![[Childcare] Let’s make things with various materials! A collection of recommended craft ideas for April](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/0H5371R3BLI/maxresdefault.webp)
[Childcare] Let’s make things with various materials! A collection of recommended craft ideas for April
April is the season for starting nursery and moving up a grade.
It’s an exciting time with new classes, but it can also feel a bit unsettled.
Here are some craft ideas that children can enjoy in April.
We’ve gathered everything from activities they can really focus on to ideas they can make and then play with.
When we draw out children’s sense of fun, crafting becomes an exciting time.
We’re sharing a variety of ideas so you can choose based on children’s interests and curiosities—please find projects you can incorporate.
Because children’s creations are treated as works, we use the term “制作” (seisaku: production/work) in the text.
[Childcare] Let’s make things with all kinds of materials! A collection of recommended craft ideas for April (1–10)
Cute mini basketNEW!
Let’s make a mini basket for small items using construction paper.
Prepare a 15 cm × 21 cm sheet, then fold it in half to make a small rectangle.
Open it after creasing, and fold the left and right edges to meet the center crease.
Next, fold all four corners into triangles.
The key is to fold them slightly away from the center line.
Aligning with the inner edges of the triangles, fold the left and right sides to make creases, then fold the top and bottom edges you first folded outward by about 1 cm.
Once folded, open it up from there to form a box shape.
Attach a handle and decorations, and it’s complete!
Cute cherry blossom origami on the wall as wellNEW!
Here’s an idea for making a cherry blossom by combining petal parts.
Use one strip of origami paper measuring 15 cm by 1 cm to make a single petal.
First, leaving 3 cm at each end, accordion-fold the paper at 1.5 cm intervals.
Once folded, glue both ends so that the mountain-folded sections face inward.
With one petal complete, make four more and attach them together to form a cherry blossom.
Use pink origami paper and place the colored side on the inside when making it.
Quick and easy with bubble wrap stamps! Cute beehive
This is a fun stamping activity to make a cute honeycomb using bubble wrap.
Roll the bubble wrap to create a stamp, dab it in paint, and pop-pop it onto construction paper to easily make a honeycomb-like pattern.
Using two colors of paint lets you enjoy the contrast and looks very pretty.
Once the pattern is done, make bees and other parts and glue them on.
Since it’s just stamping, even young children can enjoy it and get absorbed in the activity.
After you attach the parts at the end, your adorable honeycomb artwork is complete!
pill bug
Let’s make a cute, curled-up pill bug out of a paper plate! Draw patterns on a paper plate with crayons, then paint over the whole thing.
Cut it in half, and attach parts like legs, antennae, eyes, and a mouth to finish the simple version.
If you want to make one you can move and play with, cut the plate into six equal sections, stack them, punch holes, and secure them with split pins—this method is recommended! As we look forward to warm spring days and going out to search for pill bugs, why not make them together?
Fluffy Flower-Paper Bouquet
A heartwarming choice for sure: a bouquet made from tissue paper.
You’ll need tissue paper, pipe cleaners, wrapping paper, and ribbon.
First, stack about three sheets of tissue paper and fold them in an accordion.
Then bind the center with a pipe cleaner, twist the ends together into one stem, and you’ll get a flower-like shape.
Make several of these and wrap them with wrapping paper to form a bouquet.
It looks festive, and since they’re not real flowers, you can display them at home for a long time.
Try making one with gratitude and love.
Let’s make a butterfly with heart-shaped packing material
https://www.tiktok.com/@atsumichan774/video/7361910991757626625When you ask a 4-year-old, “What comes to mind when you think of spring?” they’ll likely say “butterflies”—a true symbol of the season.
How about making a butterfly using materials you can buy at a 100-yen shop? Combine two heart-shaped cushion pads with pipe cleaners or twist ties to form a butterfly.
The cushion material is soft, so it’s easy to thread the pipe cleaners through.
Use a pen to curl the ends for a rounded finish.
This cute, tiny butterfly craft is sure to delight your child.
Cherry blossom art made with paper clay and tissue paper
https://www.tiktok.com/@levwell_hoikushi/video/7608834676727368980Speaking of spring, it’s all about cherry blossoms! Let’s try making cherry blossoms using brightly colored pink tissue paper.
Be sure to cut the tissue paper into small pieces in advance.
Create a tree trunk from brown construction paper, place a ball of clay, and flatten it from above using a clear file.
After placing the tissue paper on the clay, use a thin stick like a chopstick to press the tissue paper into the clay.
By pressing in lots of tissue paper, you’ll create cherry blossoms in full bloom.
This craft lets you enjoy both the step of cutting construction paper with scissors and the tactile feel of the clay and tissue paper.