[For Day Service Centers] February Craft Ideas: Decorations for Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and the Feeling of Spring
February is a month when you can feel the arrival of spring even amid the cold.
For crafts at the day service, let’s choose activities that engage the hands while reflecting the changing seasons.
Seasonal crafts may make you look forward to spring and spark lively conversations.
February’s unique motifs—Setsubun ogres and ehomaki rolls, camellias and daffodils that bloom beautifully despite the cold, and Valentine’s heart decorations—are all heartwarming.
Crafts made with familiar materials like origami paper, Yakult containers, and felt are easy for anyone to try and bring great joy when completed.
Shall we enjoy creating warm pieces together that help us forget the winter chill?
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[For Day Service Centers] February Craft Ideas: Decorations that evoke Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and Spring (31–40)
Oni Underpants Garland
Speaking of oni pants, the classic is yellow with black tiger stripes! But in this idea, we break out of that set mold and make oni pants in a variety of patterns.
Snow bunnies, plum blossoms, masu cups labeled with “good fortune,” and even oni faces…
We have to tip our hats to these designs that feel fresh yet familiar.
They’re all colorful and super cute, so why not use them as inspiration to make an oni garland? Basically, you just cut out parts from construction paper and paste them on, but there are quite a few variations—like two different pant shapes—so be careful as you work.
Oni Piñata
@lunimama_asobi It's Runi here 🐰 I was wondering what to make for a Setsubun craft… After thinking about it a lot, I came up with a piñata! Do you know what a piñata is? It’s like a festive ball they make for kids’ birthdays in Central and South America 🎊 It’s filled with candy, and everyone whacks it with a stick to break it open 😘 Making a proper one can be a lot of work 🥹 so I made a simple version with a paper bag! The kids were super excited about the oni (ogre) and treated it like a treasure 🤭 They loved it so much we ended up doing four rounds 😂 For the stick, I rolled up a flyer and wrapped it with gift wrap! I stuck it to the ceiling with duct tape 😂 That level of effort felt just right in terms of difficulty 🫶
♫ Pa Pi Pu Pe POP! (Toast with Milk – Chorus ver.) – Appare!
A piñata is something like a decorative ball used in Mexican celebrations.
It’s filled with candy and hung up, and people break it open with a stick.
Making a traditional paper ball from scratch can be a bit of work, but using a paper bag makes it super easy! Just cut out ogre-themed parts from origami paper, stick them onto a paper bag, put candy inside, and seal the bag, and it’s done.
Punch holes, thread a string through, and hang it from above to make it even more like a traditional decorative ball.
You could also just hook it lightly somewhere, let the bag drop to the floor, open it up, and enjoy snack time.
Wreath of plum blossoms and bush warblers
Here’s a craft that brings a touch of spring in February, when we start longing for its arrival.
You’ll make parts like a bush warbler, plum blossoms, a plum branch, a wreath, and a base to attach the bird and blossoms.
Everything is made with origami, so feel free to choose springlike colors for the wreath and base.
The wreath is made by combining eight sheets of origami paper.
You can use all the same color, or alternate colors and patterns—either is fine.
Arrange the parts as you like, vary the number of plum blossoms, and enjoy completing your design.
Peekaboo Ehomaki
How about a unique ehomaki that’s not only cute to display but also perfect for a prank? Cut a kitchen paper tube in half and wrap the outside with black construction paper.
Next, wrap white yarn around a fork about 60 times, tie it in the center, and cut the loops.
Trim it into a round shape with scissors to make the “rice.” Make two of these, thread them onto a straw to secure them, then attach felt “fillings” on top and facial parts on the sides, and insert the whole thing into the tube.
While they’re focused on the fillings, push out the “rice” and surprise them with the face on the side!
Heart card
Perfect for Valentine’s Day! Let’s make a handmade heart card.
You’ll need craft paper, construction paper, masking tape, and stickers.
First, fold both the craft paper and the construction paper in half to the same size.
On the construction paper, draw half a heart along the fold and cut it out with scissors.
Be careful not to cut through the base of the heart where it meets the fold.
Decorate the inside of the craft paper and the heart section with masking tape and stickers, then glue the two pieces together.
Make sure the heart is layered and attached so it stands up.
Finally, write a message wherever you like, and you’re done.
[For Day Service Centers] February Craft Ideas: Decorations for Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and the Coming of Spring (41–50)
Felt Setsubun decoration
Lunar New Year Setsubun decorations made with felt—without using needles—are warm and easy to create.
Prepare a milk carton, gold washi paper, wooden chopsticks, and glue, and let’s get started.
Use the chopsticks to build a frame, glue it to a milk carton cut to the base shape, then cover it with gold washi paper to form the frame.
Sketch the ogre (oni) and Okame to fit the frame size on a file, and cut the parts.
Trace the parts onto felt, cut them out, and glue them together to complete the oni and Okame.
The key is to assemble while checking the overall balance.
Once finished, display it indoors and enjoy!
Red and Blue Oni made from wine corks
Here’s an idea for making an oni (Japanese ogre) out of a cork.
Use a single cork to represent the head and body: first paint the whole cork a skin tone, then paint the pants.
Use yarn for the hair and felt for the horns.
Start by wrapping yarn around two fingers about eight times, then slide it off your fingers.
Tie the center with another piece of yarn so it won’t come undone.
Make about ten of these, and glue the tied sections to the top of the cork to create the hair.
Once dry, cut the looped ends with scissors and shape the hair.
For the horns, roll felt into a cone and attach it to the hair.
Finally, draw the oni’s face with a pen to finish.