[Childcare] Play and craft ideas to include in February events
Speaking of February events, Setsubun and Valentine’s Day come to mind.
Some of you are probably brainstorming event ideas like bean-throwing or cute crafts.
On the other hand, there may be people who struggle to come up with fresh ideas for annual traditions.
For those people, this time we’ll share play activities and craft ideas that are perfect for Setsubun and Valentine’s Day.
Incorporating new ideas is sure to make your events much more exciting.
Be sure to check out these ideas before you start preparing for your events.
- [Childcare] Fun February craft ideas you’ll want to make with 2-year-olds!
- [For 4-year-olds] Enjoy February! A Collection of Craft Ideas
- For 2-year-olds! Fun craft activities and indoor play ideas
- [Quiz] A Collection of Quizzes You Can Use in February Childcare
- [Childcare] Cute to display! A collection of wall decoration ideas you’ll want to make in February
- [Childcare] Fun February Indoor Play Ideas That Work for Both Small and Large Groups
- [For 5-year-olds] Let’s Make It! A Collection of Recommended Craft Ideas for February
- [Childcare] Fun to Make! February Craft Ideas Collection
- Parent–child interactive play. Fun activities popular in childcare settings and at parent–child observation days.
- [For preschoolers] A collection of origami ideas to enjoy February, including Setsubun and Valentine’s Day
- Indoor games that different ages can enjoy! Ideas for fun everyone can get excited about together
- Play activities recommended for childcare in February: ideas to enjoy seasonal events
- Fun Setsubun Activities for Childcare: A Collection of Exciting Games and Craft Ideas
[Childcare] Play and craft ideas to include in February events (1–10)
Snowman Fashion Show
Here’s a craft idea where kids can freely create snowmen using circle, triangle, and square pieces.
First, stick a large round piece onto a backing sheet to make the base of the snowman.
Then glue on a scarf made by wrapping yarn around a piece of thick paper cut into a rectangle, and you’re all set! From here, let the kids freely express their snowmen using the circle, triangle, and square pieces.
Some children might use circular pieces for the eyes, while others might use triangular pieces.
It’ll be fun to see how their unique sensibilities come through in their creations!
Oni masks made with various materials and techniques
Let’s make oni masks using fun art techniques! The way to create the mask base and horn parts is the same; only the hair section uses different techniques.
We’ll introduce bleeding watercolor, wax-resist painting, torn-paper collage, and ideas that use glued-on yarn or tissue paper.
During Setsubun, we drive away oni by throwing beans.
Oni are scary, but wearing a mask you made yourself might give you the courage to face them.
Enjoy the crafting process and try expressing your own kind of strength!
A toilet paper roll core transforms into a fearsome oni!
Let’s make a warm and charming oni (ogre) using a toilet paper roll and felt.
First, wrap the toilet paper roll with felt and glue it in place.
Then use faux fur as hair, and attach facial parts and horns made from felt.
Using pearls for the eyes and cheeks will boost the cuteness and add a festive touch.
The key to this idea is layering yellow and brown felt, twisting them to create the pants.
It would also look cute if you use non-traditional colors.
[Childcare] Play and craft ideas to include in February events (11–20)
A demon biting into an ehomaki
Ehomaki rolls are eaten to ward off misfortune and invite good fortune.
This lucky charm comes with a unique idea: an ogre—considered a symbol of evil spirits during Setsubun and driven away with beans—takes a big bite! Make it by dividing it into parts for the head, fangs, body, and the ehomaki, then assemble them later into a single design.
Creating it in the original size might be challenging, so try using larger origami paper.
Once finished, it can also be used as a wall decoration, instantly bringing a festive Setsubun atmosphere to the space.
Sketchbook Theater
In this sketchbook theater, a transparent clear file is attached over the page, with a white sheet of paper inside.
What you first show the children is a simple illustration drawn in black pen on the clear file.
As the story progresses, remove the white paper from inside the clear file and let them see the picture of the ogre drawn behind it.
Characters like the crying “Waa-waa Ogre” and the “I-don’t-want-to-clean-up Ogre” make an appearance.
It’s wonderful content that not only drives away the ogres with bean-throwing, but also helps with guidance and reminders about good behavior.
Make and play! Setsubun crafts
After you make it, you can enjoy bean-throwing too! Here are some oni craft ideas.
First, prepare an envelope in your preferred size and cut it in half.
Please use a gusseted envelope.
Attach small pieces of cut paper along the cut edge to represent the oni’s hair, then stick on the horns and face parts made from construction paper.
Finally, draw the eyebrows and mouth with a pen to complete the oni! Mount the oni on the wall and throw “beans” made by crumpling paper at it.
After the bean-throwing is over, try a challenge to see how many beans you can put into the envelope!
Egg-shaped red ogre & blue ogre
This is an oni made by covering an egg-shaped polystyrene ball with chirimen fabric! All you do is cut and stick the chirimen fabric, yet it turns into a very elegant and lovely piece.
After making it, place it on a table as a Setsubun decoration.
You’ll need chirimen fabric for the oni’s body, pants, hair, horns, club, and mouth, so prepare any designs you like.
The process is simply to apply double-sided tape to the back of the chirimen fabric, cut out the parts, and stick them onto the polystyrene ball.
Since the body and pants cover a large area, stretch the fabric as you apply it to avoid wrinkles, and trim any excess fabric with scissors.