[April Crafts] Useful for childcare! Spring craft ideas for 1-year-olds

Last updated:2025/5/1

[April Crafts] Useful for childcare! Spring craft ideas for 1-year-olds

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.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

Warm spring is a fun season for children, too! Here, we’re sharing craft ideas you can enjoy together with one-year-olds.

Tearing and sticking to make colorful flowers helps develop fine motor skills! For parts that are hard for one-year-olds, have an adult join in and get creative.

If you decorate with lots of colors, you’re sure to see big smiles from the kids! While exploring colors and shapes, they can really feel the spring season.

Let’s all make things together and create lots of wonderful pieces! Get excited and make new spring memories.

[April Crafts] Useful for childcare! Spring craft ideas for 1-year-olds (1–10)

stroll bag

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbCjYOtNeBH/

Warm, comfortable spring weather is perfect for going on walks! Hang a handmade bag around your neck and head out together.

Cut a milk carton, shape it into a bag with a lid, then cover the outside with construction paper or origami paper and attach a ribbon to finish your original bag.

Decorate the sides of the bag freely with stickers or markers.

With a bag you made yourself, a walk becomes an even more exciting event! You can collect leaves, nuts, and other finds, and it’s fun to show each other what you gathered when you return to preschool or kindergarten.

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yuri

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Various kinds of rapeseed flowers

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co7GLsEJgLR/

Rape blossoms are cute with their small yellow flowers.

How about incorporating them into your crafts in various ways? Prepare fluffy yellow construction paper shaped like the whole flower, and try different techniques for the little blossoms: stamp them with a stamper, use finger stamping, apply round stickers, make torn-paper collages, or crumple tissue paper and glue it on—there are many ways to express the look.

Crumpled tissue paper adds a three-dimensional feel, and with finger stamping you can try using various warm colors, too.

They’re perfect for wall decorations.

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utatane

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Bunny eggs & carrot handprints and footprints

https://www.instagram.com/p/CohanELP1YU/

If you’re making a cute bunny egg, be sure to add its favorite carrots too! Make the carrots using children’s handprints and footprints.

Paint their hands and feet, stamp them onto construction paper, and once dry, cut around the prints.

Use the handprint as the carrot top and the footprint as the carrot, then combine them to complete it.

For the bunny egg, cut construction paper into an egg shape, draw patterns, and attach bunny ear pieces.

Let children decorate freely in ways that suit them—stickers, crayon drawings, or finger painting with paint.

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yuri

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Dandelions in a wet-on-wet painting

https://www.instagram.com/p/ComTMqqvHGb/

Let’s use the wet-on-wet (bleeding) technique to create a familiar spring flower: the dandelion.

This technique uses water-based pens and water-resistant paper.

Shoji paper or coffee filters are recommended.

Cut the paper into a circle and draw patterns on it with pens in any colors you like.

When you’re done, mist it with water; the colors will gently bleed and spread.

Even if you scribble so the colors mix messily, the way they bleed and blend is beautiful and fun.

Attach a base for the dandelion flower and a stem, and you’re done.

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utatane

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Cherry blossom petals made with hearts and crumpled tissue paper

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnwOgAMPR2K/

How about “tissue-paper cherry blossom petals” as a craft idea to try with childcare workers or kindergarten teachers? First, let’s get prepared.

Cut construction paper into rectangles, roll each into a heart shape, and secure it with glue.

Next, arrange them on a clear file so they look like petals, and glue them down.

Once they’re dry, you’re ready.

Hand it over to the kids from here—have them stuff tissue paper into the paper hearts, and it’s done.

If you prepare tissue paper in multiple colors, it will turn out even cuter.

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yamamoto

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A caterpillar made by rolling up origami

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbUk5RdN1DX/

Let’s make a caterpillar out of origami inspired by the beloved picture book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”! The method is super simple: roll up pieces of origami paper and stick them onto a leaf-shaped base.

You can put double-sided tape on the base in advance and attach the origami to it, or, if the children can pinch and handle tape, cut the tape into small pieces and let them stick it onto the rolled parts themselves.

Feel free to add your own touches—draw the eyes, antennae, legs, and mouth, or fill the area around the caterpillar with flowers.

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yuri

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Strawberries made with fingerprint and handprint

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcXCY_4LW16/

Getting super excited seeing their hands dyed green! This is a strawberry wall decoration made with handprints.

Paint children’s palms with paint to make handprints, then cut out the strawberry stem pieces.

Let the kids handle the strawberry seeds too! Dab paint on their fingers or palms and add patterns to strawberry-shaped pieces of colored paper.

Once everything is fully dry, glue the parts together and it’s done.

Even children who can’t grip crayons or pens well can enjoy coloring, so it’s a great idea for a wide range of ages.

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yuri

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