Have fun with one-year-olds! A collection of craft ideas featuring recommended January motifs

Let’s enjoy New Year’s games!

[Ages 0–2] Let’s Enjoy New Year’s Games!

Let’s set up various stations in the playground so the children can experience New Year’s traditions.

We’ll introduce five activities: rice-cake pounding (mochitsuki), spinning tops (koma), karuta card games, kite flying (takoage), and visiting a shrine to offer prayers.

For mochitsuki, we’ll actually use a mortar and pestle to pound the mochi, while the tops, karuta, kites, and shrine are all handmade.

By making good use of cardboard and milk cartons, you can create remarkably authentic items.

Children can play with the toys you’ve made, or they can take on the challenge of making them themselves.

Enjoy New Year’s experiences suited to the children’s ages.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

Cute wobbly daruma doll

[Preschool Craft] New Year’s decoration: cute wobbly Daruma | Daruma doll for New Year’s decoration

Let’s make a cute daruma that wobbles when you poke it.

You’ll need a paper plate, construction paper, and a pen.

Please prepare construction paper in four colors for the body, face, eyes, and decorations.

First, cut the body piece of construction paper into a circle to match the size of the paper plate.

Next, cut an oval from the face-colored paper, and cut two small circles from the eye-colored paper.

Glue them in order—body, face, then eyes—and draw the pupils with the pen.

Then cut three ovals from the decorative paper and stick them below the face.

Fold the paper plate in half and attach the daruma to one side—that’s it! If you’re making this with small children, adults should prepare the parts in advance.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

Let’s make a Fukuwarai and play!

[For 4-year-olds] Laugh together! Let’s make and play Fukuwarai!

How about enjoying a classic New Year’s game, fukuwarai? Have the children draw and make the base sheet and facial parts however they like using construction paper and crayons.

By creating them themselves, the kids can grasp what the finished face should look like, and after playing fukuwarai they won’t be able to stop laughing! It might be even funnier if you make it as a self-portrait.

It’s perfectly fine if the fukuwarai face doesn’t turn out “well,” so why not encourage the kids by saying, “Make a funny face on purpose!”

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

Cute! How to draw a horse

Among animals, many people find horses particularly difficult to depict in illustrations.

Unlike dogs or cats, they aren’t animals we see up close every day, and drawing just the face—let alone the whole body—raises the difficulty quite a bit.

So here, we’ll introduce an easy way to draw a horse! Surprisingly, you start with the ears.

Draw two ears, connect the space between them, and then sketch a longer outline for the head.

The key to making it look like a horse is to add the mane and pay attention to how you draw the nose.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

[Chigiri-e] Shishimai (Lion Dance)

[Kindergarten/Daycare] January: Tear-and-Paste Craft! Shishimai (Lion Dance) Artwork & Craft Part 1

The shishimai lion dance is a classic January motif.

Try incorporating it into a craft for one-year-olds.

Fold a red sheet of origami paper once to make the lion’s head, then glue on parts like eyebrows, ears, and nose, and draw the face with crayons.

For the body, tear pieces of origami paper and glue them onto a backing sheet.

Attach the head at the top of the body, draw the arms and legs, and add some drawings in the empty space to finish! This idea is originally suited for three-year-olds, but the sticking-and-pasting steps should be enjoyable for one-year-olds too.

Be sure to prepare the pieces to be glued in advance.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

[Paper Plate] Swaying Shishimai (Lion Dance)

[Educational Play] Perfect January Crafts: Anpanman Fukuwarai, Shishimai (Lion Dance), and Cow

A wobbling shishimai lion made with a paper plate—perfect for New Year’s crafts! The highlight is the shishimai’s humorous expression.

It’s also a great chance for children to experience Japanese tradition.

To make it, simply fold a paper plate in half, attach green construction paper, and add patterns and a face.

Kids can enjoy sticking on round stickers for patterns and gluing the face parts of the shishimai.

Since it uses fine motor skills and boosts concentration, it’s an activity well worth trying with one-year-olds.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

miyabi

Report a problem

Salt painting

Sparkling fun! How to make salt paintings [Nursery/Kindergarten]

How about trying sparkling, adorable salt painting? Since it’s a unique craft that uses real salt, it’s sure to capture children’s interest! First, draw a New Year–themed design on construction paper using white craft glue, then sprinkle plenty of salt over it.

Please have the teacher handle this step.

Next, the children can have fun painting with water-diluted watercolor paints.

Finally, let it dry thoroughly, and it’s done.

The salt painting’s dimensional texture gives it great presence, making it a lovely choice for a January wall display.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

miyabi

Report a problem