Lovely childcare

Craft ideas perfect for June for 2-year-olds

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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: 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.

June brings a lot of rain, and in daycare and kindergartens there are many days when children can’t play outside.

At times like that, how about enjoying some indoor craft activities? Craft time lets children feel a sense of “I did it!”, making it perfect for indoor play.

Here, we’ll introduce several craft ideas recommended for two-year-olds.

There are plenty of fun activities like touching with their hands and coloring.

Through making things, children’s creativity and sense of accomplishment are nurtured.

Let’s treasure what the children create as everyone’s artwork.

Since the things children make are treated as works (art pieces), we use the term “seisaku” (制作) in the text.

[2-Year-Olds] A Roundup of Perfect June Craft Ideas (11–20)

[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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Hydrangea craft using bubbles [Ages 2 and up]

Bubble-painted hydrangeas (3) · Easy · Wall display · June · Paint · Craft · Fun · Straw play · Hydrangea ❤︎ How to make/Bubble Hydrangea ❤︎ #525

Hydrangea craft using bubbles [Ages 2 and up]

How about making bubble-painted hydrangeas with children aged 2 and up? Put watercolor paint diluted with water and some dish soap into a cup, then use a straw to blow and create bubbles.

Once lots of bubbles form, press a sheet of drawing paper onto the bubbles to transfer them.

You’ll see tiny bubbles appear on the paper like the small florets of a hydrangea—your hydrangea artwork is complete! It’s also recommended to draw leaves around the finished hydrangeas.

It’s quick and easy, so give it a try.

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Paper Plate Resist-Painting Umbrella

[Nursery/Kindergarten] Resist-Painting Umbrellas Made with Paper Plates [Rainy Season Craft]

Paper Plate Resist-Painting Umbrella

Here’s a perfect craft idea for June: a resist painting umbrella.

First, use crayons to draw umbrella patterns on the back of a paper plate.

Once you’ve finished the patterns, paint over them and enjoy the resist effect.

If you thin the paint with plenty of water, it will repel nicely from the crayon.

Cut a slit in the paper plate and overlap the cut edges to form the umbrella shape.

Make a small cut on one end of a straw and open it up; then tape it to the back of the umbrella-shaped paper plate, and you’re done! If you bend the accordion part of the straw, it becomes the umbrella handle.

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[Paint and Glue] Frog on a Rainy Day

[2-year-olds] Frog Crafting

[Paint and Glue] Frog on a Rainy Day

June is the rainy season, so we often get to see rain.

Today, we’re introducing a perfect craft for June: “Rainy Day Frog.” First, use watered-down paint to create rain on construction paper.

Let the children use brushes to draw lines and dots—have them paint the rain however they like.

Next, glue the eyes, mouth, and belly pieces onto the frog base cut from construction paper.

Finally, stick the frog onto the rainy background paper—and it’s done! When attaching the parts, have the children use their fingers to apply glue to the back side.

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[Newspaper Stamps] Hydrangea Craft

Let’s make a June flower—hydrangeas—using newspaper stamps.

First, cut out the hydrangea and leaf bases from construction paper.

An adult should handle the cutting.

Create a stamp from newspaper, apply paint, and stamp onto the hydrangea base.

Color the leaf base in the same way, but using a real leaf as a stamp instead of newspaper is also recommended.

Once you’ve glued the hydrangea and leaf bases together, it’s complete! Try attaching it to a background with painted rain or use it as a wall decoration.

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Torn-paper art: Umbrella and snail

[Kindergarten/Preschool] Two ways to enjoy: open and close! June umbrella snail artwork/craft for taking shelter from the rain

Torn-paper art: Umbrella and snail

Here’s a cute craft idea that looks like a snail taking shelter from the rain under an umbrella.

Fold a sheet of construction paper in half and cut the top layer into the shape of an umbrella.

Let the children tear origami paper however they like.

Paste the torn origami pieces onto the inside of the bottom sheet.

Finish by attaching a snail and an umbrella handle made from separate sheets of paper.

By changing the construction paper and origami, you can create umbrellas with all sorts of different looks, so let the children choose their favorites.

This is also an idea that’s easy to display on a wall.

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[For 2-year-olds] A roundup of craft ideas perfect for June (21–30)

[Ages 0–2] Crinkly Tissue Paper Snail

[Nursery/Kindergarten] June Craft Perfect for the Rainy Season! How to Make a Snail [Toddler/Infant Class]

[Ages 0–2] Crinkly Tissue Paper Snail

A recommended craft for children aged 0 to 2 is making snails using tissue paper.

Beforehand, the teacher should cut out the snail’s body and eyes from construction paper.

Have the children crumple lots of tissue paper in their favorite colors and stuff it into a plastic bag.

Once it’s filled to a certain extent, seal the bag and shape it into a round form.

It’s best for the teacher to handle the shaping step as well.

When it’s ready, attach it to the snail’s body to finish.

You’ll have a colorful and cute snail!

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