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[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 (31–40)

[Newspaper Stamp] Dragon Daruma

This is a dragon daruma you make by stamping with crumpled newspaper! The stamping step is simple enough for young children to try, so please consider including it in your January crafts.

First, use a ball of newspaper as a stamp on drawing paper, then cut it into the shape of a daruma.

Next, cut colored paper to create the dragon parts and arrange them on the daruma.

If the children can use scissors, you can have them take charge of making the dragon parts! It’s also fun to change the daruma’s color or use stickers and origami for decoration.

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[Balloon] Daruma Doll Roly-Poly

A roly-poly toy made with balloons!? I tried making one ♡♡ #handmadeToys #balloons

[Balloon] Daruma Doll Roly-Poly

A roly-poly daruma that won’t topple over even when pushed—perfect as a toy for kids.

By placing a marble inside a balloon and inflating it, you can make a daruma that stays upright like a roly-poly toy.

To keep the marble from moving around inside the balloon, the key is to secure it at the top of the balloon from the outside with a rubber band.

For the daruma’s face, you can either paste on one drawn on paper or carefully draw directly on the balloon so it doesn’t pop.

Try making daruma in various colors and have fun playing with them!

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[Decalcomania] Daruma-san ga

Here’s a craft idea for making a Daruma using the decalcomania technique.

First, fold a sheet of red construction paper in half, then apply paints in colors you like on just one side.

Once the paint is on, close the paper along the fold and rub it with your hand like an iron to transfer the paint to the other side.

That’s the decalcomania part.

After the paint dries, place a Daruma template on top, trace the outline with a pen, and cut out the Daruma shape with scissors.

Finally, add the facial features to complete your Daruma! You can also glue the Daruma onto a backing sheet and decorate it with origami to make it look like the cover of the “Daruma-san” picture book series—it turns out really cute.

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Cut-and-paste: Colorful Daruma

Colorful daruma that can cutely and cheerfully brighten up your walls.

It’s a simple cut-and-paste craft, so it’s perfect to start right away as a January project! To make it, cut colored construction paper to create the daruma parts, then decorate by pasting small pieces of origami or chiyogami paper.

You can cut hearts, stars, triangles, circles—any shapes kids love—or even tear the paper for a fun effect.

Children can draw the daruma’s face themselves, or you could paste their face photos for a unique collage-style piece.

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Daruma made from construction paper

[Production] How to Make New Year’s Crafts [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

Daruma made from construction paper

Daruma dolls are lucky decorations for the New Year.

This time, I’ll show you an easy way to make one using a paper plate.

If the children don’t know what a daruma is, it’s good to explain it first before starting.

First, fold a small, round-cut paper plate in half.

Next, glue together two red construction paper circles.

Draw the face on the upper half of a white paper circle, then cut out patterns from origami paper and stick them on.

Using gold gives it a festive New Year’s feel.

Display the cute, wobbly daruma and enjoy a fun New Year!

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