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).

[5-Year-Olds] Let’s Make It! A Collection of Recommended February Craft Ideas (41–50)

Origami snow rabbit

“Childcare Ideas: Winter Origami” Fold in 4 + 5 Steps! Snow Rabbit Origami (Kids Can Make It Themselves!) · Origami Snow Rabbit Easy

Origami snow rabbit

This is a craft for making a snow bunny with a cute, rounded white shape and tiny leaves.

You’ll need one sheet of white origami paper, two small pieces of green origami paper, a red dot sticker, and a crayon.

Fold the white origami into a triangle, then tuck the corners inward to form the snow bunny’s round body.

The shape becomes clear quickly, so even three-year-olds can feel, “It’s coming together!” Add a little touch of color to the wintry look by attaching small folded green-paper leaves to the head.

Use the sticker for the eyes and draw the mouth with a crayon.

It’s also fun to talk together about what kind of face to make.

With only a few steps, this idea lets kids fully enjoy the fun of creating.

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[For 5-year-olds] Let's Make It! A Collection of Recommended February Craft Ideas (51–60)

Colorful Oni Made with Balloons

Since Setsubun is coming up, I made an oni (demon) out of balloons.

Colorful Oni Made with Balloons

Here’s an ogre craft idea made by sticking face and horn parts cut from construction paper, plus yarn hair, onto inflated balloons.

Prepare colorful balloons, have an adult inflate them and tie the necks.

After your ogres are finished, you can tie string to the balloon necks and hang them from the ceiling as decorations.

If you treat the hanging ogres like targets, you can enjoy bean-throwing; try making “beans” out of newspaper and have fun.

Use balloons in a variety of colors to express your own unique ogres.

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A snowman with tissues as the star

https://www.tiktok.com/@levwell_hoikushi/video/7569469587587140884

It’s a fun idea that lets you enjoy the process of shaping while moving your hands.

Stuff a transparent plastic bag with crumpled tissues.

Once it’s about half full, secure it tightly with a rubber band, then fill the remaining half with more tissues.

Close the bag firmly and tape it so nothing comes out.

Tape the corners as well to give it the rounded look characteristic of a snowman.

Twist two different-colored pipe cleaners together and wrap them around the spot where you secured the rubber band.

Use round stickers to make the face, and finish by adding a construction paper hat.

Let your child choose their favorite colors for the paper and pipe cleaners to create their very own snowman!

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Fluffy creation with colors that rub off

http://www.lemon8-app.com

This is a project that lets kids enjoy making art while playing with the fluffy feel of cotton.

First, scribble on aluminum foil with crayons, then rub cotton over the scribbles.

Like magic, the crayon color transfers onto the cotton.

Attach the colored cotton to construction paper to make the snowman’s body.

Add eyes, a nose, and a hat, then draw the arms and falling snow to complete a cute snowman.

Scribbling with crayons, the surprising way white cotton picks up color, the tactile finger sensations, and watching the snowman come together—all are delightful ideas kids will love engaging with!

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Chocolate sticks made with construction paper

[Easy February Craft] Paper Heart Chocolates ❤️🍫 #PreschoolCrafts #PreschoolTeacher #TeachingIdeas #TeacherInTraining #TeacherLife #WithKids #ConstructionPaper #ValentinesDay #ValentineCrafts

Chocolate sticks made with construction paper

Let’s make heart-shaped chocolate sticks that are perfect for pretend play or Valentine’s Day.

Cut construction paper into heart shapes and draw designs with crayons.

Flip the heart over, tape a stick to the back, then slip a clear bag over it to wrap it up, and you’re done.

It’s also a great idea to decorate cutely by using torn origami paper or washi tape when drawing pictures or patterns on the construction paper.

If you make chocolates in various shapes—like stars and circles—just looking at them might make you feel excited, not only for pretend play.

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[Stencil] Pom-Pom Snowman

[Wall activity] Dab with a pom-pom to add color! Snowman stencil [Winter craft]

[Stencil] Pom-Pom Snowman

How about expressing a snowman using a stencil you can enjoy by dabbing with a sponge like a stamp? If you use a clear file as the base, it will resist moisture and can be reused many times.

Make two circles of different sizes for the snowman, and for the snowflakes around the snowman, you can easily create neat stencil templates using a craft punch.

The key to stenciling is not to press the sponge too hard—dab lightly with a gentle tapping motion.

Finally, draw the snowman’s face and make a hat and other accessories from colored paper to stick on.

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Resist Painting: Hat and Gloves

Crayon-resist Art: Perfect winter crafts for 4- to 5-year-olds! A preschool teacher explains how to make hats and mittens.

Resist Painting: Hat and Gloves

Let’s enjoy a crayon-resist painting activity using crayons and watercolor! Prepare two sheets of white drawing paper.

On one sheet, draw the shape of a hat; on the other, draw two glove shapes.

Have the children freely draw patterns on the hat and gloves with crayons.

Once they’re done, have them paint over the drawings with watercolor.

By keeping the paint watery, the crayon won’t be covered and will resist the paint, making the patterns stand out.

Finally, use yarn to make and attach the pom-pom on the hat and the string connecting the gloves, and it’s complete!

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