[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.
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[For 3-year-olds] Perfect winter & New Year crafts for January! A special collection of fun, hands-on ideas (111–120)
Kagami mochi made with tissue paper
Let’s make a soothing, cute kagami mochi using crumpled tissue paper.
On a plain white backing sheet, first glue on a paper pedestal (sanpō) made from construction paper.
Tear and crumple white tissue paper into balls, then glue them onto the backing sheet.
By filling in the gaps tightly, you can create the look of many stacked mochi.
Finally, add a decorative daidai (bitter orange) made from construction paper to complete it.
A key point is to prepare the construction paper parts in advance so children can work without using scissors.
This idea creates a three-dimensional kagami mochi just by crumpling and sticking colorful tissue paper.
[For 3-year-olds] Winter and New Year crafts perfect for January! A collection of fun, make-and-enjoy ideas (121–130)
Daruma
Daruma dolls are often displayed as New Year’s decorations or ornaments to celebrate the new year.
Let’s try making a daruma together with children, since it’s a beloved good-luck item.
Once you prepare construction paper cut into a daruma silhouette, the rest is simply letting the kids draw freely.
They can enjoy various ideas, such as drawing with crayons or sticking on stickers.
It’s also recommended to make it even more festive by adding decorations like eye stickers or chenille stems (pipe cleaners).
wobbling daruma
Why not try making a wobbly Daruma doll with a paper plate? The Daruma is a traditional Japanese good-luck charm that has long been cherished.
It is said to originate from Bodhidharma, an Indian monk.
To make one, first prepare a circle cut out of red construction paper.
Attach the Daruma’s parts onto it and draw the face and details.
Next, fold a paper plate in half.
Glue the folded paper plate to the lower half of the back of the Daruma.
Now your wobbly Daruma is complete.
It might also be fun to use just the wobbling mechanism to make things other than a Daruma.
Snowman made with tissue paper
A tissue-paper snowman that captures a fluffy look.
It’s a great idea for scenes where kids and adults work together to create something.
Fold the four corners of a tissue, tape them down, then fold it further to make it round; make two of these pieces.
Tear up tissues and stick them onto a backing sheet to show accumulated snow, then attach the two round parts you made earlier.
Use finely torn tissue to depict falling snow, and make a scarf from a long, thin strip of tissue.
Finally, use colored pens to draw the snowman’s face, scarf pattern, hat, and other details to finish.
Zodiac Daruma
Daruma dolls with zodiac motifs inspired by the lucky daruma figurines.
Let’s make a perfect New Year’s item that you can create just by cutting and pasting construction paper.
After cutting out the zodiac animal shapes, paste them onto the daruma-shaped construction paper.
Finally, draw the faces of the animal and the daruma, add lettering, and you’re done.
If cutting is difficult, it’s a good idea to prepare the parts in advance.
Decorate with New Year’s illustrations and words, and it will also work great as a wall decoration to brighten up your room.
three-dimensional snowman
How about making a snowman using a plain white plastic bag with handles that you can find at supermarkets? First, put cotton inside the plastic bag and tie the opening.
After tying it, tie around the middle with yarn or similar to shape it like a snowman.
Attach the eyes and nose.
From the sides, stick in cotton swabs colored at the tips to make the hands.
Hide the knot of the plastic bag with a paper cup as a hat, and it’s done.
It would look cute and seasonal displayed by the entrance around this time of year.
Give it a try!
Paper cup kendama
This is a kendama made with paper cups, inspired by the traditional Japanese toy enjoyed in many settings.
After drawing patterns on two paper cups, attach twine to the back (inside) of the cups.
Align the bottoms of the cups and secure them with colored tape.
Roll aluminum foil into a ball, wrap it with tape, and attach it to the end of the twine to finish.
Prepare crayons or paints and let the children draw freely.
It’s an item you can enjoy playing with together as a family or with friends even after making it.