Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Collection of Daruma Craft Ideas: Fun Projects Using Everyday Materials

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.
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.

When it comes to January activities in childcare, making crafts with lucky daruma dolls is a must! Using familiar materials like paper plates, origami paper, and milk cartons, there are plenty of ideas that even two-year-olds can enjoy.

Children can create patterns with torn-paper collage or decalcomania, turn their creations into spinning tops or maracas to play with, or make daruma that gently wobble like roly-poly toys.

Why not enjoy the process of making them and share the joy of playing with the finished pieces together with the children? Here, we’ll introduce lots of ideas for unique, personality-filled daruma crafts! Because the children’s creations are treated as art pieces, we use the term “seisaku” (制作, creation/artwork) in the text.

[Childcare] Daruma Craft Ideas! Fun Projects Using Everyday Materials (41–50)

[Paper Plate] Wobbly Daruma

[Nursery/Kindergarten] Wobbly Daruma Craft with Paper Plates! [New Year]

[Paper Plate] Wobbly Daruma

Let’s make a Daruma that wobbles like a roly-poly toy using a paper plate.

Prepare colored construction paper for the Daruma’s body color, gold origami paper for decoration, crayons, and a paper plate.

Cut the colored paper into a circle, glue on the Daruma’s face and decorations, and draw the facial features with crayons or a pen.

Attach the finished Daruma to a paper plate folded in half, and you’ll have a gently wobbling Daruma! If you prepare the colored paper for the base and the face parts in advance, this is a craft idea that even small children can make.

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[Paper Clay] Lucky Daruma

[Video] Hands Hint Club at Home: “Make a Cute Wobbly Good-Luck Daruma with Paper Clay” [Official Hands]

[Paper Clay] Lucky Daruma

These are cute, wobbly Daruma dolls made from paper clay.

Because they use marbles, aim this activity at children aged 4 and up, and teachers should be careful to prevent accidental swallowing.

First, divide one bag of paper clay into eight equal parts.

Have the children knead the clay well and roll it into a ball.

Insert a marble at the bottom as a weight and roll it again into a ball.

Mark the lower part and refine the shape; wet your finger to smooth the surface.

Then press a dent at the top with a finger to create the face area.

After it’s thoroughly dry, paint the body red and draw the face with a pen.

These tiny, adorable Daruma dolls should pop back up even if they topple over!

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Origami “Daruma-san”

Origami “Daruma-san” Picture Book [Easy Folding Method]

Origami “Daruma-san”

Let’s make origami inspired by the beloved children’s picture book series “Daruma-san”! Since you can draw any facial expression you like, prepare pens and stickers to enjoy various arrangements.

First, carefully fold the origami paper you’ve prepared to create the daruma body.

The trick here is to adjust the size of the hands on the left and right as you make it.

Once the body is complete, draw parts like the eyes and nose on the white area of the origami.

Creating characters that appear in the picture books is also recommended—you can use them as props for pretend play or read-aloud activities!

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[Origami] Rolling Daruma Made by Rounding

[Craft Idea] Daruma Doll (New Year’s decorations for January) (wall decorations) (recreation/OT/day service for seniors) (childcare) (origami) (DIY) Japanese New Year’s Decorations

[Origami] Rolling Daruma Made by Rounding

A roly-poly daruma made by rolling up paper, with the shape changing slightly each time you make it.

Crumple a plain white sheet of drawing paper into a ball and wrap it with more paper so the inside isn’t visible.

Next, attach the base pieces for the face, then add the facial expression.

Draw patterns and stick them on to finish! Just by changing the color of the paper, you can enjoy all kinds of variations.

It’s also fun to gather the daruma the children made and arrange them into the zodiac animals or a New Year’s message.

Give this simple, easy-to-enjoy craft a try.

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In conclusion

We introduced craft ideas you can enjoy using familiar materials.

Many of them can be played with even after you make them.

Around New Year in January, try age-appropriate activities—like torn-paper collages that even two-year-olds can enjoy, and a more authentic Daruma project using ink and brush for five-year-olds.

Just imagining rows of unique Darumas alongside children’s smiling faces warms the heart.