For 4-Year-Olds: January Crafts! A Collection of Fun Ideas with Winter and New Year Themes
When it comes to crafts for four-year-olds in January, it’s all about New Year’s and winter-themed motifs! So this time, we’re sharing craft ideas perfect for the season.
From paper-cutting with scissors and a three-dimensional kagami mochi made with whipped paint, to a shishimai (lion dance) you can make and play with, these projects are full of elements that spark children’s curiosity.
As they use their hands and engage with seasonal events, their interest in Japan’s traditional culture will naturally grow as well.
Children also feel a special attachment to creations they’ve made themselves.
Be sure to incorporate these into your childcare activities! Because the children’s creations are treated as works, the term “制作” (seisaku, creation/production) is used in the text.
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- Origami to Enjoy January and Winter! A Collection of Simple Ideas to Use in Childcare
- Perfect for January bulletin boards! A collection of Daruma craft ideas kids will love in childcare settings
- [Childcare] Ideas for January wall decorations
- Have fun with one-year-olds! A collection of craft ideas featuring recommended January motifs
- [January Crafts] Fun DIY Ideas for Kids: Perfect for Use in Childcare
- [For Age 4] Must-Read in January! Picture Books to Enjoy Winter
- Brighten up your winter daycare room! A collection of recommended wall decoration ideas
- [Nursery/Kindergarten] New Year’s wall decorations! A collection of craft ideas to enjoy with children
- From New Year’s games to winter crafts! A roundup of January recreation activities to enjoy in childcare
- Ideas for Winter-Themed Crafts and Bulletin Board Projects for 5-Year-Olds
[For 4-year-olds] January Crafts! A Collection of Fun Ideas with Winter and New Year Themes (41–50)
Spins great! A top made from a paper cup
Why not open up a paper cup and make a well-spinning top? You will need a paper cup, markers, origami paper, and so on.
First, mark the rim of the paper cup into eight equal sections.
Cut along the marks, but don’t cut all the way—leave a little uncut.
Once you’ve made the cuts, fold them and spread them out.
Trim off the tips and decorate with markers or similar.
A continuous pattern may look nicer when it spins.
Next, fold the shaft using origami paper.
Fit the shaft into the bottom (underside) of the paper cup, and you’re done.
Make it with straw stamps! Snowman craft
Let’s make a snowman wall art with straw stamps.
First, an adult draws large and small circles on construction paper.
Using a plate as a guide is fun, too.
Then, draw a snowman’s hat on colored construction paper or origami paper.
Have the child cut it out.
Glue the cut-out pieces onto a darker-colored construction paper.
Once they’re glued, draw the snowman’s face with crayons.
For the straw stamp, cut slits into the end of a straw and spread them out so it forms a flower shape.
Dip it in white paint and dab it on—this creates lovely snowflake-like prints.
Winter origami! Cute kotatsu
Here is an introduction to making a kotatsu out of origami.
First, fold a sheet of origami paper in half in the color you like.
Since it’s a kotatsu, a patterned paper might be cuter.
Then fold back about one-third.
After folding, unfold it, fold it to half that width, and return it.
On the back side, fold back one-third as well.
Next, fold the back diagonally to create the kotatsu’s slope, and the main body is complete.
Now make the tabletop for the kotatsu.
Use a quarter-size sheet of origami paper for this.
Next, make the mandarin orange, which is essential for a kotatsu.
This one is very small, so have an adult help you.
Three homemade kites!
Let’s make kites that are perfect for New Year’s.
It’s also a lot of fun to go out and fly the ones you’ve made.
I’ll introduce three types of kites.
The first is a twirly, spiral kite.
It’s great because you can practice cutting curves while making it.
The next kite is made by stapling construction paper into a paper-airplane-like shape.
You only need a stapler and a hole punch for this one.
The third kite uses a plastic shopping bag.
First, fold an A4 sheet of paper and draw lines to make a template.
Then cut the plastic bag based on that template.
If you draw a picture on it before assembling, you can create a one-of-a-kind kite.
Fukuwarai made with origami
Fukuwarai is a game where a blindfolded person places eyes, a nose, and other facial parts onto a picture that only shows the outline of a face.
It used to be a New Year’s pastime, but it seems chances to play it have been decreasing recently.
A Fukuwarai set featuring an Okame face made from origami might be a more casual way to enjoy it.
Use black origami paper, crease it first, and then fold the Okame.
The black side of the origami becomes Okame’s hair, and the white side is the face.
Have the children freely draw the facial features with pens or other tools.
Of course, making separate facial parts and gluing them on will also look great.
3D origami Daruma doll
Let’s make a daruma doll—an auspicious charm—using origami.
Prepare origami paper, round stickers, a felt pen, and glue.
Open the origami paper and make firm creases into squares and triangles.
As you fold, tuck the paper in while creating rounded volume overall.
When folding the layers in, straighten the tips and shift them slightly as you make careful folds; this will help you create a nicely rounded daruma shape.
Fold the eyes from a separate piece of origami paper, then use black-colored round stickers to represent the eyes and eyebrows.
Attach them to the body to finish.
Try changing the color of the origami paper to make daruma dolls in various colors!
Let’s display the first-calligraphy daruma.
Perfect for the New Year! Let’s try a craft idea for making a daruma.
In this idea, you’ll cut the body, the face base, and the whiskers from construction paper, then use a brush and ink to draw the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth.
You might usually use crayons and not be very familiar with brushes, but think of it like your first calligraphy of the year and draw freely.
Once you’ve finished the expression, attach the whiskers on both sides and glue them to the body.
Then take a strip of gold origami paper, join the two ends to make a teardrop shape, stick it on the body as a decorative pattern, and you’re done!
