[January Crafts] Fun DIY Ideas for Kids: Perfect for Use in Childcare
January, when we welcome the New Year, is a perfect time for children to experience traditional Japanese culture.
New Year–themed crafts—like origami hair ornaments, kagami mochi made with shaving foam, and hagoita paddles made from milk cartons—spark kids’ creativity.
Many ideas can be played with after making them, and through the process, children can also learn the meanings of auspicious items.
Why not use familiar materials to create festive, New Year-style pieces? Here, we introduce January craft ideas that nursery and kindergarteners, elementary school students, and even adults can enjoy.
Bring in these fun January projects to celebrate the start of the New Year!
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[January Crafts] Fun DIY Ideas for Kids That You Can Use in Childcare (81–90)
Let’s make a Fukuwarai and play!
How about enjoying a classic New Year’s game, fukuwarai? Have the children draw and make the base sheet and facial parts however they like using construction paper and crayons.
By creating them themselves, the kids can grasp what the finished face should look like, and after playing fukuwarai they won’t be able to stop laughing! It might be even funnier if you make it as a self-portrait.
It’s perfectly fine if the fukuwarai face doesn’t turn out “well,” so why not encourage the kids by saying, “Make a funny face on purpose!”
Make it with paper plates! Cute 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.
A spinning top you can make with 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.
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!
How to make a skeleton Mount Fuji
@haruharo_made TikTok document New Year’s craft / [Skeleton Mount Fuji] [Materials] • Ribbon • Japanese-pattern paper plate (Seria) • Scissors • Transparent film • Glue • Color filmCrafts for 4-year-olds Crafts for 5-year-olds#3-year-old crafts#2-year-old's craftCrafts for 1-year-oldsCrafts for 0-year-oldsProduction#Nursery schoolWall decoration#StayHomeTime#AtHomePlayProduction ideas#Nursery School CraftWinter Craft#KindergartenKindergarten craftNursery teacher / Childcare workerKindergarten Teacherwall surface #ChristmasTreeProduction for children under age (infants and toddlers) Simple craftMade in December # January productionMade in February New Year’s craft #Daruma making Tatsu Production#Mask making Mask#paint Sticker application Round stickerSticker-pasting craft Hanging ornamentdrawing paper #ConstructionPaperArt Paint making paper plate Paper plate craft Paper Plate Craft Threading (a cord/strap through a hole)
♬ Stylish cafe-style BGM – Hiro Hattori
How about incorporating Mt.
Fuji—known as a lucky charm—into a January craft idea? This is a translucent “skeleton” Mt.
Fuji that looks sparkly and beautiful when displayed by a window.
First, cut a Mt.
Fuji shape out of the center of a paper plate.
Then, from the back, attach the snowcap made from construction paper, and glue on a clear film covered with blue-toned color film.
Finally, add a ribbon at the top of Mt.
Fuji to finish! It’s recommended to prepare several colors of color film, cut them into small pieces, and layer a few to create the effect.