[Childcare] Ideas for January wall decorations
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!
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[Childcare] Ideas for January wall decorations (71–80)
Fluffy extra-large kagami mochi
This fluffy oversized kagami mochi looks adorable and really gets the kids excited! It’s easy to make by hand using tissue paper, so it’s great for January wall decorations, too.
Stack several sheets of tissue paper, accordion-fold them, and tie the center with a chenille stem or similar.
Fluff the paper out like a flower, and the base is done! Use white paper for the mochi portion and orange for the daidai (bitter orange) on top.
If you also make the washi elements called sanpō and shihōbeni, as well as red-and-white gohei streamers, it will look like an authentic kagami mochi.
Since it’s quick to make, you can whip it up even during the busy year-end season when you need to prepare for the New Year.
Grand Gathering of the Twelve Zodiac Animals
As the New Year approaches, you start seeing zodiac decorations all over town! So why not brighten up your classroom walls with adorable zodiac animals? It doesn’t have to be the zodiac of the current year—mixing them up makes it even more lively, and the kids will love it.
A key tip for making them well is to work on a template sheet with guide marks.
That way, you can place the eyes and ears symmetrically.
Of course, there’s also a technique where you intentionally offset them to create a sense of motion.
Using tweezers when sticking parts on will also improve precision!
A wall decoration of a yosenabe (Japanese hot pot)
When the weather turns cold in winter, you start craving a warm hot pot, don’t you? Here’s a wall decoration inspired by that very hot pot.
First, we’ll make the ingredients to go into the pot.
Combine various colors to create a realistic look, from classic staples to delightful additions you’ll be happy to find.
Next, make the base pot and fill it with the ingredients you just made.
Arranging extra ingredients around the pot helps convey the hot pot’s festive feel and a cozy, happy atmosphere.
[Childcare] Ideas for January Wall Decorations (81–90)
New Year decorations made with origami
Sometimes you want to make something with origami, but it’s hard to decide on a motif.
In that case, why not try making several wall decorations with a New Year’s theme? Among them, kagami mochi, snowmen, and kites are easy to fold.
If you want a slightly higher difficulty level, I also recommend ceremonial arrows (hamaya) and spinning tops (koma).
This way, when you display them together later, they’ll have a cohesive look and create a festive impression.
You can also have multiple people fold different items and then paste them onto a single sheet of construction paper afterward.
Winter decorations made with origami
Here’s a way to make a mural-style winter decoration using lots of thinly cut strips of origami paper.
Try choosing motifs perfect for January, like Mount Fuji and the sunrise! When creating it on a wall, drawing guide lines with string makes the process easier.
If many people work together to cut the origami into narrow strips, the job will be finished in no time.
It’s a craft that works well for preschool and kindergarten recreation, so give it a try! The Van Gogh–style strokes make it visually striking, too.
Origami Snow Rabbit
Isn’t the snow rabbit a classic motif for New Year’s decorations? If you make a snow rabbit out of origami, it won’t melt, and you can choose any colors you like—that’s another nice point.
The main body is easy to fold by repeatedly folding a triangle, and once you add leaf-like ear pieces and draw the facial expression, it’s complete.
After making the standard color scheme of a white base with green ears and red facial features, it could be fun to try different colors to see how the mood changes.
maneki-neko (beckoning cat)
If you use a beckoning cat (maneki-neko) as the motif, you can make a lucky wall decoration perfect for New Year’s.
This craft is also great because you can adapt the steps to suit different ages.
For example, if the child is old enough to draw, have them draw the maneki-neko’s face.
If that’s difficult, prepare facial parts and let them place and glue them on like a “fukuwarai” game.
You can also tailor other elements to age, such as adding a pattern to the bib or making gold coins (koban) with origami.
Enjoy making it together with the kids!