For 1-year-olds! Craft ideas recommended for August
In August, when the truly hot days continue, we tend to spend more time indoors.
If you’re a teacher looking to enjoy summer-themed projects inside the classroom, this is a must-see.
Here are August craft ideas for one-year-olds.
A collection of project ideas that incorporate summer themes like ice cream, shaved ice, fireworks, and sea creatures!
We’re also sharing many activities that use unique techniques to capture the curiosity of one-year-olds, so they’re sure to join in with enthusiasm.
Please use these as a reference.
Because we present ideas that value children’s free and creative expression, we consistently use the term “seisaku” (制作, creation/production) rather than “seisaku” (製作, making/manufacturing) throughout the text.
For 1-year-olds! Recommended Craft Ideas for August (1–10)
Fluffy jellyfish
This is a fluffy jellyfish craft that even small children can enjoy making! It’s appealing because it uses easy-to-find materials from 100-yen shops, like drain nets and tissue paper.
The step where you crumple the tissue paper into balls lets kids enjoy the texture of the materials.
You make it by stuffing the crumpled tissue paper into a drain net and tying it tightly with thread to finish.
If you thread string through the top of the jellyfish, you can also hang it as a decoration! Try filling it with tissue paper in various colors to create your very own original jellyfish.
Shaved ice stamping with sponges and bubble wrap
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfqqzpEhcAV/This is a shaved ice craft where you add color with stamps to ice made from construction paper.
If the teacher prepares the shaved ice and the bowl, the children only need to stamp, so even infants can enjoy it.
Using various materials for the stamps—such as sponges or bubble wrap—lets kids appreciate different shapes and textures.
Prepare several paint colors and let the children choose their favorites.
After making them, they’ll also be perfect as wall decorations in the classroom.
Give it a try!
Colorful-sticker fish
Why not make colorful fish with sticker pasting? Round stickers are easy for little hands to peel and stick, so they’re sure to be captivated! If you’re incorporating this into a July craft, turn paper plates into summery fish motifs.
To let the children go all out with sticker pasting, portion the stickers into small amounts and put them in cases so they’re easy to use.
The colorful polka-dotted fish look cool and give an early taste of summer.
Each child’s individuality will show in how they place the stickers, so once they’re finished, it’ll be fun to display their creations!
Torn-paper collage of a watermelon
How about making a watermelon with torn paper—something even one-year-olds can enjoy? You’ll need white drawing paper, green and red colored paper, black origami paper, a pen, scissors, glue, and so on.
Beforehand, the teacher should prepare and cut out a green paper circle and a red paper semicircle.
The children can then try tearing the black origami paper and gluing the pieces on.
When they need to tear the paper into small pieces, it helps to demonstrate right beside them.
Feeling the paper with their hands and fingertips, the sensation of tearing—and even the sound—will be a fresh and fun experience.
[Sticker Activity] Shaved Ice Craft for the 1-Year-Old Class
![[Sticker Activity] Shaved Ice Craft for the 1-Year-Old Class](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VQz6kWPmMmU/sddefault.jpg)
For a class of one-year-olds, we recommend an easy shaved-ice craft that uses stickers.
Please have the teacher cut construction paper into the shapes of shaved ice, a bowl, and a spoon, and assemble those parts in advance.
The children will then add the syrup and toppings by placing stickers on the shaved ice.
Use round stickers, or fruit-themed stickers as toppings, to complete the shaved ice.
Once finished, try using the shaved ice crafts as wall decorations.
Foot-shaped watermelon
https://www.instagram.com/p/CP-x6DLjlFP/One of the symbols of summer is the watermelon.
It’s a classic motif, which is why it can sometimes feel lacking in freshness.
That’s where the footprint watermelon idea comes in.
It uses watermelon as the motif, but instead of simply cutting and pasting paper, you take the children’s footprints and turn them into slices of watermelon.
Trace their footprints onto triangle-shaped paper, then add seeds and a rind for a smooth process.
Another bonus is that looking back on them later lets you appreciate how much the children have grown.
Crab handprint art
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSRb1bQLGIW/Let the kids join in to create a summery wall decoration! This unique idea was inspired by the silhouette that looks just like a crab when both hands are spread wide and the wrists are joined together.
Trace the children’s hands, cut them out, and arrange them symmetrically.
Stick on eyes near the center, add claws around the thumbs, and it’s done! The big round eyes are especially cute.
With the blazing sun and a refreshing breeze—you can almost picture a summer beach with this fresh, seasonal wall display!
