[For 4-year-olds] Recommended for August! Craft ideas: Enjoy a variety of motifs
As August arrives, summer is in full swing, and many teachers may be wondering how best to spend those hot days.
There may be only a limited number of days when you can go outdoors.
At such times, try incorporating craft activities full of summer atmosphere so children can enjoy the season, at least in spirit.
Four-year-olds have blossoming imaginations, so we’ve gathered ideas that let them freely enjoy expressing themselves.
Please use these as a reference.
Because the children’s creations are regarded as works (art pieces), we use the term “seisaku” (制作) in the text to refer to them.
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[For 4-year-olds] Recommended for August! Craft ideas: enjoy various motifs (51–60)
Cute morning glory

Here’s an origami idea for morning glories, which are often used for summer wall decorations.
Fold the origami paper in half twice to make a square, then place it with the corner that will be the center of the flower pointing down.
Fold both sides of the top corner diagonally inward, crease well, then unfold and open the paper.
With the white side facing up, use the creases you just made as guides and fold both sides of each of the four corners.
Once folded, fold all four corners inward, leaving a small gap from the center.
Then fold the newly formed four corners outward to round the overall shape, and you’re done! The overlapping areas can be a bit stiff, so fold slowly to avoid injuring your hands.
whale

Let’s make a whale with light blue origami.
Fold the top and bottom edges together to make a crease, then open it.
Fold the bottom-left corner to the center of the paper.
Fold the paper in half along the crease, and fold the bottom-left corner the same way as the lower triangle.
Open the part you just folded, then fold up the bottom-left corner along the crease to make a long triangle.
Fold the top-left corner inward so it lines up exactly with the border between the white and light blue areas, then fold the new corner created so it also lines up with that border.
Now the whale’s head is complete.
Fold the top-right corner down to meet the bottom edge to make a triangle, then fold up the right corner you just created slightly to form the tail.
Draw an eye to finish it cutely.
sunflower

Let’s make a sunflower—one of the iconic flowers of summer—using origami.
Prepare one sheet of origami paper.
Fold the paper in half into a square twice to make crease lines.
Once you have the creases, fold each corner toward the center.
Continue folding the paper in sequence from the outside toward the inside.
Finally, draw a pattern in the center of the sunflower with a felt-tip pen to finish.
It might be cute to make many of them and arrange them like a sunflower field.
Let’s brighten up the room with sunflowers!
Yukata Kids
Speaking of summer, you often see people going out to festivals wearing yukata.
Here’s an introduction to making “Yukata Kids” with origami.
It’s recommended to use patterned origami paper for the yukata.
The steps are simple, so fold each part carefully and assemble while checking the overall balance.
There are separate face and hair parts for a girl and a boy, so choose whichever you like and give it a try.
Adding a ribbon or other accessory on the hair makes it look more stylish, enhances the summery feel, and results in an even cuter finish.
[For 4-year-olds] Recommended for August! Craft ideas. Enjoy a variety of motifs (61–70)
ice cream

Let’s make an ice cream that tastes great in summer using origami.
Fold the origami paper into a triangle, then open it and fold the two left edges inward along the crease.
Reposition the paper so the white triangular section is at the top, and fold the bottom corner up to meet the top corner.
Turn the paper over and fold only the top layer downward.
At this point, fold it so that about 2 centimeters of the colored section above the white triangle remains visible.
Turn the paper over again and flip top and bottom, then slightly fold the top and both side corners inward.
Your ice cream is complete!
stag beetle

Here’s a popular stag beetle you can make with origami that’s a big hit with kids.
We recommend preparing black or brown origami paper.
Line up the left and right edges of the paper and crease along the center.
By making firm creases, it becomes easier to fold the beetle’s base body and mandibles evenly.
Fold the body while checking the size and keeping the balance.
Finally, fold both sides of the body to finish.
Add eyes and draw a face to create a cool-looking stag beetle!
spotted seal

Why not try making a ribbon seal with origami—its round body and beady eyes are so cute! It may look tricky, but it’s surprisingly easy.
If you start by creasing carefully, the rest of the steps will go more smoothly, so pay attention to each crease and work patiently.
There are many small steps, so when working with children, prepare large origami paper and fold together while checking each step—it’ll be smoother.
It’s also recommended to have photos or illustrations of real ribbon seals ready and show them to the kids before drawing the face and body markings.
Give it a try with everyone!


