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)
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.
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.
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.
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!
Kagami mochi made with whipped paint
When you think of big events in January, New Year’s comes to mind.
How about drawing a three-dimensional kagami mochi decoration for the New Year? If you use a technique called whip paint, you can create fluffy, three-dimensional pictures.
Mix liquid glue and shaving foam well.
The key is to mix until stiff peaks form, just like when you whip cream.
Gently apply the whip paint onto your kagami mochi sketch.
If you press too hard, the whip will get squashed, so the trick is to place it down as you paint.
You can also add color to the whip with paint.
Besides kagami mochi, try making pictures in various colors with the kids!