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 for 5-year-olds (21–30)

How to Make a Kite You Can Enjoy Playing With on New Year’s

[Let's make and play] New Year's play (kite flying) #handmade toys #nursery teacher #child-rearing support #Osaka #Aiikuen

How to Make a Kite You Can Enjoy Playing With on New Year’s

Here’s an idea for making spinning tops with acorns—very popular as an autumn craft.

You can buy acorns online, but since they’re often found on the ground in season, it’s great to use ones you’ve collected.

If you do, be sure to wash them and disinfect them with boiling water to prevent bugs before using.

The method is very simple: just make a hole in the acorn and insert a toothpick.

If the acorn is hard and difficult to pierce, have an adult help.

Drawing faces or patterns with a pen makes them extra cute!

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A cute kotatsu you can make with 100-yen shop items!

http://www.lemon8-app.com

The kotatsu makes its appearance when winter comes and temperatures drop.

The only downside is that once you get in, it’s hard to get out—but that gentle, enveloping warmth makes you feel so happy, doesn’t it? A kotatsu also makes a perfect motif for winter craft ideas.

Here, two ideas are introduced: one kotatsu made by placing a circular piece of fabric over a doll-sized table, and another made by cutting and shaping a square box.

There’s also a tutorial for making mandarins using decorative pom-poms and pipe cleaners, so feel free to use it as a reference and give it a try.

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Cute! How to make mandarin oranges

@yuumaama2022
How to Make Mikan (Mandarin Oranges)Translation child Childcare #mikan #Child'sToy
♪ Original song – Yuumaaama – Yuumaaama

One of the classic winter fruits, mikan (mandarins), can also be made using familiar materials.

Crumple up some newspaper and wrap it with two or three sheets of orange tissue paper.

Put the tissue-wrapped newspaper into a small plastic bag, add a leaf, and you’re done.

Even four-year-olds with their small hands should be able to crumple the newspaper and wrap it with tissue to make a mikan.

They’ll probably enjoy squeezing and crumpling the newspaper tightly.

With a slight change of shape and color, you could even turn it into a strawberry.

It also sounds fun to try making various fruits by changing the tissue paper colors and more.

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A fun igloo with stamp play

@hekimen_25
[Building a Kamakura with Stamp Play ☃️] Using a sponge to stamp—pop! pop! A stamping craft that kids can enjoy with total fascination 😆✨ In snowy regions, their imaginations might expand even more, making it even more fun… 🤭#Childcare Crafting #Production Video Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #Nursery school　Production Kamakura　Stamp　#paint　
Tomodachi Collection – Love

Let’s try a fun winter craft with stamping.

First, apply white paint to a square sponge and stamp it all over a sheet of blue construction paper.

After the paint dries, cut the paper into the shape of an igloo.

Cut out the entrance of the igloo, a kotatsu, and the face and hands from construction paper, then glue them onto the igloo to finish.

Draw expressions on the face parts with crayons, and add any pattern you like to the kotatsu.

You can also use stamps or stickers to add patterns.

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Cute decoupage gloves

@hoikushisatomi
Creation Using Techniques: Decalcomania GlovesSatomi-sensei Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kids will love it Production #OuchiMonte Life with children
Original Song – [Childcare Creator] Satomi-sensei – [Childcare Creator] Satomi-sensei

Are you familiar with decalcomania? It’s a technique where you press together paint applied to paper and transfer the accidental patterns that form.

Let’s use this to make decorations for gloves.

First, fold a sheet of colored construction paper in half and apply paint however you like on one side.

Once you’ve applied the paint, press the other half down to transfer the pattern.

Then cut the paper you’ve made into the shape of a glove.

Decorating the glove opening with cotton or similar materials adds a cute, three-dimensional look.

You can also glue it onto a backing sheet and add yarn or other embellishments.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Just roll it up and stick it on! Easy-peasy kagami mochi

@hoiku.labo
For New Year’s crafts: Just roll and stick it on!? Easy kagami mochi 🎍✨Childcare Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher Childcare job openings Childcare Column #NurseryTeacherThings #IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers #Nursery School Craft #DaycarePreparation Nursery School Practicum Childcare student Aspiring childcare worker Childcare Job Lab Nursery teacher skills Job change activities #JobChange #nursery_teacher_job_change Nursery teacher employment Production #Craft work tissue paper flowers New Year Kagami mochi New Year’s craft Easy to make Year of the Dragon
♪ Original Song – Craft Ideas for Childcare ♪ Hoiku Kyujin Labo – Hoiku Kyujin Labo | Nursery Teacher Job Changes and Helpful Information

Let’s try making New Year’s kagami mochi out of tissue paper.

It’s just rolling and gluing, so it’s great for small children, too.

First, glue a paper sanpō (offering stand) that you cut from construction paper onto a backing sheet.

Next, tear the tissue paper into vertical strips.

Spread glue on top of the sanpō, then crumple the tissue paper into little balls and stick them on.

Finally, glue on a round “daidai” orange cut from construction paper to finish.

Drawing a little face on the orange is cute, too.

Display it in your entryway or living room to create a lovely New Year’s atmosphere.

Give it a try!

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Handmade milk carton battledore

@silk_haru3mama
I tried making a battledore out of a milk carton.New Year work New Year's craft New Year’s craft #AtHomePlay Handmade Battledore
Animal Baby – Akari Ueno

When it comes to New Year’s games, hanetsuki comes to mind.

Let’s try making this hagoita using a milk carton.

Open the carton and remove the bottom section.

After removing it, turn it inside out and fold it in half.

If you fold the spout area, it will resemble the shape of a hagoita.

Put a wooden chopstick inside some newspaper, fold the newspaper, and it will become the handle of the hagoita.

Set that into the milk carton and secure it with tape.

Once secured, tape the top and bottom as well as the seam of the carton.

You can also glue some cute patterned origami paper on the outside.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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