100-Yen Store Magnets! Jumping Fish Craft! (Summer Project/Home Play)

Crafting fish with 100-yen shop magnets

Freshly caught and flopping! Here’s an idea for a fish craft you can make using magnets from a 100-yen shop.

It’s perfect for anyone wondering, “What kind of craft can I make with magnets?” All you need are construction paper, tape, a pen, scissors, and a magnetic sheet.

The video mainly features mackerel, but it looks like you can adapt it to other fish like flounder or filefish.

It’s such a unique idea that you’ll want to make it flop again and again!

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Dreamland with a magnet

Easy Craft: How to Make 'Dreamland with Magnets'

Dreamland with a magnet

Learn about magnets while having fun crafting! Here’s a magnetic Dreamland idea.

The charm of this project is that you can make a mysterious, entertaining toy that moves using capsules and magnets.

You’ll need origami paper, a white board, construction paper, magnets, empty gashapon capsules, poster paper, a color wave sheet, glue, scissors, and pens.

Draw roads on the board and decorate with construction paper and the color wave sheet.

Put a car illustration on an empty capsule and place a magnet inside—then it’s done! Move the capsule with the car illustration by guiding a magnet from the back of the board!

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