Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Ideas for January wall decorations

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.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

In this article, we introduce January wall decoration ideas that are useful both in childcare settings and at home! For children, January is full of fun—New Year’s Day otoshidama gifts, traditional New Year’s games, playing in the snow, and more.

Let’s create an original wall display that incorporates all the fun events of January! We’ve gathered New Year–themed ideas like ema wishing plaques, hanetsuki paddles, and shishimai lion dances, as well as wall art projects you can make together with children.

Create a bright, festive display that’s perfect for welcoming the New Year!

[Childcare] January Wall Decoration Ideas (51–60)

Let’s make a hat with wax-resist painting!

Crayon-resist Art: Perfect winter crafts for 4- to 5-year-olds! A preschool teacher explains how to make hats and mittens.

Let's make a hat with wax-resist painting!

Let’s enjoy wax-resist painting with winter-themed motifs! First, draw a hat and a pair of mittens on white paper.

Have the children trace the outlines with a white crayon, then let them add any patterns they like.

Since they’ll be drawing white on white, it’s hard to see—but hang in there! Once the patterns are done, paint over everything with watercolor diluted with water.

This will make the patterns drawn with the white crayon appear as if they’re popping out.

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A plump, cute long-tailed tit (Shima-enaga)

Origami: How to fold a plump long-tailed tit

A plump, cute long-tailed tit (Shima-enaga)

Let’s make a cute long-tailed tit (shima-enaga) from Hokkaido with origami.

You’ll need 7.5 cm square origami paper, round stickers, a black pen, two strips cut lengthwise from a 15 cm square sheet of brown origami paper (each 1/4 the width), scissors, glue, and so on.

The step for folding the long-tailed tit’s wings is a bit complex, so children will likely feel more comfortable working carefully together with a teacher or guardian.

The finished long-tailed tit can stand on its own, so it looks adorable as is, but if you make a branch out of the brown origami and combine them, you can bring out even more charm.

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Fun New Year’s crafts for childcare: how to make them

[Production] How to Make New Year’s Crafts [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

Fun New Year’s crafts for childcare: how to make them

These are perfect crafts for an auspicious New Year.

The wobbly daruma made with a paper plate uses familiar recycled materials, so even very young children can enjoy making it.

For the eyes, round stickers could work well.

For the kadomatsu made with a milk carton and toilet paper rolls, adjust the lengths of the “bamboo” pieces and use accordion-folded origami to finish the overall look in a balanced way.

It’s also good finger dexterity practice.

For the shimenawa, carefully teach the children the order of bundling and braiding so it has a nice, full volume.

Enjoy making these while experiencing Japanese culture.

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Winter craft! Rolling snowman

[Preschool Craft] Winter Craft ♪ Cute Rolling Snowman | Snowman with Toilet Paper

Winter craft! Rolling snowman

Snowmen made from toilet paper rolls are round and adorable.

Cut a toilet paper roll in half, then glue colored origami paper on top.

Glue the two prepared roll pieces together to form a snowman shape.

Attach a triangle hat made from construction paper, draw the face with colored pens, and your snowman is complete.

Since cutting the round toilet paper rolls can be difficult for children, it’s a good idea to prepare pre-cut pieces in advance.

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On the walls too! Cute winter crafts

Cute winter crafts (also great for wall decorations!)

On the walls too! Cute winter crafts

When you open it, a cute wall display featuring fir trees and snowmen appears.

Gather washi paper, water-based markers, scissors, water, a brush, and a pencil to get started.

Fold the washi paper in half twice and draw your guide lines.

It’s easier to cut if you follow the guide lines as you cut toward the tip.

Color the fir tree and snowman areas with water-based markers, then blur them with water on your brush and let them dry thoroughly.

Finally, gently open the washi paper, paste it onto construction paper, and you’re done.

Try changing the colors or the expressions to create your own original wall decoration.

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