Recommended in July! Summer craft play ideas

yo-yo

[Preschool Craft] Perfect for summer festival crafts! Easy origami yo-yo tutorial♪

Here’s an idea for making a classic summer festival game toy—a yo-yo balloon—using just one sheet of origami paper.

Fold the paper in half twice to make a smaller square, then unfold it.

Using the crease lines as guides, fold all four corners toward the center.

Next, pick one corner and fold it outward, then fold just the tip of that corner back inward once more.

Fold all four corners slightly inward to round the shape—now it’s starting to look like a yo-yo balloon.

Make small snips with scissors on the left and right sides of the folded-back section, then fold the part above the cuts inward to represent the tied mouth of the balloon.

That’s the end of the folding steps.

Finish by drawing your favorite patterns or adding stickers.

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sasashina

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Tomatoes you can decorate with for Tanabata

[Let's Make Tanabata Decorations] Tomato — For Preschoolers (Middle to Older Age Group)

Let’s make a cute tomato with origami.

Prepare red and green origami paper.

First, cut the green paper into four strips, and glue one strip—green side facing out—onto the top of the white side of the red paper.

Once it’s dry, start folding.

Fold the paper in half top to bottom and side to side to make a square, crease well, then open it.

Place it with the red side facing up.

Fold the top edge down by the width of the attached green strip.

Turn the paper over, then fold the top left and right corners down to meet the center line.

Open the small gaps of the folded corners and squash them into triangles, then make a mountain fold along the border between the green and white sections.

Finally, tuck the remaining white corners inward to round out the shape of the tomato—and you’re done!

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Cute watermelon lantern

Fun craft time! Here’s a cute watermelon lantern idea.

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to make lanterns together with children.

You’ll need construction paper, origami paper, a toilet paper roll, paint, cotton swabs, and more.

Dab black paint with a cotton swab onto red origami paper like a stamp.

You can also use round stickers for this step, so choose based on the child’s age and development.

The rounded shape is adorably charming, isn’t it?

watermelon lantern

We’d love to use this for Tanabata decorations too! Here are some watermelon lantern ideas.

If you’re looking to add a touch of humor to your Tanabata décor, these watermelon lantern ideas are perfect for you! What you’ll need: red origami paper, green origami paper, a black pen, washi tape, regular tape, and string.

The outside uses green origami to depict the watermelon’s wavy rind pattern, while the inside represents the beautiful flesh and seeds.

By changing up the colors, you can even create a yellow-watermelon motif.

milk carton lantern

[Lantern Craft] Easy milk carton craft for preschool activities (Target age: 5-year-olds) #shorts

Simple and mass-producible! Here are ideas for milk-carton lanterns.

When using lanterns for summer festivals or wall displays, there are times you’ll need to make many.

These ideas are simple and easy to understand—perfect for such situations.

You’ll need milk cartons, permanent markers, scissors, a stapler, a hole punch, and string, among other items.

The steps are straightforward, but since some parts involve measuring with a ruler, it’s best to work in a calm environment.

Finishing them in bright colors will help lift the mood, too.

Playing campsite

[2-Year-Olds] Everything is handmade by the kids! Let's play campgrounds!

Here’s a handmade “pretend camping” activity you can enjoy outdoors, too.

Let’s make a tent—an essential for camping—by drawing pictures on a plastic bag with colored pens.

For fishing, blow up balloons and turn them into fish.

Talk about what colors you want your fish to be as you make them! For the barbecue, make the corn by wrapping bubble wrap to create the texture.

Prepare other foods like yakisoba and vegetables, and chat about what kind of barbecue you want while you make them.

A handmade camping day like this is sure to be a hit!

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mayumi

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Summer Memory Pretend Play

[For 2-year-olds] Summer memory pretend play! Pretend BBQ, pretend fishing, pretend bug catching

Here are some pretend-play ideas for making summer memories indoors during the hot season.

Try handmade barbecues, bug-hunting searches, and goldfish scooping—create them together with the kids and have fun.

For the barbecue, talk with the children about what ingredients they want to make, then create them together.

For the bug-hunting search, the key is to think about where to stick photos or illustrations of insects at the children’s eye level and get creative with placement.

For goldfish scooping, rescue origami fish carefully so they don’t fall.

Competing to see how many you can catch also sounds fun! These are great activities for enjoying play indoors even on hot summer days.

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mayumi

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