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] Ideas for January Wall Decorations (81–90)

New Year decorations made with origami

[Kindergarten/Preschool] Perfect for New Year’s decorations! 5 Origami Ideas and Crafts

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.

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Winter decorations made with origami

Wall decorations for the New Year, handmade with origami! How about making winter ornaments featuring Mount Fuji with the sunrise and plum blossoms for January and February? [Tsukuru Mon]

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.

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Origami Snow Rabbit

“Childcare Ideas: Winter Origami” Fold in 4 + 5 Steps! Snow Rabbit Origami (Kids Can Make It Themselves!) · Origami Snow Rabbit Easy

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.

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maneki-neko (beckoning cat)

[New Year Craft] Nursery School Craft Activity: “Maneki-neko” Demonstrated by a Childcare Worker!

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!

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Ema wall decoration

Simple Winter/January Wall Display Craft: What Are the Twelve Zodiac Animals? Cute Ema Plaques Featuring This Year’s Zodiac [Nursery/Kindergarten]

Ema wall decoration

When the new year begins, many families visit a shrine or temple for their first prayer.

For that occasion, let’s make a January wall decoration inspired by ema—the wooden votive plaques you see at shrines and temples! For the ema design, we recommend patterns that children will find engaging, such as the zodiac animal of the year or New Year’s motifs.

Creating it together with children is a great way to help them learn about the zodiac and New Year traditions—two birds with one stone.

It might be best for teachers or adults to prepare the design pieces so children only need to stick them on.

It would also be lovely to leave a space on the back of the ema where children can draw freely!

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