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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 ideas (111–120) you can make and play with alongside 5-year-olds

Daruma Eyebrow Bead Rolling

[Easy!] Daruma Doll Mayudama Rolling [New Year’s Craft]
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!

yuri
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Zodiac ornament made from paper cups

[Year of the Dragon Craft] How to Make a Dragon with a Paper Cup [Easy]
Zodiac ornament made from paper cups

Paper cups, a familiar material, are also excellent for crafts! Let’s use them to make a zodiac decoration.

It’s perfect for New Year’s, so why not include it in your January craft plans? As an example of a zodiac animal, we’ll make a dragon for the Year of the Dragon.

First, glue construction paper around the outside of a paper cup and punch two holes in the bottom.

Next, insert pieces of straw—cut to resemble dragon horns—into the holes, then decorate with the dragon’s face, ears, hands, and more to finish! With a bit of creativity in the decorations, you can adapt this to other zodiac animals, too.

Make them together with the kids and have fun!

miyabi
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A pop-up shishimai (lion dance) toy

New Year’s games and Setsubun fun! A pop-up Shishimai (lion dance) toy [craft] [handmade toy]
A pop-up shishimai (lion dance) toy

In January, many schools and centers hold lion dance performances, don’t they? The lion dance is a lucky charm, but it can feel a bit scary too.

So let’s make a fun popping lion dance using a paper cup.

Make a hole in the bottom of the paper cup and attach a green plastic bag to the rim side.

Be sure to make a hole in the green plastic bag as well, since you’ll thread a pair of chopsticks through it.

Thread the chopsticks through the holes in both the paper cup and the plastic bag, attach the lion’s face, and try moving it.

The lion’s face will pop out! Through this craft activity, you can also introduce children to the traditional lion dance.

Nakajima Junko
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In conclusion

In January childcare, five-year-olds can enjoy making crafts related to the New Year.

Using familiar materials like paper cups and empty boxes, there are plenty of activities that let children feel the atmosphere of traditional events while nurturing their imagination and fine motor skills.

Play with and display the finished creations, and enjoy the start of the new year together.