From New Year’s games to winter crafts! A roundup of January recreation activities to enjoy in childcare

Make it with paper plates! Cute snowman

[Childcare Craft] Winter craft! Easy paper plate snowman

This is a snowman craft idea that also lets kids enjoy sticking stickers.

Stack and glue two paper plates vertically to make the base, then finish the snowman using round stickers and parts cut from construction paper.

If infants are doing this activity, it may help to put double-sided tape on the back of the parts to turn them into stickers.

Also, pre-cut the pipe cleaners to use as arms and assist with attaching them using tape.

Changing the colors of the construction paper and stickers will change the snowman’s look, so let the children choose the ones they like.

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A spinning top you can make with paper plates!

[Preschool Craft] Perfect for New Year’s crafts! Spinning tops made from paper plates | Colorful frames made from paper plates

Simple yet spins great! Here’s a spinning top idea made from a paper plate.

Prepare one paper plate, two plastic bottle caps, tape, and crayons.

First, color the surface of the paper plate with crayons.

You can draw pictures or patterns—design it however you like.

Once it’s colored, use tape to attach a bottle cap to the center.

Attach another cap to the center on the back side the same way, and your top is complete.

Pinch the caps and give it a strong spin.

It spins especially well on hard surfaces like hardwood floors.

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Draw with colored pencils! Cute horse

[Colored Pencil Drawing] How to Draw a Horse | Year of the Horse | New Year Illustration | New Year’s Card Illustration

It’s a fun idea to draw and color while capturing a horse’s characteristics.

For the infant class, let caregivers or teachers make a rough sketch, and then try coloring it with paints, colored pencils, or crayons.

Choosing colors freely and tracing lines can be very stimulating.

For the preschool class, try drawing while looking at picture books or encyclopedias, or draw the horse you imagine and aim to finish it by coloring with colored pencils! In the video, they intentionally draw on textured paper to create a certain atmosphere—that’s a nice touch too.

Great for New Year’s fun too! Daruma rolling

When it comes to classic New Year’s motifs, “daruma” surely comes to mind.

They’re also very popular as New Year’s decorations, and there’s even a custom of painting in the left eye while making a wish.

In this activity, children make daruma using colored plastic sheeting and then climb on them, jump, and roll around to play.

Is the plastic bag stuffed with newspaper? The plastic is reinforced with tape so it won’t tear, and cute faces are attached as well.

There aren’t any fixed rules for how to play, so let the children interact freely with the daruma.

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Recommended for infants and toddlers! Interactive play with traditional nursery rhymes

This is a traditional children’s song called “Tenya no Omochi.” It’s a song themed around mochi, and it can be enjoyed in different ways depending on the child’s age.

When playing with infants, sit the child on your lap and move your hands together to the rhythm.

For preschoolers, have them pair up with a friend and pass a beanbag back and forth, pretending it’s mochi.

The minor-key melody and rhythm are easy to remember, so you can play it over and over.

There are other New Year’s children’s songs as well, so be sure to enjoy hands-on play with a variety of songs.

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kite flying

New Year’s fun! Great for indoors too ♪ Instant kite-flying

Kite flying is said to have originated in China and is believed to have been introduced to Japan by the Heian period.

In recent years, the custom of flying kites at New Year has declined, but why not try making your own kites with your family, nursery, or kindergarten and have some fun? These are kites you can fly indoors as well as outside.

The charm is that they’re easy to make with familiar items like A4 paper, plastic bags, and straws! You can also customize them by adding tails or drawing pictures.

Once they lift gently into the air, the kids are sure to get excited!

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Daruma-otoshi

No.091 “Cap de Daruma-Otoshi” [Handmade Toy by a Nursery Teacher]

Daruma-otoshi is known as a traditional New Year’s game.

It’s often sold as a wooden toy, but since hard mallets can be dangerous when pieces fly off, a handmade version using plastic bottle caps is recommended for play in preschools and kindergartens! Make a hole in the center of each cap with an awl, thread them together into a circle, and attach thick paper to the top and bottom—the daruma is complete! You can change the size by adjusting the number of caps.

You can also make the mallet with chopsticks and a cap, so give it a try and have fun playing!

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