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[For 3-year-olds] Perfect January Winter & New Year Crafts! A Collection of Fun, Hands-On Ideas

Do you find yourself wondering every year what to make with the children in January’s childcare activities? It can be surprisingly hard to find crafts that three-year-olds will enjoy while taking in New Year’s motifs and the feeling of winter.

In this guide, we’ll share ideas you can enjoy together with three-year-olds—from New Year-perfect projects like paper plate spinning tops, kagami mochi, and shishimai (lion dance), to wintery crafts like fluffy sheep and snowmen.

Activities that use hands and fingertips, such as finger stamping, finger painting, and origami, will spark children’s curiosity.

Some of the things you make can also be played with afterward, so please use these ideas for inspiration! Because the children’s creations are treated as artworks, we use the term “seisaku” (production/artwork) in the text.

[For 3-year-olds] Perfect Winter & New Year Crafts for January! A Special Collection of Fun Make-and-Create Ideas (91–100)

New Year’s cards made with stencils

@n.annlee321

New Year’s card ideas☺️ By the way, is everyone sending them😳!?#HandmadeToysParentingChildcareChildcare#ElementarySchoolMom

♬ Athletic Meet “Heaven and Hell” (No Introduction) – Shinonome

If you’re not good at drawing, try using stencils! With stencils, you just dab ink over a stencil sheet with a sponge, so even kids can easily create illustrations.

You can buy stencil sheets, but you can also make your own by punching shapes out of a clear file with a craft punch.

Think about the kind of illustration you want as you design with your stencil sheet.

Adding patterns or drawing faces on top with a pen will give your illustration a more polished, next-level finish.

Shishimai (lion dance) made with cardboard stamps

@job_it

Good evening! This is the Childcare Sommelier 🎀 Collaborative craft with 🦁 @Lion-sensei! This time, we’re creating New Year’s-style patterns from familiar items... 🎍 Items to prepare: • Construction paper • Paint • Cardboard Please give it a try! #ChildcareSommelier #PreschoolTeacherJobChangeThere is a nursery teacher.Typical things about nursery teachers/kindergarten teachers and kindergartensIntent SurveyI want to quit the nursery school #PrincipalJob change activitiesCareer change consultationCareer Advisor#JobChangeThings#JobChange# January productionNew Year#IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers#NurseryTeacherDailyLifeProduction

♬ New Year’s classic song “New Year” loose and weak(1140585) – tomopoly

Roll up a strip of cardboard, dip it in ink, and stamp it! It creates a pattern that looks like a shishimai (lion dance) design.

Stamp several times on green construction paper to make the pattern, and once the ink dries, cut it into the shape of an ema plaque.

Then, glue on facial parts made from construction paper.

After the shishimai is finished, paste it onto a postcard to complete your New Year’s card! When making the face, choose steps that suit the child’s age, like drawing the eyes and teeth with crayons.

If there’s blank space on the postcard, try adding New Year-themed stickers or drawing some pictures.

Zodiac illustrations using tape cores

@hoikushi_bank

Zodiac illustrations using tape cores#IllustrationSimple illustrationZodiac (Chinese zodiac)Zodiac Animal Illustrations#New Year's cardNew Year’s greeting card illustration

♪ Yes, gladly — Kent from this side

It’s an idea where you use the core of a tape roll to draw a face outline and then turn it into various animals.

It’s really fun to watch a single round shape transform into illustrations of different animals like a horse, sheep, monkey, and chicken.

You can use the circle as the full outline, or just use part of it.

Since you can’t erase unwanted lines if you start with a pen, begin by sketching in pencil and then trace over it with a pen afterward.

Cute for New Year’s cards too! Daruma-chan

Here’s an idea for New Year’s decorations, and since daruma dolls are also a common motif for New Year’s cards, why not use this idea to make a daruma-themed New Year’s card? Make a daruma out of construction paper and attach it to gold design paper along with some flowers.

Simply sticking that onto the front of the card will give it a festive feel.

However, if you’re attaching it to a New Year’s card, be sure to make the daruma as a flat piece.

Create the face with any expression you like, using stickers or pens.

Let’s make plum blossoms!

@hoikushi_worker

Easy with origami! New Year’s kirigami (plum blossoms) We’re introducing a January craft perfect for early childhood settings: “New Year’s kirigami (plum blossoms)” using origami. The moment you open the cut paper is so exciting—what shape will it be? Try arranging different cutting and folding styles and have fun! ================================= We also have a LINE account★ Get exclusive updates by adding us as a friend♪ Check our profile @hoiku_column! ================================= Do you have any concerns in your childcare setting? Even if it’s not related to this post, tell us about your challenges or worries in the comments! Let’s exchange ideas freely♪ ================================#Childcare Crafting#Nursery School Craft#Wall Creationwall surface#Recital#HomeCraftsNew Year’s craftPapercraft#papercraft#kidscraftsOrigami playOrigamiorigami#OuchiMonte#AtHomeMontessoriEarly childhood education materialsChildcare#Nursery schoolNursery teacher / Childcare worker#First year as a nursery teacher#KindergartenKindergarten TeacherKindergarten teacherAspiring childcare worker#NurseryTeacherInTrainingNursery school teacher#NurseryTeacherThingsChildcare student#IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkersNursery Teacher Worker ================================

♪ Original Song – [Sharing Useful Info for Nursery Teachers!] Hoikushi Worker – [Sharing Useful Info for Nursery Teachers!] Hoikushi Worker

Let’s incorporate the plum blossom—famous as a New Year’s flower—into your New Year’s card design.

Here’s a paper-cutting idea you can enjoy like a craft project.

Fold origami paper following the set steps, draw two curved lines, and cut along them with scissors.

Then slowly unfold the paper, and your plum blossom is complete.

There are only seven folds in total, and two of those are just to make crease lines.

It’s an idea that’s easy for children to make, so please give it a try.

Create plum blossoms in various sizes and colors to make a vibrant New Year’s card.

New Year’s Cards Made with Onions

@atelier.ukippa

Using onions, we made New Year’s cards that kids can easily create in bulk! Draw patterns with a black Posca marker and the tiger is complete 🐯 Acrylic paint from the 100-yen shop works just fine.Life with childrenCrafts with Childrenwork#New Year's cardChildren's New Year's Card#VegetableStamp

♬ Itadakimasu – COINN

Cut an onion in half, paint the cut surface with paint, and stamp it.

Use that as the outline, then draw a face with a pen to turn it into an animal illustration.

Even with the same onion, each cross-section is different, and the way the paint goes on will change the look of the stamp.

In the video, they also use a triangular stamp to depict a tiger, but by changing the shape of the ears, you can represent various animals.

If you stack the shapes to make a snowman, it would make a wintery New Year’s card.

Let your imagination grow and try creating a perfect New Year’s card design using an onion stamp.

Origami horse you can make with a single sheet

[Easy Origami] How to Make a Horse with One Sheet 🐎 #Horse #YearOfTheHorse #2026 #Zodiac #NewYear #HowToFold #Origami #PaperFolding #DIY
Origami horse you can make with a single sheet

Perfect for the Year of the Horse! Here’s an idea for making a horse’s face out of origami.

New Year’s cards are often associated with illustrations and drawings, but if you create one by attaching an origami piece, it adds depth and turns it into a very special card.

This design uses a simple series of folds along the creases and can be made with just one sheet of origami paper.

You’ll need a craft knife to make the mane, so have it ready before you start.

Use black round stickers for the eyes and draw the nostrils with a pen.