Lovely childcare

[For 5-year-olds] Let’s Make It! A Collection of Recommended Craft Ideas for February

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.

February is packed with exciting events like Setsubun and Valentine’s Day! For projects with five-year-olds, there are plenty of ideas that make clever use of fine motor skills, such as making oni horns by wrapping yarn and creating items with scratch-card-style surprises.

It’s wonderful to nurture that special “I want to make it myself!” spirit unique to senior kindergarteners, while also giving them time to show their creations to friends and play with their finished works.

Here, we introduce craft ideas perfect for February’s seasonal events.

Enjoy the season together with the children as you create! Note: In this article, we use the term “seisaku (制作)” to refer to children’s creations as works (artworks).

[For 5-year-olds] Let’s Make It! A Collection of Recommended February Craft Ideas (21–30)

Valentine wreath

Get into the Valentine’s spirit with a handmade craft! Here’s a wreath idea made using heart stamps.

Make the stamp by sticking a heart-shaped sponge sticker onto the cap of a small lactic acid drink bottle.

For the wreath base, cut a circular frame out of construction paper.

Once you’ve prepared pink or red ink or paint, stamp hearts all over the base until it’s filled.

Finish by adding parts for your favorite animal and a ribbon, and you’re done!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

A cute paper-clay snowman

@chii_1514m
[Making a Snowman] We spread paper clay on construction paper and made a snowman ⛄️ We enjoyed the sensory play, and at the end we pressed in sparkly beads—just looking at it makes you excited ✨ Give it a try! 💓Production Wall decoration Winter Production Childcare #Snowman Making
♪ Original song – Chi☺︎ – Chi☺︎

Here’s a craft idea for making a three-dimensional snowman.

On a base made by attaching black construction paper to thick cardstock, shape a snowman out of clay.

Once the snowman is formed, decorate its body with any beads you like and add eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

Next, attach paper mittens to pipe cleaners and stick them into the snowman.

Finally, decorate the base with snowflake stickers and more, and you’re done! You can also put a hat on the snowman if you like.

If you prepare a variety of beads and pipe cleaners, each child will be able to create a snowman full of their own personality.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Easy! Heart Stick

[Valentine’s Craft] A Heart Stick That 3-, 4-, and 5-Year-Olds Can Make

Easy! Heart Stick

When you shake the stick, the beads inside the heart jingle and look adorable.

If you bring this to a Valentine’s event, something wonderful might happen! You’ll need construction paper, beads, an OPP bag, and a straw.

First, cut the construction paper into a heart shape and cut out the inside as well to make a frame.

You’ll need two of these frames, one for each side.

Put the beads into the OPP bag and seal it, then attach it to the heart frame.

Next, glue a straw to the bottom of the heart as a handle and place the remaining heart frame on top.

Tie a ribbon around the straw for an even cuter finish.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Easy! Origami Snowman

How to Easily Make a Snowman with Origami! Winter Craft Variations Too (For 4-Year-Olds)

Easy! Origami Snowman

This is an origami snowman you can make with simple steps.

Choose the color of your origami paper based on the hat you want the snowman to wear.

Once you’ve decided, place the paper with the colored side facing up and fold it in half by bringing the left and right edges together.

Next, fold it again by matching the top and bottom edges.

Then, using the second crease, make a step fold (accordion fold), and fold the two ends of the stepped section inward, opening them into triangles.

This creates a waist, giving you a two-tiered snowman.

Finally, tuck the remaining corners at the top and bottom inward to round the shape, and you’re done.

One corner will become the hat, so fold only one layer inward so that a triangle of the colored side appears on the snowman’s surface.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

How to make a fluffy, fuzzy snowman

[Snowman] 'How to Make a Fluffy Snowman' Winter craft, February wall decoration, preschool craft, senior care recreation, How to make a fluffy snowman

How to make a fluffy, fuzzy snowman

Stick double-sided tape onto a strip-cut piece of white construction paper, then place cotton on top.

Roll it into a ring and secure it! Connect two of these, add a hat and facial features, and you’ll have a fluffy snowman! Since attaching the hat on top of the cotton is tricky, it’s best to glue it to the paper base before adding the cotton.

For the facial features, bend and twist pipe cleaners to make them.

Depending on the child who makes it, each snowman will have a different expression, resulting in a set of unique, characterful creations.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Heart-shaped woven basket

[Valentine Craft] February Valentine Heart Woven Basket [Easy Craft] Valentine work

Heart-shaped woven basket

Let’s make a heart-shaped basket using soft, textured reversible crepe paper.

It’s a fun idea that lets you experience a bit of weaving! First, cut the parts from the reversible crepe paper: two pieces measuring 24 cm × 9 cm for the basket, one piece measuring 24 cm × 2 cm for the handle, and one piece measuring 24 cm × 1 cm for the decorative ribbon.

Fold each 24 cm × 9 cm piece in half so the two sides show different colors, then make cuts from the fold at widths of 3 cm and 1 cm, respectively.

Leave the top 3 cm uncut.

Weave the slits over and under alternately, layering them to create a lattice pattern and form the basket.

Once woven, round off the corners to shape it into a heart, attach the handle and ribbon, and you’re done.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Easy with just one sheet! Snowman

[Origami] Easy snowman with a single sheet ⛄ How to make a paper snowman #snowman #Christmas #snowman (yukidaruma) #snowman #snowman #xuěrén (snow person) #howtofold #origami #origami (JP) #zhǐzhǐ (paper folding)

Easy with just one sheet! Snowman

The charm of this origami is how easy it is—you can make a snowman with just one sheet of white paper.

There are many small, detailed folds, so try tackling it together with your child.

Each step is simple, but because it involves lots of precise finger work, staying focused is important.

As you go, guide them with prompts like “This part is next,” or demonstrate each step so they can work with confidence.

At the end, draw the face with a pen or add patterns, and each snowman will have its own unique expression.

When you line up the finished pieces for display, you can clearly see how different their expressions are—even though they’re all snowmen—making them even more fun to look at.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem