[Childcare] Let’s make things with various materials! A collection of recommended craft ideas for April

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

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 various materials! Recommended craft ideas for April (41–50)

Tulips made with teardrop-shaped stamps

Here’s how to make tulips using a teardrop-shaped stamp.

Prepare a plastic bottle cap, sponge sheet, cardboard, paint, drawing paper, tissue paper (for crafts), and crayons.

Cut the cardboard and sponge sheet into teardrop shapes and stick them together with double-sided tape.

Glue the caps together to make a handle for the stamp, then attach it firmly to the teardrop so it won’t come off.

Dip the teardrop stamp in paint and start stamping.

Stamp three times to complete the tulip shape.

Try changing the angle to make cute tulips!

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mayumi

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Dandelion Drum

@picoton_craft
Welcome spring with an easy craft: a dandelion × den-den daiko (Japanese pellet drum) made from paper plates!#HandmadeToys Simple craft Translation #dandelion #handcraftideas
♬ Cute – Aurel Surya Lie

Dandelions transform into adorable instruments! Here’s an idea for making a dandelion den-den daiko (hand drum) with paper plates.

You’ll need two paper plates with a rim, a wooden chopstick, green masking tape, ribbon, and beads.

Wrap the chopstick all the way around with green masking tape so it’s safe to use.

Draw dandelions on the outside of the two paper plates, then treat the chopstick wrapped in green tape as the stem and attach it to the inside.

Next, attach ribbons to the left and right sides, and tie beads to the ends of the ribbons on the outside.

Stack and fasten the two paper plates together, and you’re done.

When you spin it, the beads hit the plates and make a sound!

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hiyoko sensei

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Papercut of a dandelion

Let’s make it with scissors! Here are some cut-paper dandelion ideas.

You’ll need yellow origami paper, glue or double-sided tape, scissors, and a compass.

Using the yellow origami paper, cut out three sizes of dandelions—large, medium, and small.

Layering the three sizes will give the petals a three-dimensional look and create a gorgeous finish.

If you also cut green origami paper to make the stem and leaves, it ties everything together beautifully.

Give it a try!

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Butterflies made with torn paper collage

Here’s how to make butterflies flying around a flower field.

Cut construction paper into the shapes of butterfly wings and a body to create the base.

If you layer two sheets of construction paper for the base, it will be sturdier.

Tear pieces of origami paper and glue them onto the wings.

Using patterned origami will make it look more festive and give it a spring-like feel.

For the body, add round stickers to distinguish it from the wings.

Draw facial expressions, and your butterfly is complete.

Tearing the origami by hand lets you enjoy differences in shapes and sizes.

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A cherry blossom tree made with torn-paper collage

Cherry blossoms are the quintessential spring flower—practically synonymous with the season.

How about incorporating a cherry tree into a torn-paper collage? Start by creating the trunk on colored construction paper, then draw lots of branches above it with crayons.

Next, tear pieces of paper and glue them onto the branches.

Mixing different colors and patterns—such as pink origami, patterned origami, and tissue paper—will give the piece a vibrant, festive look.

Adding little touches like butterflies around the tree would make it even cuter.

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utatane

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Ladybugs and dandelions

We’re introducing how to make cute spring dandelions and round little ladybugs.

Please prepare the bases for the dandelions and the ladybugs ahead of time, teachers.

Stick double-sided tape on the dandelion flower area, and have the children attach torn, crumpled pieces of yellow tissue paper there.

For the ladybug’s spots, use black paint and make finger stamps; if using fingers is tricky, cotton swabs also make adorable stamps! Finally, attach the facial parts of the ladybug to finish.

They look very cute whether you mount them on a backing sheet or display them as they are.

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A butterfly with beautiful watercolor-like bleeding effects

Gently blending colors make it so beautiful! Here are some ideas for butterflies using a bleeding painting technique.

Bleeding painting is a form of art that takes advantage of the way paint or ink bleeds and spreads across paper or canvas to create beautiful effects.

Its charm lies in the dreamy atmosphere and soft impression it gives.

This time, let’s use paper towels to make original butterflies.

Color the paper towel with water-based markers, then use a dropper to let water soak in.

Once it’s fully dry, cut it into a butterfly shape and wrap a pipe cleaner around it to finish!

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