Lovely childcare

Fun for 1-year-olds! A collection of Halloween craft ideas you can make while playing

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 as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is 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.

Halloween fun for kids and grown-ups alike! Here, we’re sharing craft ideas you can enjoy with one-year-olds.

From stamping and marble-rolling art to tearing, pasting, and stamping again—it’s packed with activities kids love! Each project uses simple steps and is full of clever touches to keep little ones engaged.

Use classic Halloween motifs like ghosts and pumpkins to enjoy a wonderful time together.

Since we treat what the children make as finished pieces, we refer to them as “works” in the text.

Fun for 1-year-olds! A collection of Halloween craft ideas you can make while playing (1–10)

Pompon Pumpkin

Halloween Craft: Pom-Pom Pumpkin

Pompon Pumpkin

Here’s a cute idea for a fluffy, three-dimensional pom-pom pumpkin.

All you need is a clear plastic bag, orange tissue paper, and eye and mouth pieces.

It’s very simple to make: crumple or tear the orange tissue paper and stuff lots of it into the clear plastic bag.

When you’re done, blow a little air into the bag and seal it.

Stick the eye and mouth pieces on the outside, and your jack-o’-lantern is complete! By changing the tissue paper color, you could also make a mummy or Frankenstein.

The round, plump shape is absolutely adorable!

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Wall decorations using handprints and footprints

[Halloween Crafts] Paper Plate Handprint Art Wall Decoration – Halloween DIY: Halloween Wall Decor / Handprint Artwork

Wall decorations using handprints and footprints

Let’s make a Halloween wall decoration with the kids’ cute handprints! You’ll need paper plates, ribbon, paint, scissors, and a hole punch.

First, use paint to make handprints on the paper plates.

Since the fingers will look like the ghost’s legs, place the hand with the fingers pointing downward.

Once you stick on the eyes and mouth pieces on the palm area, it’s done.

Punch a hole in the paper plate and thread a string through it to hang it as a wall decoration.

In addition to the eyes and mouth pieces, you can also freely stick stickers around the edge of the paper plate to make it even cuter!

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Curly Yarn Ghost

Halloween Craft: Twirly Yarn Ghosts

Curly Yarn Ghost

Let’s make Halloween ghosts using recycled materials! All you need are toilet paper rolls and yarn.

The method is super simple: just wrap the yarn around the toilet paper roll until it’s covered, and you’re done! If you use orange yarn, it turns into a jack-o’-lantern; if you first cover the toilet paper roll with black construction paper and then wrap white yarn over it, it becomes a mummy—there are lots of different ghosts you can create.

Secure the beginning and end of the yarn with clear tape so it doesn’t come loose.

Add eye and mouth stickers however you like, and make your own unique ghosts!

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Fun for 1-year-olds! A collection of Halloween craft ideas you can make while playing (11–20)

Halloween candy with cotton swab stamps

Perfect for Halloween crafts with toddlers: Halloween candy using cotton swab stamping 🎃🍬 #preschoolcrafts #nurseryteacher #earlychildhoodideas #traineenurseryteacher #nurseryteacherlife #easycraft #constructionpaper #paint #Halloween

Halloween candy with cotton swab stamps

Here’s an idea for making Halloween candies using cotton swabs and paint.

You’ll need cotton swabs, paint, and construction paper.

Cut the construction paper into candy shapes beforehand.

Dip a cotton swab in your favorite paint color and gently dab dots onto the candy-shaped paper like a stamp.

Kids will be thrilled to stamp lots of their favorite colors onto the paper and will get really absorbed in the activity! Make a bunch and hang them on the wall—they’ll look super cute.

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Colorful Monsters Made with Stamps

https://www.tiktok.com/@shokaaijien/video/7286755682135706881

When we think of Halloween, we think of ghosts, right? This craft is very simple: use a sponge dauber and paint to dab onto black construction paper, and once it’s dry, stick on eye stickers to complete your ghost.

Daubers are easy to use even in younger classes, letting children enjoy finger movements and the fun of creating patterns on paper.

Even 0-year-olds can enjoy it with adult support, so please try incorporating it into your craft activities.

It’s also recommended to switch the construction paper from black to the children’s favorite colors—your ghosts will transform into a whole new look.

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Halloween bag

Speaking of Halloween, getting treats is one of the big highlights, isn’t it? To make the holiday even more fun, I’d like to recommend making Halloween bags.

In this activity, you create your own original bag by cutting out ghosts and monsters from construction paper and pasting them onto a paper bag.

With a cute bag, the joy of collecting sweets is sure to double! Dive in with excitement as you think, “What design should I choose?”

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Jack-o’-lantern made with a footprint

In October, many children look forward to Halloween.

So here’s a craft I’d like to introduce: “Jack-o’-lanterns made from footprints.” There are two main steps.

First, prepare white paper and orange paint.

Then apply the paint to the feet and press footprints onto the paper in a row.

This should create a silhouette that looks like a pumpkin.

Finally, add eye and mouth pieces to the pumpkin, and it’s done.

One of the charms of this idea is that when you look back at it later, you can feel how much the child has grown.

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