Recommended Craft Ideas for 1-Year-Olds to Enjoy in Daycare in December
Would you like to enjoy some fun December crafts together with one-year-olds? December is a season full of beloved events for children.
This time, we’re sharing Christmas crafts you can make with familiar materials like clear cups, kitchen paper, and cotton.
Children can explore by using their hands and fingers, enjoy colors and shapes, and feel the joy of completing something.
It’s sure to be a wonderful activity that nurtures their sensitivity and creativity.
These are easy ideas you can try at daycare, kindergarten, or at home! Make happy memories together while feeling the children’s growth.
Note: Since the children’s creations are treated as works, the term “seisaku” (制作) is used in the text.
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[1-Year-Olds] Recommended Craft Ideas for Enjoyable December Activities in Childcare (21–30)
Christmas tree lacing
Here’s a Christmas tree craft idea that kids can enjoy while practicing lacing.
For preparation, cut out a Christmas tree and ornaments from construction paper.
Since you’ll be threading pipe cleaners through both, punch holes in them beforehand.
First, thread one end of a pipe cleaner through the tree and secure it so it won’t slip out.
Then, let the children choose their favorite ornaments and thread them onto the pipe cleaner.
Once several are on, secure the other end of the pipe cleaner to finish.
Prepare ornaments with various motifs to create a lovely Christmas tree!
Let’s make a big Christmas tree!
This is an idea where you put a big Christmas tree made from construction paper on the wall and let the children freely decorate it with ornaments.
Since it’s for infants (0-year-olds), please prepare the ornament bases in advance by cutting them out of construction paper.
Let the children draw on the bases with crayons or stick on stickers to create lovely ornaments.
Once the ornaments are finished, decorate the tree with them! If you prepare bases in a variety of motifs, the tree will look even more festive.
[For 1-year-olds] Recommended Craft Ideas for Enjoyable December Activities in Childcare (31–40)
How to make handprint reindeer and Santa
Here are some craft ideas for making Santa Claus and a reindeer using handprints.
For Santa, use a handprint to create his beard, and for the reindeer, use a handprint to form the face.
Since Santa’s beard uses an upside-down handprint, make sure to pay attention to the direction when stamping.
The faces are made with round stickers, so the children can also enjoy sticking the stickers.
Once Santa and the reindeer are finished, glue them onto a base with a construction paper Christmas tree attached.
Be sure to decorate the tree with round stickers as ornaments, too!
A cute Christmas tree made with stickers
Let’s make it colorful! Here’s a cute Christmas tree idea using stickers.
You’ll need green construction paper, brown construction paper, yellow construction paper, background paper, colorful round stickers, scissors, and glue.
To make it, simply stick the round stickers freely onto a tree-shaped piece of green paper—and you’re done! If you use black or indigo for the background, it will give the impression of a nighttime Christmas tree.
Try experimenting with the background color, too! You’ll end up with a wonderful piece.
3D snow globe sun catcher
You won’t be able to resist peeking inside! Let me introduce a 3D snow globe sun catcher.
Here’s what you’ll need: a paper plate, a clear protective sheet, a clear OPP bag, translucent materials, cotton, ribbon, snowflake stickers, a craft knife and cutting mat, scissors, craft glue, a compass, and colored pens or paints.
The steps are a bit complex, but it will become a memorable project to make together with a teacher or a parent/guardian.
Display the finished piece by a window, and it will sparkle beautifully in the sunlight.
Give it a try!
Wreath made with crumpled tissue paper
Here’s a Christmas wreath themed around the Adventkranz, where you light one candle each week starting from the Sunday four weeks before Christmas.
Glue crumpled tissue paper onto a paper plate with the center cut out.
The crumpling step is fun and easy even for infants.
Add round pom-poms for decoration, then attach an illustration of a candle in the middle to finish.
Displaying them in the room lets children enjoy seeing both their own creations and their friends’, making Christmas even more exciting!
Stained-glass-style tree made with aluminum foil
Even stained glass, which might seem challenging, can be a fun craft for kids if you use aluminum foil! In this article, we’ll show you how to make a beautiful, shiny stained-glass-style tree.
First, crumple the aluminum foil to create wrinkles.
Then smooth it out, place it inside a clear file, and cut it into a triangle.
Put masking tape around the edges of the file, decorate it with your favorite stickers, and you’re done! You can also draw a stained-glass-style frame on the clear file with a black permanent marker and add color to enjoy a different look.
