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.
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Fun January Crafts! A Collection of Make-and-Play Ideas with 5-Year-Olds (91–100)
Snowflakes
@atsumichan774 [Winter Craft] Let’s make paper snowflakes with kirigami! [Daycare/Kindergarten] Today we played with making snowflake cutouts using origami. They look great as decorations or when pasted onto a backing sheet! Atsumi-sensei’s childcare diary @atsumichan774 Sound effects: MaouDamashii Daycare Kindergarten Arts and Crafts Craft Activity Winter Crafts Winter Projects
‘Sorry for Being Cute (feat. Kopi)’ – HoneyWorks
Let’s make paper-cut snowflakes! Here’s a recommended winter craft to make with kids.
Flip the origami paper over and fold it in half into a triangle twice.
Open it once, then fold the top front corner down to meet the bottom edge three times to create crease lines.
Of the three creases, fold along the second one so that the left and right corners overlap.
Using the bottom axis as a guide, sketch the snowflake with a pen.
Be careful not to cut through the axis; once you finish cutting, you’re done.
Start with simple snowflake shapes, and try more intricate designs as you get used to it.
They’re great for wall decorations too, so give it a try!
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.
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.
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.
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!
