December craft ideas! A collection of childcare activities to enjoy with Christmas and winter themes
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.
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December craft ideas! A collection of childcare activities to enjoy with Christmas and winter themes (121–130)
Swirly Paper Plate Snowman
One of the charms of crafts using paper plates is that you can make all sorts of things and have fun with them.
Draw a spiral on a paper plate with a felt-tip pen and cut along the line.
Once it’s spring-like, as if it were a snake, attach a face and hands, decorate it, and you’re done.
Adding a string and hanging it from above like a garland is cute, too.
Sticking on Santa Claus or presents makes it feel even more seasonal, which is highly recommended.
It also sounds fun to add glitter stickers and round stickers to boost the Christmas vibe even more.
snowman
Just stuff cotton into a plastic bag and you’ve got a fluffy snowman! Fill a small plastic bag with handles with cotton and tie the handle part.
Prepare some yarn and tie it around the middle to create a waist so the snowman has a top and bottom.
Then use stickers or matchsticks to attach parts like eyes, mouth, nose, and arms, and top it off with a paper-cup hat to finish.
Since it involves the actions of putting in and tying, it’s an especially recommended idea for one- and two-year-old children.
Nodding Santa Claus
If you want to try a more advanced craft, bobblehead dolls are a great choice.
The basic structure is simple: insert a pipe cleaner into a paper cup with a hole in it, attach a paper face, and you’re done.
By applying this method, you can create many kinds of bobblehead dolls.
Making Santa Claus, a reindeer, or characters the children like would be exciting.
Please make sure the teacher helps with the task of making holes in the paper cups.
Fluffy Santa Ornament
Let us introduce a cute, fluffy-looking Santa ornament! After preparing a gift bag, have the children fill it with tissue paper and cotton.
Show them a drawing of Santa or a finished sample, and explain which part they’ll make next so it’s easy to follow.
Then, stick on a pom-pom for the nose and add stickers for the eyes and mouth.
The placement will reflect each child’s individuality, so you’ll end up with Santas sporting different expressions.
It’s also great for decorating the tree.
Torn-paper collage Christmas tree
Would you like to make a Christmas tree using the torn-paper collage technique? It’s an especially recommended idea for two-year-olds, who can focus on the simple tasks of tearing and sticking.
First, have them tear origami paper in colors you’ll use for the tree, such as green, light green, and yellow.
Prepare a container and have them put the torn pieces into it to keep the table tidy.
Once the pieces are ready, start sticking them down in the shape of a tree.
It’s great practice for using glue, so create an environment where they can concentrate.
Finally, add a big star on top to finish.
In conclusion
December brings harsher cold, but the crafts we enjoy with children in childcare create warm memories.
With winter-specific projects like oden-themed crafts, snow globes, and Christmas decorations, children’s creativity and imagination expand.
We hope to nurture their sensitivity richly through crafts that incorporate the features of the season.