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.
- Ideas for Winter-Themed Crafts and Bulletin Board Projects for 5-Year-Olds
- [For 5-year-olds] Let’s Make It! A Collection of Recommended Craft Ideas for February
- [Nursery/Kindergarten] New Year Craft Ideas: A Collection of Projects You Can Enjoy Even After Making Them
- For 4-Year-Olds: January Crafts! A Collection of Fun Ideas with Winter and New Year Themes
- [For 3-year-olds] Perfect January Winter & New Year Crafts! A Collection of Fun, Hands-On Ideas
- Recommended for 5-year-olds! Simple DIY toy ideas
- Have fun with one-year-olds! A collection of craft ideas featuring recommended January motifs
- [January] Enjoy with 2-year-olds! A collection of craft ideas that capture winter and the New Year
- [Childcare] Winter Projects You’ll Want to Try! Recommended Craft Ideas
- [For 4-year-olds] Enjoy February! A Collection of Craft Ideas
- For 5-Year-Olds: Let’s Make It! A Collection of Craft Ideas to Feel the Spring
- [January Crafts] Fun DIY Ideas for Kids: Perfect for Use in Childcare
- [Kindergartners (Older Group)] Folding is Fun! Recommended January Origami Idea Collection for Senior Kindergarteners
Fun January Crafts! A Collection of Make-and-Play Ideas with 5-Year-Olds (91–100)
plastic bottle cap
The spinning top made by connecting plastic bottle caps with string has a unique wind-catching shape and a colorful look that really stands out.
Make a hole in the center of each cap, connect them with string to form a ring, and adjust the angles as you shape it into a circle.
Once it’s neat and round, attach round pieces of thick paper to the top and bottom center, make holes in them, and add the axle to finish.
If it’s too small and hard to spin, try increasing the number of connected caps or making the axle larger for an easier grip.
Also pay attention to which direction it spins more easily, and aim for a more stable rotation.
Shishimai (lion dance) made from an empty tissue box
A lion dance figure that moves slowly as if wriggling while opening and closing its mouth.
You sometimes see the lion biting people’s heads while it dances, right? In fact, the lion dance is said to ward off evil by biting a person’s head.
Let’s recreate that opening-and-closing mouth using an empty tissue box.
Cut the tissue box in half; it’s recommended that the teacher prepare this in advance.
Make colored construction paper for the lion’s face and parts like the eyes and teeth.
Attach them to the halved tissue box to finish.
When you put your hand inside the completed lion, you can open and close its mouth.
It seems perfect for January events, too.
Tokotoko Penguin
Make it with a paper cup! Here’s how to create a fun waddling penguin toy.
You’ll need colored construction paper, a battery, rubber bands, a paper cup, cellophane tape, and glue.
First, cut and open the paper cup to use as a template, and make the penguin’s face from colored paper.
Create the penguin’s parts from the colored paper and glue them on.
Next, use cellophane tape to attach a rubber band to the battery.
Cut two 5 mm slits on each side of the paper cup in symmetrical positions, firmly attach the rubber band to the cup, and set the battery in place.
Add tape so the rubber band doesn’t come off.
Test if it runs; once it moves well, attach the penguin’s face and limb parts to the cup, and you’re done!
Spinning top made from a paper plate
Let’s make a spinning top by combining a paper plate and a plastic bottle cap! First, draw your favorite patterns or pictures on the paper plate.
Then, glue a bottle cap upside down at the center of your drawing.
Flip the paper plate over and glue another cap on the back, and in no time, your handmade spinning top is complete.
Wooden tops sometimes have thin stems that can be hard to pinch, but bottle caps are designed to be gripped and twisted open, so kids should be able to enjoy them to the fullest!
Daruma Eyebrow Bead Rolling
Let’s make a rolling cocoon ball toy inspired by a New Year’s daruma! Cut red construction paper to create three strips.
Apply glue to the center and stick the three strips together so they form a snowflake-like shape.
Then, apply glue to the ends of each strip and shape them into loops.
Before closing the third loop, place a marble inside; after sealing the last loop, the base of the cocoon ball is complete.
Draw a daruma face on a white round sticker, attach it to the cocoon ball, add the daruma patterns, and you’re done!
Hanging ema (votive plaques)
@chooobo2 Hanging ema (votive plaque) crafting 🎍#Childcare Crafting#Nursery School Craft# January productionNew Year’s craft#Ema Production
♬ WOW – IVE
It’s said that if you write your wish on an ema plaque and dedicate it during your first shrine visit of the year, your wish will come true.
So let’s make a hanging ema that’s perfect for a January craft.
You can capture the New Year spirit by drawing lucky symbols like daruma dolls or the zodiac on the ema.
With a little extra creativity, you can make the ema even more charming.
Color aluminum foil with water-based pens, mist it with water, and then press the ema paper onto it.
The ema paper will take on patterns that look like a wash painting.
It’s a fun method that kids are sure to enjoy.
Once it’s dry, have the children write their wishes on the ema and try decorating a wall with them.
Fortune-telling made with paper cups
@hoikushi_bank I tried making a fortune slip with a paper cup 🙌 A fortune game you’ll want to play at New Year! You can make it with a paper cup and an ice cream stick 🥰#Childcare CraftingNew Year’s craftpaper cupOmikuji Hoikushi Bank
Chiguhagu – THE SUPER FRUIT
How about making your own omikuji (fortune sticks) to enjoy at New Year? This version uses paper cups.
Prepare two paper cups, some vinyl (plastic) tape, and a wooden stick.
Cut a slit in the bottom of one paper cup just big enough for the wooden stick to poke through.
On the wooden stick, write fortunes like “Great Blessing (Daikichi)” or “Small Blessing (Shokichi),” or come up with your own original messages for extra fun.
When you’re done, place the wooden stick inside the paper cup.
Align the rims of the two cups and wrap them all the way around with vinyl tape to seal them together—that’s it! Try your luck for the year and have fun!