Lovely childcare

[For 1-year-olds] Craft ideas to enjoy in June | Various expressive play activities

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.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

One-year-olds are becoming able to make more and more things.

Here, we’ll share fun craft ideas for June, when we tend to have many rainy days.

Use colored paper to make flowers, or adapt handprints and footprints.

If you try using familiar materials, children are more likely to be interested.

It’s also important to give them time to draw freely with crayons and paint.

Support them and have fun together so they can express their feelings.

The key is to value the moments when they feel the joy of “I did it!” Because we treat what the children make as works, we refer to it as “production” in the text.

[Age 1] Craft ideas to enjoy in June | Various expressive play (1–10)

[Sponge Stamps] Hydrangea Craft

[Kindergarten/Daycare] Hydrangea art and crafts with June stamps

[Sponge Stamps] Hydrangea Craft

Let’s make June’s flower, hydrangeas, using stamps.

Cut a sponge into a square and wrap two rubber bands around it in a cross.

Now the hydrangea stamp is ready.

Next, cut out the hydrangea base and leaves from construction paper.

For 2-year-olds, it’s better for an adult to do the cutting.

Have the children use the stamp to add patterns to the hydrangea.

Dip the stamp in paint and dab it on.

Finally, attach the leaves and it’s complete.

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Handprint: Frog and Hydrangea

Make it with handprints! 🐸 Mr. Frog 🐸!! ~June craft~ #JuneCraft #Handmade #AtHomeTime #Crafts #Daycare #Handprints #Hydrangea #Frog #RainySeason

Handprint: Frog and Hydrangea

Here’s a craft idea to make a frog and hydrangeas using handprints.

Stamp both of your handprints onto white construction paper and cut them out with scissors.

Cut a frog shape from green construction paper and draw its face.

After cutting out the hydrangea base, glue on pieces of torn origami paper.

Cut out hydrangea leaves from construction paper as well and draw the veins.

Glue the handprints to both ends of the frog piece, then attach the hydrangea in the center—done! You can put it straight on the wall, or draw raindrops on a backing sheet and stick it on top for a cute touch.

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Hydrangea torn-paper collage art

[Easy] Perfect for the rainy season! Hydrangea torn-paper art 🎨

Hydrangea torn-paper collage art

The rainy season can feel damp and muggy, and the overcast skies can make it seem dim, so it may carry a strong negative image.

Hydrangeas, however, might be just the thing to brighten that gloomy image of the rainy season, even if only a little.

Let’s enjoy and get through the rainy season with a torn-paper collage featuring hydrangeas—an essential motif for this time of year.

It’s a simple activity: color construction paper with crayons and cut it into small pieces, then paste them onto a hydrangea-shaped outline so the flowers appear to bloom.

Being mindful of finger movements is important—the light coloring process and the fine motions of cutting and pasting help exercise dexterity.

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[For 1-year-olds] Craft ideas to enjoy in June | Various expressive play activities (11–20)

[Stickers] Colorful Umbrellas and Frogs

Let’s try making a cute craft with a colorful umbrella and a little frog.

With this idea, kids can enjoy fingertip stamping and sticking stickers.

Have the children use finger stamps to make a rainy pattern on a sheet of construction paper that will serve as the background.

Next, cut out the umbrella and frog parts from construction paper.

An adult should do the cutting.

Once the parts are ready, decorate the umbrella by adding stickers to make patterns.

You can draw the frog’s face, but it’s also recommended to paste a photo of the child—this makes it look like they’re wearing the frog’s raincoat and it’s super cute.

Finally, glue the umbrella and frog parts onto the background sheet, and you’re done!

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[Stamp Play] The Goldfish Has Run Away

“The Runaway Goldfish” is one of children’s favorite picture books, isn’t it? It’s a book where you can enjoy a game of finding the goldfish hiding in various places, and we’re going to recreate that fun in an art activity! Prepare white drawing paper, and have the children use daubers (stampers) and paint to make round patterns.

Using several colors of paint will make it nice and colorful.

Once the whole sheet is covered with patterns, paste on goldfish and water plants made from construction paper.

Let the children choose the paint colors and where to place the goldfish, too!

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[Finger Painting] Colorful Snails

When June arrives, we often see snails on hydrangeas.

Their cute and curious appearance makes them popular with children.

Here’s an idea for making snails using a finger-painting technique.

First, draw a spiral for the snail’s shell on construction paper.

Then place a mixture of paint and liquid laundry glue on top, and seal it inside a plastic bag.

Let the children touch the bag and spread the paint around as they like from the outside.

Once the painting is done, cut out the spiral and attach it to a body made from a toilet paper roll.

Use several colors of paint to create colorful snails that will blow away the rainy-season blues!

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[Finger Painting] Rain and Teru Teru Bozu

Teru teru bozu hung up on rainy days look different depending on the angle, which makes them fun to observe.

Here’s a craft idea using finger painting.

Prepare white drawing paper and use crayons or stamps to depict rain.

If you’re using crayons, try drawing vertical lines.

Next, cut another sheet of paper into the shape of a teru teru bozu and add patterns with finger painting.

You can spread paint inside a sealable bag or put paint directly on your fingers and draw.

Attach paper-made facial parts to the painted teru teru bozu, then stick it onto the background to finish.

Adding an umbrella piece makes it extra cute!

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