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

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 as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is 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.

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 Collection of Fun Handmade Ideas You Can Use in Childcare (41–50)

Let’s make winter animals!

@hoiku.labo
Craft ideas for ages 3–5 💡 @hoiku.labo Create a wintery, snowy wall display with construction paper ❄️ ⭐↓ Detailed steps and tips in the comments ↓⭐ ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ ✨Hoiku Kyujin Labo✨ has many childcare job listings 🎉 Our specialist advisors will suggest nursery and kindergarten jobs that fit you! We’ll carefully listen to your concerns and preferences and support you 💁‍♀️ Feel free to contact us first 🎵 @hoiku.labo Sign up via the link in our profile!Childcare Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher Certified Childcare and Education Teacher #Nursery school #Kindergarten Kodomoen (combined childcare and kindergarten)Childcare job openings Childcare Column #NurseryTeacherThings #IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers #Nursery School Craft #DaycarePreparation Nursery School Practicum Childcare student Aspiring childcare worker Childcare Job Lab Childcare Skills Job change activities #JobChange #nursery_teacher_job_change Nursery teacher employment Production #Craft drawing paper #ConstructionPaperArt Wall decoration wall surface Wall decoration Snow Winter Winter Craft Snow Rabbit Poster Board Craft
♬ Snow, glitter, winter, Christmas(1195969) – Tunagamo

Let’s make a winter animal—a snow rabbit—using colored construction paper.

First, use white paper to make a plump, egg-like shape.

Cut out nandina (heavenly bamboo) leaves and berries from colored paper as well.

Create a window with falling snow from colored paper, then paste the rabbit there.

If the snow pieces for the window are too small and tricky, a parent or guardian can cut them, or you could draw them with a white crayon instead.

Putting this on a wall or mounting it on a backing sheet will enhance the winter mood and look lovely.

You could also change the wall decorations with each season.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Shimenawa you can make with chiyogami paper

@haruharo_made
New Year’s Craft / [Shimenawa with Chiyogami] [Materials] • Paper plate • Construction paper • Scissors • Chiyogami (traditional patterned paper) • Glue • Cellophane tape • Double-sided tapeCrafts for 4-year-olds　Crafts for 5-year-olds #3-year-old crafts #2-year-old's craft Crafts for 1-year-olds Crafts for 0-year-olds Production #Nursery school Wall decoration #StayHomeTime #AtHomePlay Production ideas #Nursery School Craft Winter Craft #Kindergarten Kindergarten craft Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher wall surface　#ChristmasTree Production for children under age (infants and toddlers)　Simple craft Made in December　# January production Made in February　 New Year’s craft　#Daruma making　Tatsu Production #Mask making　Mask #paint　Sticker application　Round sticker Sticker-pasting craft　　　　　Hanging ornament drawing paper　#ConstructionPaperArt　Poster Board Craft Paint making　　paper plate　Paper plate craft　Paper Plate Craft　Chiyogami　Chiyogami Production #ShimenawaMaking　#Shimenawa　
♬ One More Last Time – sped up – Henry Young & Ashley Alisha

We’ll make a shimenawa-style decoration using washi paper.

The base will be a paper plate with the center cut out.

The cut-out center of the plate will be used as the knot of the shimenawa.

First, glue crumpled brown-toned washi paper onto the paper plate that will serve as the base.

Attach washi paper to the knot in the same way.

Once that’s done, create and stick on decorations such as the zodiac animal for that year, as well as pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms using colored construction paper.

And that’s it—you’re finished.

If you make the zodiac ornament removable, you can likely reuse the decoration the following year.

Give it a try!

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Handmade Daruma craft

@hoikuai.niconico ♬ Slow and pretty pop music(120463) – STUDIO COM

This is a fun craft idea where you stick pieces of origami paper.

The materials are construction paper for the base of the daruma’s body and face, and origami paper for the patterns.

If infants or toddlers are doing this, please cut out the parts from the construction paper in advance.

For children old enough to use scissors, let them cut out the parts themselves.

Once the parts are ready, just glue them together and draw the face with crayons.

Gold and silver origami look festive and are recommended.

If you stick it onto a backing, it can also become a wall decoration.

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sasashina

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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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