Lovely childcare

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

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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: 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.

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 (91–100)

Spinning snowflakes

【Handmade Spinning Top】Whirling Snowflakes【Winter Craft】

Spinning snowflakes

How about a snowflake you can spin like a little top? Cut six slits into a piece of thick paper, open them out like petals, then insert twine from the back and attach straws arranged into a hexagon.

After that, decorate the cardstock or straws however you like with chenille stems, holographic paper, beads, and more—and you’re done! You can spin it in your palm, or use it as part of a wall decoration.

Since there are some fine details, try making it together with teachers or guardians.

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Fluffy snowman

[Snowman] 'How to Make a Fluffy Snowman' Winter craft, February wall decoration, preschool craft, senior care recreation, How to make a fluffy snowman

Fluffy snowman

Let’s make a fluffy snowman and enjoy snow indoors! Make two rings out of white construction paper, line the inside of each ring with cotton, and attach them together.

A stapler is recommended for attaching, but if there are children who aren’t used to using one, teachers should assist.

Add eyes, a mouth, hands, and more using pipe cleaners and beads to finish it off! It’s best for teachers to prepare the small parts in advance.

Stick them on construction paper or the wall and display them as a January project.

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buzzing top

Spins Great! Whirligig Made from a Milk Carton – Handmade New Year’s Toy [Daycare/Kindergarten]

buzzing top

Spinning tops are one of the traditional New Year’s games, aren’t they? It’s said that because a top spins smoothly, it came to be seen as a lucky charm symbolizing that things will go smoothly, and so playing with tops became a New Year custom.

This time, we’ll introduce the bunbun-goma, a top that spins by pulling a string.

A bunbun-goma is made by punching two holes in the center of the top, threading a string through, and pulling the string to make it spin.

For the base of the top, using an empty milk carton works well because it has just the right thickness and stiffness.

How about drawing January-themed illustrations like daruma dolls or the zodiac animal on the base? These buzzing, whirring tops are a craft that kids will really enjoy.

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Original ema (votive plaque)

[New Year Craft for Kids] For preschoolers to elementary schoolers: New Year decorations, stamping, tissue-paper flowers, fun crafting—make an ema (votive plaque). Nurtures fine motor skills and expressive abilities. #PreschoolCrafts

Original ema (votive plaque)

Why not try making original ema plaques by hand that bring out each child’s personality? They’re perfect as New Year decorations too! First, cut colored construction paper into the shape of an ema.

Next, stamp on patterns using a stamp made by rolling up cardboard.

Then twist tissue paper to add decorative accents.

To finish, paste a piece of paper with your wish written on it in the center, and you’re done! You can also choose different colors of paper or switch the stamp to finger stamping.

It’s a great way to nurture fine-motor expression, so be sure to include it in your January craft activities!

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snow globe

[Handmade Toys] Easy Snow Globe Craft – Make it easily with things you can prepare right away! Perfect as a baby toy, a kids’ craft or independent research project. Create your very own sparkling snow globe.

snow globe

A snow dome that lets you enjoy the sight of fluffy, snow-like flakes swirling in a small space.

You can easily make one using small containers like those for lactic acid drinks or drinkable yogurt! First, put your favorite beads and glitter into the container.

The more glitter you use, the more sparkly and beautiful it will look.

After adding the beads and glitter, pour in water and liquid laundry starch (or laundry glue).

Once you close the lid, to prevent any leaks, wrap tape around the lid as a precaution—and you’re done! By turning the container upside down or shaking it, the beads and glitter inside will flutter and drift around.

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Shishimai (lion dance) made from an empty tissue box

Making a Lion Dance (Shishimai) for 4- and 5-year-olds: Create a 3D version using a tissue box! Great for daycare events too

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.

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Kadomatsu made from toilet paper rolls

Let's make and display it for New Year's! Kadomatsu decoration

Kadomatsu made from toilet paper rolls

Cardboard toilet paper tubes are perfect for making a New Year’s kadomatsu craft! Cover the tubes with green origami paper and cut the tops at an angle to make three pieces.

Apply double-sided tape to the sides and stick the three together, then wrap them around the outside with construction paper layered with traditional-pattern origami.

Next, make the pine part by wrapping a rectangular piece of construction paper—snipped finely along one edge—around a bamboo skewer.

Attach these pine parts to both sides of the tube-made bamboo, and you’ll have a kadomatsu, a classic New Year’s decoration, all finished.

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