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 (91–100)

Christmas wreath made of clay

@haruharo_made
Christmas wreath / Crafting with clay! A new kind of wreath 🎄
♬ All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

Fun to make! Here are ideas for creating a Christmas wreath out of clay.

You’ll need a paper plate, clay, green tissue paper, yellow tissue paper, and yellow-green tissue paper.

First, cut out the center of the paper plate and place a long, thin coil of clay around the plate.

Press it down with something like a plastic sheet or desk pad so the clay sticks to the plate—highly recommended! Next, place small pieces of tissue paper on the clay and press them in with a chopstick.

Once you’ve pressed tissue paper all over the clay, decorate with a ribbon and you’re done! You might find yourself addicted to the fun, squishy texture.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Reindeer made from paper cups

This is a reindeer made from a paper cup—perfect as a Christmas decoration or ornament! It’s great because you can make it easily with everyday materials.

Just paint the paper cup with paint and then attach the reindeer’s facial parts.

You can use parts prepared in advance by the teacher or make use of round stickers.

Have the children try painting the paper cup and gluing on the reindeer parts! The differences in how they apply the color and attach the pieces are charming and unique.

Let the children enjoy expressing themselves freely.

Raise the rankinglower

miyabi

Report a problem

Santa made with a paper plate

For children who want to enjoy Christmas, we recommend making a Santa craft using paper plates.

An everyday paper plate transforms into a humorous Santa! First, tear light peach and red origami paper as you would for a collage, and combine the colors to create Santa’s face and body.

Then glue on the facial features, hat, hands, feet, belt, and a cotton beard to finish! The steps are fun to make, and through this activity children’s expressions will shine even brighter.

The finished pieces feel very warm and are sure to vividly brighten your Christmas wall display!

Raise the rankinglower

miyabi

Report a problem

Cotton snow globe

@hoikushi_worker
Let’s create a snowy world: “Fluffy Cotton Snow Globe”! A simple and fun craft using soft, fluffy cotton and colored construction paper. Place small rolled balls of cotton onto liquid glue to make a beautiful snowy scene! Use your imagination to create your own original winter world inside the snow globe. We also have a LINE account! Get exclusive updates by adding us as a friend. Check our profile @hoiku_column! Do you have any challenges at your childcare workplace? Even if it’s not related to this post, tell us about your concerns or problems in the comments! Let’s exchange ideas freely.#Childcare Crafting #Nursery School Craft #Wall Creation wall surface #Recital #HomeCrafts Christmas crafts Papercraft #papercraft #kidscrafts Origami play Origami origami #OuchiMonte #AtHomeMontessori Early childhood education materials Childcare #Nursery school Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #First year as a nursery teacher #Kindergarten Kindergarten Teacher Kindergarten teacher Aspiring childcare worker #NurseryTeacherInTraining Nursery school teacher #NurseryTeacherThings Childcare student #IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers Nursery Teacher Worker
♪ Original Song – [Sharing Useful Info for Nursery Teachers!] Hoikushi Worker – [Sharing Useful Info for Nursery Teachers!] Hoikushi Worker

The Christmas season is coming around again this year! Here, we’ll introduce a wall craft you can make with children.

First, prepare cotton, silver origami paper, a white crayon, colored construction paper, scissors, and liquid glue.

Start by cutting the silver origami paper and colored construction paper into parts with scissors.

Glue the cut pieces in place.

Stick the parts onto construction paper cut into a snow globe shape.

Then, apply plenty of liquid glue to the areas where you want the snow to fall, tear the cotton, and sprinkle it over the parts like snow! Finally, color in the gaps with a white crayon, and your original snow globe is complete!

Raise the rankinglower

kepiko

Report a problem

Tree made using natural materials

Let’s make a tree using natural materials like acorns and fallen leaves! You can turn collecting the materials into a childcare activity by picking them up during a walk or outdoor play.

Be sure to prevent bugs by thoroughly drying or boiling the collected items.

Once the materials are ready, simply glue them onto a triangular piece of cardboard.

To give it a Christmas feel, it’s a good idea to prepare red berries and star motifs as well.

Let’s watch over the children as they work and see what kinds of creations they come up with.

Raise the rankinglower

tsukada moe