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[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!

[January Crafts] For Kids! A Fun Collection of Handmade Ideas Useful in Childcare (21–30)

Warm gloves made with decals (decalcomania)

@hoiku.labo

[December Craft Recommendation♪] Let's make original gloves with decalcomania 🧤🎨#Childcare CraftingNursery teacher / Childcare worker#Drawers of Childcare#NurseryTeacherInTraining#NurseryTeacherThingsWith children#paintPaint makingDecalcomania

♪ Original Song – Craft Ideas for Childcare ♪ Hoiku Kyujin Labo – Hoiku Kyujin Labo | Nursery Teacher Job Changes and Helpful Information

A must-have item for the cold winter! Since kids can choose their own colors and design the piece themselves, it will stimulate their creativity.

This time, we’ll finish the project using a technique called decalcomania, in which paint is placed between sheets of drawing paper to create matching patterns.

When each child places their favorite colors wherever they like, it looks like we’ll end up with works that truly showcase their individuality.

Mittens are recommended for the glove shape, as the larger surface area allows the paint to spread more.

Be sure to give it a try on this occasion.

Daruma-otoshi with a bottle cap

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

Here’s a handmade daruma-otoshi idea that cleverly uses plastic bottle caps.

If you have lots of caps at home, give it a try and have fun playing with it.

For the basic method, make a hole in the center of a plastic bottle cap, thread a string through, shape it into a circle, and tie it to create the daruma.

Make four in different sizes, and on the front and back of each circular cap piece, glue thick paper covered with construction paper in the same color as the cap.

You can also make the mallet using a pair of disposable chopsticks and a bottle cap, but since a utility knife is required, an adult should handle that part.

Crayon Shimenawa

@sakurakusako_a

I made a shimenawa with crayons for New Year! It's pretty fast, so you might want to save it.#oilpastel#OilPastelcrayonNew Year#NewYearDecorations

♬ NEW KAWAII – So, shall we update? ver. – FRUITS ZIPPER

Let’s make a New Year’s decoration using a drawn shimenawa rope and ornaments! All the parts are flat, but by incorporating shading into the drawings, they’ll look three-dimensional.

First, draw the base shimenawa on white drawing paper.

Start by drawing a large circle, then place teardrop shapes along that line.

Next, fill the inside of each teardrop with a light green.

Once filled, add shading with dark green and white, then rub with a cotton swab to blend the crayon.

You’ll create the decorative parts in the same way, so draw your favorite motifs, such as plum blossoms or a Japanese-style ribbon.

Attach the parts to the shimenawa, punch a hole, thread a string through, and it’s complete!

Twisted paper streamer made of decorative tissue paper

@hoiku.labo

Perfect for New Year’s: a twisted shimenawa made with flower paper 🎶 ⭐️Detailed steps and tips are in the comments⭐️ChildcareNursery teacher / Childcare workerKindergarten TeacherCertified Childcare and Education Teacher#Nursery school#Kindergarten#Kodomoen#NurseryTeacherThings#IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkersLife with childrenJanuary#Shimenawa#ShimenawaDecorationNew YearNew Yeartissue paperNew Year’s craft

♬ Are You Ready – Deejay Meddy

A perfect New Year’s craft activity where you can make an authentic shimenawa just by twisting tissue paper.

The steps are simple: roll two colors of tissue paper into thin strands, twist them together, make two of the same, and form a ring.

The twisting process is great fine-motor practice as kids learn to control their strength, and they’ll also enjoy choosing the colors.

Showing a real shimenawa or a photo beforehand helps them visualize the result and complete the project smoothly.

Add New Year-themed decorations like pine or snakes at the end to instantly create a festive, eye-catching shimenawa.

It’s easy yet full of seasonal charm—highly recommended for parents and children to enjoy together over the New Year.

Perfect for New Year! Cute origami osechi

[Origami] Osechi: How to make simple and cute New Year’s origami crafts — Winter origami, January origami, an easy folding method that even kids can do [Origami]
Perfect for New Year! Cute origami osechi

Let’s make osechi ryori—New Year’s dishes that taste great when everyone eats together—using origami.

Using black origami paper, make four folded box parts for the outer box and glue them together in a box shape.

Attach them while checking the balance.

Next, make four inner boxes.

Once you set the inner boxes into the outer box, the base is complete.

For the contents, fold shrimp, nori (seaweed), kamaboko (fish cake), kelp rolls, and kampyo (dried gourd strips), making firm creases as you go.

Before you start, reading a picture book about the New Year to learn about its origins and meanings will help you enjoy making them even more.

New Year’s fun with traditional games! A milk carton bamboo-copter (taketombo)

[Handmade Toys] Let’s enjoy New Year’s with traditional games 🎍 Let’s make an easy bamboo-copter (taketombo) using a milk carton ^_^
New Year’s fun with traditional games! A milk carton bamboo-copter (taketombo)

A bamboo-copter is tricky to fly at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s lots of fun.

Here’s an idea for making one using a milk carton and a straw.

First, cut out one side of the milk carton, then cut it into a strip that’s about one-third the width.

Next, fold the strip in half, and about 5 mm from the valley fold, make mountain folds on both sides.

This completes the wing.

Then, cut a slit into one end of the straw and attach it to the wing as a handle.

If you color the white side of the milk carton with markers, it will look pretty when you fly it.

Make it with origami! A New Year’s mini wreath

[Origami] New Year Mini Wreath – Festive Japanese New Year Decoration
Make it with origami! A New Year’s mini wreath

Let’s make a New Year’s wreath that’s perfect for decorating at the start of the year.

Prepare 16 sheets of origami paper: four different patterns or colors, four sheets of each.

Fold each sheet into a square twice, then unfold to create crease lines and shape the parts.

When folding a triangle in half, make sure both sides are even.

Hold the piece so that the overlapping section is on top, and assemble by inserting both the front and back of one piece into the pocket of another.

Repeat to make 16 parts in total.

It may be easier to connect them in sets of four first, and then form the entire wreath at the end.

Attach a string and hang it indoors to enjoy the New Year’s decoration.