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 (11–20)

dot marker

https://www.tiktok.com/@sakomama_asobi/video/7462706180264037640

Introducing DIY dot markers, a popular craft from overseas that you can make and enjoy.

Prepare small probiotic drink bottles, paint, and melamine sponges.

Put a small amount of paint and water into a drink bottle, cap it, and shake to mix.

Remove the cap, swap in a melamine sponge as the new tip, and it’s ready! Make a few colors and have fun stamping pictures and patterns onto drawing paper.

Another perk is that when the paint runs out, you can simply refill and keep enjoying it.

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Dinosaur Chomp-Chomp Puppet

[Upcycling Craft] Chomping Dinosaur from a Milk Carton (Easy Craft) [Handmade Toy] Cute Puppet How-To

Dinosaur Chomp-Chomp Puppet

Dinosaurs that kids love turn into puppets! It’s a craft you can make with materials you have at home, and it’s fun to play with after making it.

Cut a milk carton in half, then make slits in one half to create the dinosaur’s arms and tail.

For the head, cut the other half that still has the bottom.

Attach the head and body with cellophane tape, glue on bottle-cap eyes, and it’s done! There are parts you should cut and parts you shouldn’t, so be careful not to mix them up.

As it gradually starts to look more like a dinosaur, your child will enjoy making it!

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koma

[For Preschool Teachers] Az Sensei’s Easy Craft Play: How to Make a Paper Plate Spinning Top

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The spinning tops made from paper plates reveal beautiful patterns when they spin.

Fold the paper plate to make a cross-shaped crease, then freely draw your designs.

Glue a plastic bottle cap where the creases intersect, and it’s done in no time! Pinch the bottle cap and give it a spin to play.

When the top spins, the colors blend and look even prettier, so using pens and stickers to create a colorful design is recommended.

Since all you need are a paper plate and a plastic bottle cap, lots of kids might want to make them at home too.

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Merry-go-round! The horses that go round and round

[Easy Craft 040] Merry-Go-Round — The horses spin around at high speed! Merry-Go-Round

Merry-go-round! The horses that go round and round

Let’s make a toy where horses spin around like a merry-go-round.

For the base, use a paper bowl and a paper cup.

For the spinning mechanism, use a paper clip, a rubber band, a bead, a toothpick, and a wooden chopstick.

First, use an awl to make a hole in the center of the bottoms of both the paper bowl and the paper cup.

Straighten the paper clip, then bend one end into a hook shape.

Thread a bead onto a rubber band, hook one end of the rubber band onto the paper clip’s hook, and pass it through from the bottom of the paper cup.

On the other end of the rubber band, insert the wooden chopstick so it won’t slip out.

Next, pass the clip up through the bottom of the paper bowl, stack it with the paper cup, then remove the hook and insert a toothpick as a stopper.

Finally, attach paper with horse illustrations to both ends of the chopstick, and you’re done.

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Play with the wind! A colorful carousel

[Paper Plate Carousel] A colorful merry-go-round that spins in the wind! Super easy! [Elementary School Craft] [Dollar Store Craft]

Play with the wind! A colorful carousel

Let’s make a merry-go-round that you can spin and play with.

First, make a hole in the center of the base of one paper plate and the bottom of a paper cup.

Next, cut a 12 mm straw to 2 cm, then snip one end into fine fringes and flare them outward to make a stopper.

Thread the paper plate and the paper cup (with the bottom facing up) onto the uncut end of the straw, and tape the stopper part to the paper plate to secure it.

After attaching the 2 cm straw you just made as a stopper right above the paper cup, punch a hole in one end of an 8 mm straw.

Pass a short piece of 6 mm straw through that hole, place a paper plate shaped like an umbrella over it, and glue it in place.

Hang horse illustrations from the inside of the umbrella, insert the 8 mm straw into the 12 mm base straw, and it’s complete.

If preschoolers are making it, prepare the 8 mm straws with holes in advance.

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