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 (21–30)

Ladybug with sticker application

Let’s use round stickers to create a ladybug’s spots! First, as preparation, cut a large leaf out of green construction paper and glue it onto white construction paper to make a backing sheet.

Next, cut the ladybug parts from red and black construction paper and glue them together in advance.

Have the children use the round stickers to decorate the ladybug’s wings with patterns.

Once the stickers are in place, they can glue the ladybug anywhere they like on the backing sheet to finish.

Ladybug patterns are typically red and black, but it might be lovely to make them intentionally colorful, too.

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Spring cabbage for sensory play

Let me share a very cute craft idea of a little caterpillar munching on delicious spring cabbage.

You can enjoy it as a sensory activity, too! First, cut out the cabbage, the core, and the caterpillar parts from construction paper.

Next, place small amounts of paints in different shades of green, plus some yellow and white, spaced out on top of the cabbage.

Put it into a freezer bag and seal it, then squish the paint from above with your hands or fingers.

Once you’re done squishing, cut the bag open from the top with scissors, and attach the core and caterpillar pieces to finish.

Try making a tasty spring cabbage that your little caterpillar will love!

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Sensory Bottle Made with Cherry Blossom Petals

Spring “sensory play”: a cherry blossom sensory bottle #cherryblossom #babytoys #sensoryplay #hanami #shorts #sensoryplay #educational #kids

Sensory Bottle Made with Cherry Blossom Petals

When you think of spring, many of you probably picture cherry blossoms.

Cherry trees in full bloom are dazzling, yet their petals fall quickly, giving them a fleeting, delicate charm.

This time, we’ll show you how to make a sensory bottle that lets you enjoy the beauty of sakura for a long period.

It’s very easy to make: simply put liquid laundry starch and cherry blossoms into an empty bottle, then secure the lid with glue—and you’re done.

Adding cotton balls or beads is also recommended.

Take your time to relax and be soothed as you watch the cherry blossoms gently drift and sway.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar made with sticker pasting

If you're unsure what to make for spring, try this! Create and display The Very Hungry Caterpillar ♪ 🍀 #preschoolcrafts #nurseryteacher #teachingideas #traineeTeacher #teacherLife #withKids #TheVeryHungryCaterpillar #easyCraft

The Very Hungry Caterpillar made with sticker pasting

Here’s a craft activity inspired by the beloved children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Prepare construction paper, round stickers, crayons, and glue.

Cut circles of the same size from construction paper: three green, two yellow-green, and one red.

Glue them onto a base sheet in the shape of a caterpillar.

The red circle will be the face, so place it at the front.

Stick round stickers on the caterpillar’s body to create patterns.

Peeling and placing stickers is a great fine-motor activity for children.

Finish by drawing eyes and a mouth with crayons.

It’s recommended to prepare stickers in different sizes.

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Drawing transforms into tulips!

[Crafts for 1-year-olds] Doodles transform into tulips! We’ll also introduce the materials!

Drawing transforms into tulips!

Introducing an original wall display where kids’ drawings transform into tulips.

Gather construction paper, crayons, glue, and scissors, and let’s get started.

Have the children draw freely on the construction paper.

Then cut the drawn paper into tulip flower and leaf pieces.

It’s also recommended to first cut the paper into flower and leaf shapes and then have the children draw on them.

Glue the tulip flowers onto a sheet where the stem and soil have already been attached, and it’s complete.

For children aged three and up, try letting them make the stem and soil parts too, according to their developmental stage.

Finish it off by drawing clouds and butterflies with crayons or making them from construction paper and gluing them on!

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Ants’ Errand

Here’s a craft project featuring the familiar “Ant’s Errand” from the song.

Prepare black construction paper and crayons, and let’s get started.

Have the children draw pictures on the construction paper using crayons.

When cutting out the ant’s parts from the paper, the key is to cut from the areas where the children’s drawings are.

Once all the parts are glued onto the base sheet, stick on round stickers for the eyes, add a mouth cut from construction paper, and it’s complete! Adding stickers or torn origami around it gives it a warm, handmade feel—highly recommended.

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Colorful Eggs Made with Tissue Paper

Fun for babies and toddlers! Here’s a colorful egg craft idea using tissue paper.

It’s an activity even infants can enjoy, so it’s perfect for anyone spending time with a baby class.

The bright colors make it a cute, pop-style craft.

You’ll need construction paper, tissue paper, scissors, glue, and crayons.

Cut the construction paper into an egg shape, then tear the tissue paper and stick it on with glue.

For easier participation, try applying the glue directly to the egg-shaped construction paper so the children can simply press the tissue pieces onto it.

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