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

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.

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 and New Year crafts for January! A collection of fun, make-and-enjoy ideas (31–40)

Perfect for New Year too! A Daruma you can make and play with

@n.annlee321
New Year’s motifs: a daruma doll! I tried making a mayudama rolling game with a daruma design.#tiktok classroom Life with children New Year
♬ Relaxing cute everyday BGM – Hiraoka

In January, it seems many regions hold Daruma markets.

Crafting a lucky Daruma is perfect for a January art project.

Prepare three strips of construction paper cut into small tanzaku-like pieces.

Take one marble and glue the paper strips together to wrap around it.

Draw a Daruma face on a round sticker and attach it to the marble-filled paper to finish.

Because the marble is inside, the Daruma will roll around amusingly when you set it in motion.

If you make a slope and hold Daruma-rolling races, the children are sure to get excited.

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Nakajima Junko

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Let’s make it snow with Choki-Choki-Pon!

@hoiku.labo
[Craft for ages 3–5] Let’s make it snow with snip-snip and a pop! ❄️🎨#Childcare Crafting Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #Drawers of Childcare With children Easy to make Make and play Popular production #Stamp play Kirie (paper-cut art)⭐↓For details, see the comments↓⭐
♪ Original Song – Hoiku Kyujin Labo – Hoiku Kyujin Labo | Nursery Teacher Job Changes and Helpful Information

Let’s make it snow using stencils cut from origami paper.

First, fold the origami into quarters to make a triangle, then fold it even more finely.

Once folded, use scissors to cut along the outside and inside and then unfold it.

You’ll see unexpectedly beautiful snowflake shapes appear.

Load a sponge with white paint, place the stencil on a dark-colored backing paper, and dab to make lots of snowflakes.

It might be fun to shift the stencil slightly and dab again.

If you try different cutting methods when making the stencils, you’ll get all kinds of snowflakes, which makes it really interesting.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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A fun igloo with stamp play

@hekimen_25
[Building a Kamakura with Stamp Play ☃️] Using a sponge to stamp—pop! pop! A stamping craft that kids can enjoy with total fascination 😆✨ In snowy regions, their imaginations might expand even more, making it even more fun… 🤭#Childcare Crafting #Production Video Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #Nursery school　Production Kamakura　Stamp　#paint　
Tomodachi Collection – Love

Let’s try a fun winter craft with stamping.

First, apply white paint to a square sponge and stamp it all over a sheet of blue construction paper.

After the paint dries, cut the paper into the shape of an igloo.

Cut out the entrance of the igloo, a kotatsu, and the face and hands from construction paper, then glue them onto the igloo to finish.

Draw expressions on the face parts with crayons, and add any pattern you like to the kotatsu.

You can also use stamps or stickers to add patterns.

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sasashina

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Easy-to-make snowman using a plastic bottle

@hoiku.labo
[Craft for ages 0–5] Easy snowman with a plastic bottle!#Childcare Crafting Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #Drawers of Childcare With children Easy to make Make and play Popular production Snowman Snowman Plastic bottle⭐↓For details, see the comments↓⭐
♪ Original Song – Hoiku Kyujin Labo – Hoiku Kyujin Labo | Nursery Teacher Job Changes and Helpful Information

For winter crafts, many projects use snowmen as their theme, don’t they? If you use an empty plastic bottle, you can easily make a snowman craft.

Stuff cotton into the empty bottle.

Once the container is tightly filled, put the cap on, then draw eyes with a pen or decorate it with stickers.

Wrap a thin, long strip of felt or ribbon around the snowman’s neck area and glue it on to finish.

You can display it in your room as is, or make several and line them up to play like bowling—it sounds fun either way.

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Nakajima Junko

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Let’s make winter animals!

https://www.tiktok.com/@hoiku.labo/video/7461832077416107282

Let’s make a winter animal—a snow rabbit—using colored construction paper.

First, use white paper to make a plump, egg-like shape.

Cut out nandina (heavenly bamboo) leaves and berries from colored paper as well.

Create a window with falling snow from colored paper, then paste the rabbit there.

If the snow pieces for the window are too small and tricky, a parent or guardian can cut them, or you could draw them with a white crayon instead.

Putting this on a wall or mounting it on a backing sheet will enhance the winter mood and look lovely.

You could also change the wall decorations with each season.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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[Age 3] Winter and New Year Crafts Perfect for January! A Collection of Fun, Hands-on Ideas (41–50)

Shimenawa you can make with chiyogami paper

@haruharo_made
New Year’s Craft / [Shimenawa with Chiyogami] [Materials] • Paper plate • Construction paper • Scissors • Chiyogami (traditional patterned paper) • Glue • Cellophane tape • Double-sided tapeCrafts for 4-year-olds　Crafts for 5-year-olds #3-year-old crafts #2-year-old's craft Crafts for 1-year-olds Crafts for 0-year-olds Production #Nursery school Wall decoration #StayHomeTime #AtHomePlay Production ideas #Nursery School Craft Winter Craft #Kindergarten Kindergarten craft Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher wall surface　#ChristmasTree Production for children under age (infants and toddlers)　Simple craft Made in December　# January production Made in February　 New Year’s craft　#Daruma making　Tatsu Production #Mask making　Mask #paint　Sticker application　Round sticker Sticker-pasting craft　　　　　Hanging ornament drawing paper　#ConstructionPaperArt　Poster Board Craft Paint making　　paper plate　Paper plate craft　Paper Plate Craft　Chiyogami　Chiyogami Production #ShimenawaMaking　#Shimenawa　
♬ One More Last Time – sped up – Henry Young & Ashley Alisha

We’ll make a shimenawa-style decoration using washi paper.

The base will be a paper plate with the center cut out.

The cut-out center of the plate will be used as the knot of the shimenawa.

First, glue crumpled brown-toned washi paper onto the paper plate that will serve as the base.

Attach washi paper to the knot in the same way.

Once that’s done, create and stick on decorations such as the zodiac animal for that year, as well as pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms using colored construction paper.

And that’s it—you’re finished.

If you make the zodiac ornament removable, you can likely reuse the decoration the following year.

Give it a try!

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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A Daruma mask made from a paper plate

@haruharo_made
New Year’s Craft / [Dragon and Daruma Masks][Materials]- Paper plates- Construction paper- Scissors- Paint- Glue- Cellophane tape- SticksCrafts for 4-year-olds　Crafts for 5-year-olds #3-year-old crafts #2-year-old's craft Crafts for 1-year-olds Crafts for 0-year-olds Production #Nursery school Wall decoration #StayHomeTime #AtHomePlay Production ideas #Nursery School Craft Winter Craft #Kindergarten Kindergarten craft Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher wall surface　#ChristmasTree Production for children under age (infants and toddlers)　Simple craft Made in December　# January production Made in February　 New Year’s craft　#Daruma making　Tatsu Production #Mask making　Mask #paint　Sticker application　Round sticker Sticker-pasting craft　　　　　Hanging ornament drawing paper　#ConstructionPaperArt　Poster Board Craft Paint making　　paper plate　Paper plate craft　Paper Plate Craft　Mask　Mask making work
♬ Have a nice day – imase