Lovely childcare

[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 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.
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 (11–20)

Tulips and chicks made with footprints and handprints

Here’s a craft idea featuring spring tulips and cute chicks.

First, cut out the tulip and chick parts from construction paper.

This step should be done by a teacher or guardian.

After assembling the parts, glue them onto the backing paper.

Have the children use stickers and other materials to create the faces of the tulips and chicks, stamp their handprints for the chicks’ wings, and use their footprints for the tulip leaves.

When stamping, adults should help apply paint and guide the children to stamp in the correct places.

For the leaf parts, it’s best to take the footprints first and then cut out the pieces.

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Dandelions made with stamps

Get a head start on spring ✨ Creative play with recycled materials 🎨 #shorts #childcare #paints

Dandelions made with stamps

Easy yet wonderfully eye-catching! Let’s make dandelion flowers using a stamp! The process is very simple.

Prepare a toilet paper roll and make lots of slits on one end.

Add many fine cuts while imagining dandelion petals.

Fold the cut sections outward, and your stamp is ready! Draw the dandelion stems and leaves on a sheet of construction paper as the base, then dip the toilet paper roll stamp in yellow paint and start stamping on top.

The toilet paper roll stamp is large and easy to grip, so even very young children can enjoy it.

It’s a great craft that uses familiar recycled materials, so give it a try!

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Puku-Puku Strawberry

Let’s make cute, puffy strawberries using tissue paper! You’ll need: a clear wrapping bag, red or pink tissue paper, round stickers, and colored construction paper.

First, crumple the tissue paper into balls and stuff them into the wrapping bag.

Seal the top of the bag with cellophane tape, and tape the bottom corners so the bag forms a pointed strawberry shape.

Add the strawberry seeds by sticking round stickers on from the outside.

Cut a strawberry calyx (leafy top) from green construction paper and attach it with double-sided tape to finish.

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Skeleton cherry tree

A child’s hand turns into a cherry tree trunk! Let me introduce a skeleton-style cherry blossom tree craft.

You’ll need colored construction paper, a pink clear file folder, origami paper, paint, flower petals made with a craft punch, a permanent marker, glue, and scissors.

First, paint the child’s arm up to the elbow and make a handprint.

Next, draw petals on the cut clear file with a permanent marker and attach the craft-punched petals.

Finally, combine the decorated blossom section with the handprint cherry tree trunk, and it’s complete!

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Cherry blossom tree made with plastic bags

https://www.tiktok.com/@lion.sensei_hoiku/video/7348581263697087752

Blow into it and make it! Let me show you how to create a cherry blossom tree using a plastic bag.

You’ll need construction paper, a plastic bag, paint, a cherry tree shape made from construction paper, and glue or double-sided tape.

First, tie the bottom of the plastic bag tightly, turn it inside out, then blow into it and tie it off.

Dab paint onto the plastic bag, which will be puffed up like a balloon, and stamp it onto the paper to make big cherry blossom petals! Attach the cherry tree cutout made from construction paper, and you’re done!

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Let’s decorate with springtime natural items!

@hoikushisatomi
Capture spring: Try preserving flowers and plants as a piece while they’re still beautiful! Note: They’ll last on display for about 2–3 weeks. If you want them to last longer, press the flowers first and then create your piece!work #LifeWithKids #NurseryTeacherDailyLife Cute #crafts #diy Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Translation
3:03 PM – Sharou

Let’s decorate with springtime treasures! Here’s a perfect spring craft you can make by collecting fallen flowers and wild grasses on a walk.

First, place a sheet of cooking paper (parchment paper) down and put a frame-shaped piece of construction paper on top.

Apply OPP tape (clear packaging tape) over the opening.

Peel the tape, flip it sticky-side up, and arrange the flowers you picked.

Seal it with another layer of OPP tape and trim off the excess—done! It will keep for about two to three weeks, so if you want it to last longer, it’s best to press the flowers first and then make it.

Decorating the paper frame is super cute, too, so give it a try!

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[April Crafts] Useful for childcare! Spring craft ideas for 1-year-olds (21–30)

Colorful Flower

Here’s a flower craft idea that lets you enjoy using colorful paints.

For preparation, make footprint stamps of the child’s feet on green construction paper—these will be the leaves, so be sure to make both feet.

Next, cut the top part of another piece of construction paper into a flower shape, draw a stem below it, and attach the footprint leaves.

On a separate white sheet of construction paper, have the children drop a few colors of paints they choose and freely spread them using a sponge that has been dampened and well wrung out.

Finally, layer and glue the flower cutout onto the painted paper, and it’s complete!

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