December craft ideas! A collection of childcare activities to enjoy with Christmas and winter themes

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.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

December is the perfect time to enjoy cozy, seasonally inspired crafts.

Here, we introduce wonderful ideas that nurture children’s imagination—from creations that evoke winter warmth, like oden, cream stew, and a snug duvet, to seasonal projects such as Christmas wreaths, snow globes, and snowmen.

Using familiar materials, why not enjoy winter-only crafting with children while exploring light, color, and shape? We also provide detailed explanations of key points and creative tips for each project, so please use them as a reference.

Because the items children make are treated as artworks, we use the term “制作 (seisaku)” in the text to mean “production/creation” in the artistic sense.

December craft ideas! A collection of childcare activities to enjoy with Christmas and winter themes (71–80)

[Craft] Stained-glass-style ornament

@mai.mai1007
Stained glass #Christmas Ornament Decoration motif work #Nursery school #Kindergarten Elementary school Translation
♬ Little Prince – Park so hyun

Create your very own original ornament! Here are some ideas for stained-glass-style ornaments.

You’ll need black construction paper, parchment paper, glue, and tissue paper.

First, place a sheet of parchment paper over black construction paper with a cut-out in your favorite shape.

Next, spread glue over the parchment paper and stick the tissue paper onto it.

Finally, glue the black construction paper onto the parchment paper and trim any excess, and you’re done! Thread a string through it and hang it up as a lovely ornament.

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A three-dimensional tree made with tissue paper

As an idea for December wall decorations, I recommend a three-dimensional Christmas tree made with tissue paper flowers! It’s fun to make together with children, so why not include it in your December crafts? The method is simple: arrange paper flowers made from tissue paper in the shape of a tree and display them on the wall.

You can also decorate with origami Santas, bells, and stockings to make it livelier.

If the children try the origami themselves, you’ll likely end up with unique pieces that are fun to look at all on their own.

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miyabi

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Stained-glass-style tree made with aluminum foil

Even decorations that look as challenging as stained glass can be fun for kids to make using aluminum foil! Here’s a stained-glass-style tree that shines beautifully.

First, crumple aluminum foil to give it a wrinkled texture, place it inside a clear file, and cut it into a triangle.

Add masking tape around the edges of the file, stick on your favorite stickers, and it’s done! You can also draw a stained-glass-style frame on the clear file with a black permanent marker, color it in, and place the aluminum foil behind it to create a piece with a different vibe.

Feel free to adapt it to suit the children’s ages and interests!

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miyabi

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Christmas sweater

Why not make Christmas sweaters that spark kids’ creativity? Prepare sweater-shaped cutouts from construction paper, and let the children glue on Christmas motifs or paint sweater patterns with paint! Recommended colors are the classic Christmas palette of red, green, and white.

For the motifs, you can either provide pre-made templates or have the kids cut them out of construction paper themselves.

You can also add materials like felt pom-poms and sequins to make the pieces even more lively.

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miyabi

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Christmas tree and gloves

The combination of a Christmas tree and red stockings is a creative idea that really boosts the holiday mood.

Why not try various crafting techniques for both the tree and the stockings? For example, for the tree you could thread yarn, do stamping with toilet paper rolls, or use a toothbrush to create a wood-like texture.

For the stockings, try threading yarn or coloring bubble wrap for a pop and playful finish.

You can also make red stockings with origami.

By changing up the techniques for the tree and the stockings, you’ll create a delightful piece where the combinations are part of the fun.

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tsukada moe