[January Crafts] Fun DIY Ideas for Kids: Perfect for Use in Childcare

Anpanman

Here’s a handmade spinning top idea perfect for kids who love Anpanman.

The charm is that you can make it with materials you already have at home, like paper plates and plastic bottle caps! It’s designed so even little children can spin it easily, so why not try making it together? First, prepare an Anpanman face that’s smaller than the paper plate.

Next, wrap a plastic bottle cap with vinyl tape to make the nose, and fix it at the center of Anpanman’s face.

Then attach another cap to the center of the back of the paper plate.

To finish, stick square-cut pieces of sparkly origami paper around the edge of the plate, and you’re done! Try making not just Anpanman, but other characters like Baikinman, too.

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miyabi

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Handprint Kadomatsu Ema

How about making ema plaques decorated with handprints that even 0-year-olds can take part in? Imagine the children’s handprints as kadomatsu and turn them into fun, pop-style ema! First, trace the children’s hands onto paper and cut around the outlines.

Next, create the kadomatsu section by attaching a base and adding decorations.

Finally, glue the kadomatsu onto a piece of construction paper cut into an ema shape, and finish by adding square-cut pieces of origami or chiyogami to the empty spaces.

The meaning of kadomatsu might be a bit difficult, but seeing the festive New Year decorations is sure to lift everyone’s spirits.

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miyabi

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Fukuwarai (a traditional Japanese “lucky laugh” face-making game)

Here’s an idea for making an Anpanman fukuwarai out of felt.

Fukuwarai is typically a New Year’s game, but by changing the motif it’s perfect for everyday play too! Cut out the base face and parts for your favorite characters—like Anpanman, Baikinman, or Dokin-chan—from felt.

Once it’s ready, put on a blindfold, feel each piece with your hands to guess what it is, and place it on the face! You can find felt in a variety of colors at 100-yen shops, so be sure to check them out.

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sasashina

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New Year’s first calligraphy drawn freely

Perfect for the New Year! Here are some ideas for making kakizome (first calligraphy of the year).

Even though it’s called calligraphy, this is a free-form version that even children who can’t write characters yet can try.

Encourage kids to try drawing pictures, writing letters, or simple words depending on their age.

After they do their kakizome on drawing paper, paste it onto a slightly larger sheet to serve as a backing.

Then attach rolled paper to the top and bottom to give it a hanging scroll look.

Finally, add pre-made parts like a rabbit daruma, gold fan pieces, or washi-pattern origami, and it’s complete! It’s also a good idea to prepare the parts in advance so the kids can stick them on like stickers.

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sasashina

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Daruma

[Origami New Year] “Bad-Luck-Clearing Daruma” New Year’s decoration, handmade wall decoration, origami, preschool craft, senior care recreation — How to make a Japanese Daruma

Here’s a fun idea for making daruma decorations for New Year’s.

First, flatten a toilet paper roll and make three cuts from one edge with scissors.

On the cut sections, attach thin strips of yellow, orange, and purple origami or colored paper.

Cover the remaining sections with red paper.

Wrap the papers all the way around.

Then reshape the toilet paper roll back into a cylinder.

You can leave the red area as is.

Next, make a daruma face from another piece of paper and stick it onto the red part, then add the daruma’s pattern below the face—and you’re done! Try making and displaying them in different colors!

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sasashina

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Thread-spinning top

Simple Craft 053: String-Pulled Top — Can It Spin Even Stronger?

Let’s try making a cool, fast-spinning pull-string top! It’s a perfect craft idea for kids, too.

This top can be spun just by pulling a string, even if you don’t have much strength.

First, create the top’s shape with Perler beads (fuse beads), then insert a chopstick with a sharpened tip into the center of the top.

It will spin well as is, but by adding a mechanism with a straw to pull the string, you can make it spin even more powerfully! Winding and pulling the string might feel a little tricky at first, but give it a try and spin your top in style!

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miyabi

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Shishimai (lion dance) made with paper cups

Chomping Fun! How to Make a Paper-Cup Shishimai (Lion Dance) | DIY New Year’s Toy [Craft]

Let’s make a lion dance (shishimai) toy out of a paper cup that you can play with by opening and closing its mouth! Cut two slits in the side of a paper cup and open them up.

Attach green construction paper with a karakusa (arabesque) pattern to the lower part, and red construction paper to the upper part.

The red section will be the shishimai’s face, so it’s best to cut it into a face shape before attaching it.

Then, add parts that capture the shishimai’s features—big eyes, thick eyebrows, neatly lined teeth, and shaggy hair—to finish it off.

Adjust the placement of the teeth so that the moving, chomping part looks like a mouth!

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yuri

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