[Childcare] August Crafts: Cute Ideas to Make in Summer

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 as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

In hot August, children in daycare and kindergarten often spend more time indoors.

Water play and pools can help them cool off, but they don’t stay in the water all day.

So here, we’re introducing crafts and activities perfect for summer that give a refreshing feel.

There are lots of fun ideas kids will love.

Many materials can be found as recyclables or at 100-yen shops, so feel free to incorporate them easily into your childcare activities.

Please use this as a reference and enjoy cool summer creations with the children! Since the things children make are treated as works, we use the term “seisaku” (production) in the text.

[Childcare] August crafts: Cute ideas to make in summer (81–90)

T-shirt

As an idea that captures the refreshing feeling of summer, here’s a T-shirt-shaped wall decoration.

Cut construction paper into the shape of a T-shirt and add patterns to it.

Using vegetable stamps or Yakult containers makes it easy and fun.

Display the finished T-shirts in a row, like laundry hanging out to dry.

This subtly evokes warm sunshine and a gentle breeze.

Alternatively, you can combine them with decorations related to rainbows, the sun, or the sea.

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yamamoto

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Jellyfish made from Suzuran tape

Let me introduce jellyfish made from raffia tape with a cute, wobbly look.

This is an idea that’s fun to make, too.

First, prepare a plastic container and raffia (suzuran) tape.

Separate the container into the lid and the cup, and use each as parts of the jellyfish’s body.

Next, split the raffia tape into strands—this step feels like a playful activity in itself.

Finally, combine the container and the tape to complete it.

When the wind blows, the tape flutters, giving it a wind-chime-like vibe.

Just looking at it might make you feel cooler.

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yamamoto

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Paper-collage hermit crab

When you go to the sea, you might spot hermit crabs on rocky shores or sandy beaches.

How about making a hermit crab with torn-paper art? Cut construction paper into the shape of a shell—the hermit crab’s precious home—and let children randomly paste small pieces of torn tissue paper onto it to design the home.

Have the kids do the tearing and pasting.

Once that’s done, combine it with the hermit crab’s head and claws cut from construction paper to complete the craft! You can also use round stickers to make facial features like the eyes.

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SAKI

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Watercolor-style Shirokuma (polar bear) panties

Even polar bears that aren’t good with the heat might still want to enjoy summer a little, right? To help a polar bear get into the summer spirit, let’s make some cute shorts! Cut construction paper into the shape of shorts, lightly mist it with a spray bottle, and drop several colors of paint thinned with plenty of water to create a bleeding effect.

Once the colors have dried, combine it with construction paper cut into a polar bear shape and add parts like the eyes and mouth to finish! You could also have the children draw the eyes and mouth later with crayons.

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SAKI

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Crab handprint art

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!

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Araki Jakkan

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Corn with stamps

How about using corn—something kids love—as a summer crafting motif? Both a stamp made with bubble wrap and one made with cardboard are great options.

Prepare the base corn and leaves ahead of time using colored construction paper.

Make one stamp by wrapping a small ball of cotton with bubble wrap and securing it with a rubber band, and another by rolling a strip of cardboard into a coil and taping it.

Use yellow paint as the “ink” for both, and enjoy freely dabbing and stamping away!

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hiyori

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[Childcare] August crafts: Cute ideas to make in summer (91–100)

With the marble run, the goldfish can’t escape.

Goldfish that you often see at festivals.

To keep them from escaping, you need to make sure they’re securely placed in a bag.

With that in mind, let’s make a craft of a goldfish swimming lively inside a bag.

To evoke the cool look of water, roll paint-covered marbles over white construction paper to create patterns.

Then, paste cut-out paper goldfish on top—and it’s done! Finger stamping to add seaweed and other details is also recommended.

Let the children handle rolling the marbles and doing the finger stamps, while the teacher should take care of cutting the paper and gluing the parts together.

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SAKI

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