Lovely childcare

[July] Recommended for 1-year-olds! Fun summer craft ideas

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.
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.

One-year-olds whose desire to “I want to try it!” is growing stronger by the day.

Here, we’re sharing July ideas packed with clever twists that will get children excited to dive in.

Each activity lets kids express themselves freely, so they can enjoy creating.

Use these as a reference and try incorporating them into your childcare.

As we emphasize activities where children can freely enjoy expressing themselves, we consistently use the term “seisaku” written as 制作 rather than 製作 in the text.

[July] Recommended for 1-year-olds! Fun Summer Craft Ideas (21–30)

Torn-paper collage of a watermelon

Indoor play for 0- and 1-year-olds: tearing paper play, at-home activities, summer craft—making watermelons, origami play

Torn-paper collage of a watermelon

How about making a watermelon with torn paper—something even one-year-olds can enjoy? You’ll need white drawing paper, green and red colored paper, black origami paper, a pen, scissors, glue, and so on.

Beforehand, the teacher should prepare and cut out a green paper circle and a red paper semicircle.

The children can then try tearing the black origami paper and gluing the pieces on.

When they need to tear the paper into small pieces, it helps to demonstrate right beside them.

Feeling the paper with their hands and fingertips, the sensation of tearing—and even the sound—will be a fresh and fun experience.

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Fireworks with toilet paper rolls

Let’s make a fireworks picture that even one-year-olds will love using a toilet paper roll.

Cut slits into one end of the roll and flare them out to form petal shapes.

Dip the cut end in paint and stamp it onto paper—cute little fireworks will appear.

You can layer different colors, or use origami paper and stickers to create more dynamic fireworks.

The process itself is exciting, so it’ll be fun to see how the children react.

Prepare plenty of stamps so the kids can enjoy stamping freely.

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Fireworks made from scrap stamping

Let me introduce a super fun stamping firework craft using recycled materials.

Get a toilet paper roll, paint, and aluminum foil ready, and let’s make it! Use scissors to cut thin vertical slits into one end of the toilet paper roll, then flare the strips outward.

Squeeze some paint onto the aluminum foil, and dab the cut end of the roll into the paint.

Stamp it onto construction paper to create beautiful fireworks.

Layering a few colors can make the fireworks even more striking.

Stamping on black construction paper is recommended!

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[Paper Plate] Turtle with a Vivid Shell

Let’s make turtles with colorful shells using the chigiri-e (torn paper) technique.

First, prepare several colors of origami paper for the turtle shells.

Let the children freely tear the origami paper.

Create an environment where they can focus on tearing, and provide a larger container so their pieces don’t get mixed up with their friends’.

Spread glue on a paper plate and start sticking the torn pieces onto it.

It’s okay if there are gaps or if the same colors overlap.

To finish, the teacher should attach the turtle’s face and legs.

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[Transparent Origami] Sparkling Lantern

Lanterns made with transparent origami are perfect for summer events like pretend festivals.

First, prepare two clear plastic cups.

Have the children stuff them with transparent origami paper.

The finished result looks prettier with a variety of colors, so create an environment where they can freely choose the paper.

Align the rims of the two cups and secure them with tape.

Let the children stick star stickers around the outside.

For the finishing touch, the teacher can attach black construction paper bands to the top and bottom—and it’s complete! You can display it as is or hang it from a high place to enjoy.

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Corn with stamps

How about using corn—something kids love—as a summer crafting motif? Both a stamp made with bubble wrap and one made with cardboard are great options.

Prepare the base corn and leaves ahead of time using colored construction paper.

Make one stamp by wrapping a small ball of cotton with bubble wrap and securing it with a rubber band, and another by rolling a strip of cardboard into a coil and taping it.

Use yellow paint as the “ink” for both, and enjoy freely dabbing and stamping away!

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A turtle made with tissue paper

Let’s make a cute turtle using a paper plate and tissue paper.

First, tear the tissue paper by hand.

Be sure to prepare a few different colors.

Next, spread glue on the paper plate and stick the torn pieces of tissue paper onto it.

If you layer lots of pieces so they overlap, you can create beautiful patterns.

Once the glue dries, attach the turtle’s head, legs, and tail.

Finally, add the eyes and it’s complete! The turtle’s look will vary depending on how each child handles the tissue paper.

Be sure to share any fun stories from the crafting process with the parents, too.

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