RAG MusicChildcare
Lovely childcare

Fun January Crafts! A Collection of Ideas You Can Make and Play With for 5-Year-Olds

The arts-and-crafts activities you include in January childcare are a perfect chance to share the fun of New Year’s traditions.

While exploring seasonal motifs like the lion dance, sacred Shinto ropes, and ema wishing plaques, it’s important to spark five-year-olds’ desire to “try it myself!” Here, we introduce ideas that stimulate children’s creativity—making snowmen with colorful cotton, creating waddling penguins from paper cups, and expressing a three-dimensional kagami mochi with whipped paint.

Enjoy the start of the new year together as you help children connect with tradition through hands-on projects! Since the children’s creations are treated as works of art, the term is written as “seisaku (制作)” in the text.

Fun January Crafts! A collection of make-and-play ideas with 5-year-olds (71–80)

Cute with origami! Kadomatsu made of origami

[One sheet of origami] Easy Kadomatsu tutorial 🎍 How to make a paper Kadomatsu #Seollal #NewYear #NewYear’sDay #PlumBlossom #NewYear’sMorning #Nandina #HappyNewYear #Craft #FoldingMethod #Origami #Origami (Chinese) #Paper #PaperFolding (Korean)
Cute with origami! Kadomatsu made of origami

Recommended for those who want to make simple New Year’s decorations! Kadomatsu are New Year decorations made with pine and bamboo that are set up at entrances during the holiday, right? Many children have probably seen them while out on walks or outings.

This time, let’s finish it using just one sheet of green origami paper.

The key points are to make firm creases along the lines and to align the corners.

There are many steps where you create a crease and then use it to form the next one, so it would be great to enjoy making it while keeping these points in mind.

Newspaper Rip-Rip! Eurhythmics with a Snow Song

[January Eurhythmics: Tearing Newspaper + Snow Song Eurhythmics] 🎵 A eurhythmics session that includes a snow-themed craft set, all doable while seated ✨ Parent–child eurhythmics and rhythm play
Newspaper Rip-Rip! Eurhythmics with a Snow Song

Here’s a eurhythmics activity that starts with a newspaper play element.

Give each child a sheet of newspaper and, at the cue of “1, 2, 3,” have them tear it into pieces.

Once it’s torn into small bits, pretend they’re snow and have fun letting it fall from above to the tune of the children’s song “Yuki” (Snow).

After the eurhythmics session, pack the used newspaper pieces into a clear bag to make a snowman.

It’s a winter-themed idea from start to finish, so please enjoy it with the children.

How to make a fun Fukuwarai

Fukuwarai Craft Full of Stimuli for Growth☆ January/Winter Craft Book: “We Made Funny Faces” ~For 2- and 3-Year-Olds~ [Nursery School/Kindergarten]
How to make a fun Fukuwarai

Here’s a craft idea for “Fukuwarai,” a traditional New Year’s game.

This version uses a daruma motif, letting you enjoy the game while you make it.

First, glue a daruma body—cut from construction paper—onto a backing sheet.

Then cut out the parts for the eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows, and cheeks.

Put on a blindfold and enjoy playing Fukuwarai by placing the parts on the face.

Glue the parts where they land, and decorate the empty areas of the backing sheet with flowers.

Finally, use crayons to draw the flower centers and the daruma’s patterns to complete your craft.

Let’s make a Fukuwarai and play!

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

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!”

Make it with paper plates! Cute snowman

[Childcare Craft] Winter craft! Easy paper plate snowman
Make it with paper plates! Cute snowman

This is a snowman craft idea that also lets kids enjoy sticking stickers.

Stack and glue two paper plates vertically to make the base, then finish the snowman using round stickers and parts cut from construction paper.

If infants are doing this activity, it may help to put double-sided tape on the back of the parts to turn them into stickers.

Also, pre-cut the pipe cleaners to use as arms and assist with attaching them using tape.

Changing the colors of the construction paper and stickers will change the snowman’s look, so let the children choose the ones they like.

On the walls too! Cute winter crafts

Cute winter crafts (also great for wall decorations!)
On the walls too! Cute winter crafts

When you open it, a cute wall display featuring fir trees and snowmen appears.

Gather washi paper, water-based markers, scissors, water, a brush, and a pencil to get started.

Fold the washi paper in half twice and draw your guide lines.

It’s easier to cut if you follow the guide lines as you cut toward the tip.

Color the fir tree and snowman areas with water-based markers, then blur them with water on your brush and let them dry thoroughly.

Finally, gently open the washi paper, paste it onto construction paper, and you’re done.

Try changing the colors or the expressions to create your own original wall decoration.

Scratch-off New Year’s card

https://www.tiktok.com/@soeasy.hacks/video/7176931881127087361

Scratch-off cards you scrape with a coin make your heart pound with excitement as you wonder what’s written underneath, don’t they? How about incorporating that scratch-off idea into your New Year’s cards? You can easily make the scratch-off layer by simply mixing acrylic paint with dish soap.

Kids can enjoy it like a craft project, too.

As a New Year’s lucky draw, definitely try adding a scratch-off to your card designs.

Instead of painting the scratch layer directly, apply wax to the parts you want to hide first, then paint over it.

Once it’s fully dry, it will scrape off nicely.