Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Fun February craft ideas you’ll want to make with 2-year-olds!

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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: 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.

Here are some perfect craft ideas for two-year-olds in February.

This is the season to enjoy motifs full of seasonal charm, like Setsubun ogres, Valentine’s chocolates, and snowmen.

Tearing origami, crumpling tissue paper, and making finger stamps—these activities let children move their hands while experiencing the textures of different materials.

Finished pieces can be displayed on the wall or used for pretend play, offering many ways to enjoy them.

Be sure to have fun making February-themed creations together with the children! Since we emphasize ideas that foster children’s free creativity, we use the term “制作 (seisaku: creation/making)” rather than “製作 (seisaku: craft/production)” in the main text.

[Childcare] Crafts to make with 2-year-olds! A fun collection of February craft ideas (41–50)

Painting with paints and cotton swabs

[Crafts] Recommended for the cold season! 3 winter craft ideas [Daycare/Kindergarten]

Painting with paints and cotton swabs

Let’s try painting with tempera and cotton swabs! If we just say that, kids might ask, “But how do we paint?” Instead of regular drawing, make use of the cotton swabs’ unique tip and create pictures by connecting dots.

Put undiluted paint or a slightly thick mixture onto a palette.

Dip the tip of a cotton swab into the paint and make dots as if you’re stamping.

For two-year-olds, it may be easier if there’s a light sketch to follow.

Try winter motifs like Christmas trees or snowmen and have fun!

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Snowman Wreath

Let’s make a snowman-themed wreath that’s perfect for winter crafts! It’s very easy to put together with simple steps, so if you’re looking for a February project idea, give this a try.

To make it, just cut colored construction paper into circles and connect them into a wreath shape.

The teacher can prepare the wreath base, and the children can decorate it with stickers, origami, and more.

Also, making the snowman’s face a bit larger will give it an especially cute look.

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Clothes and hats made with decalcomania

[Technique] Making with Decalcomania! Winter/February Craft Journal: “I Tried Designing Clothes” — For 2- and 3-Year-Olds — [Nursery/Kindergarten]

Clothes and hats made with decalcomania

This project uses the decalcomania technique, where paint is pressed between sheets of paper to create a transfer.

This time, we’re going with a winter theme: mittens and knit caps! Place paint freely on one half of a drawing paper with a preliminary sketch, then fold it in half to press.

After it dries well, cut it out to match the sketch and paste the pieces onto a backing sheet along with the facial and body parts.

Observe your friends’ faces, touch and check the placement, and then have the teacher and children draw in the facial features together to finish.

Teachers handle the cutting of the drawing paper, while children can take the lead in creating patterns, pasting, and drawing the faces so they can fully enjoy the process.

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Snowman made from a toilet paper roll

[Preschool Craft] Winter Craft ♪ Cute Rolling Snowman | Snowman with Toilet Paper

Snowman made from a toilet paper roll

Turn a toilet paper roll into a perfectly round, adorable snowman! Cut a toilet paper roll in half and wrap each half with white origami paper.

Stack and glue the two pieces together to form the snowman’s base, then finish by drawing the facial features and adding round stickers to the cheeks and body.

For safety, have teachers handle cutting the roll and gluing the paper, while children can stack the two parts and complete the snowman with the round stickers.

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Snowman made with a plastic bag

[Craft Play] Easy-to-make snowman using a plastic bag

Snowman made with a plastic bag

Fluffy and cute! Here’s an idea for making a snowman using a plastic bag.

You’ll need a plastic bag, cotton stuffing, yarn in your favorite color, a paper cup, cotton swabs, snowman face parts made from construction paper, decorative pom-poms, and craft glue.

First, put the cotton stuffing into the plastic bag.

Next, tie the yarn around it like a scarf.

Finally, decorate it with the face parts and pom-poms, and you’re done! It’ll look adorable displayed by the entryway or on top of a locker.

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Warm, hearty stew made with construction paper

[Craft] Winter craft! Making stew as a craft? It might be more fun than expected☆

Warm, hearty stew made with construction paper

Let’s make it by sticking origami pieces! Here’s an idea for a warm, hearty stew made with construction paper.

What you’ll need: a sheet of construction paper for the base, construction paper cut into a pot shape, construction paper cut into circles, construction paper cut into a spoon shape, orange origami paper, green origami paper, white paint, scissors, and glue or tape.

First, paint the stew roux with white paint.

Next, cut the origami paper with scissors to represent the ingredients.

Finally, stick the cut origami pieces on, and you’re done!

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Crumpled paper-bag ogre mask

Crumpled and Cute Oni Mask [February / Setsubun Craft]

Crumpled paper-bag ogre mask

Wearable craft! We’re introducing a crinkly ogre (oni) mask made from a paper bag.

What you’ll need: a brown envelope, newspaper, hair parts for the oni made from construction paper, face parts for the oni made from construction paper, round stickers in your favorite colors, glue or tape, construction paper, and rubber bands.

How about making an oni mask you can wear for Setsubun events? The key is to enjoy the process while nurturing each child’s individuality.

Be sure to watch how their expressions change as they create!

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