Lovely childcare

[5-Year-Olds] Creative Project Ideas to Try in June! Let's Broaden Their Range of Expression

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.

At five years old, children begin to develop an awareness of being the oldest in the class and become leaders who guide everyone else.

They also come up with many things they want to try and challenges they want to take on.

In art activities, encourage them to tackle slightly more difficult projects so they can experience a sense of accomplishment.

Here, we’ve compiled ideas for projects to work on in June.

Even familiar themes can turn into more wonderful works by changing the way they’re expressed.

Because the things children create are treated as artworks, this text uses the term “seisaku (制作)” to refer to these creations.

[For 5-year-olds] Craft ideas to try in June! Expand the range of expression (11–20)

[Ages 1 and up] Handmade Pom-Pom Stamp Clock FaceNEW!

Have fun rolling umbrella bags! Here’s how to make a snail.

Rainy days will become more enjoyable.

First, crumple up some tissue paper.

Rolling it up is fun too, so make plenty.

Put the crumpled tissue paper into a rolled umbrella bag.

Once it’s filled to about 80%, clip it with a clothespin so the contents don’t spill out.

Stick double-sided tape vertically and roll it up tightly.

Remove the clothespin and tie it to finish! Attach the parts you prepared in advance, like eyes, a mouth, and leaves.

Besides tissue paper, you can also try using colorful paper stamped with pom-poms for a unique touch—highly recommended!

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[Ages 5+] Wobbly Frog ClockNEW!

Perfect for “Time Day,” too! First, cut an empty box in half and even out the inside height, then cover the outside with construction paper in your favorite color to make the base.

Punch a hole on top, thread through a frog that already has a chenille stem attached, and you’ve got a fun mechanism that makes it pop up.

Next, make a triangular roof out of cardstock and construction paper.

After attaching the clock, punch a hole in the center and thread the chenille stem through.

Finally, glue the top and bottom together to complete your cute “Frog Clock.” In June preschool activities, you can add rainy-season decorations like raindrops or hydrangeas, and after it’s finished, everyone can move it and play together—enjoying both the fun of making and the fun of playing.

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Stamps are fun! Teru teru bozu and hydrangeasNEW!

This is a stamping activity where you can enjoy a variety of patterns using the bottom of a plastic bottle.

Choose construction paper in your favorite color and dab on paint.

Each press reveals shapes like circles or flowers, sparking the children’s excitement.

If paint gets on their hands, turning those handprints into teru-teru bozu is fun too, and you’ll see surprised reactions and smiles as they enjoy the curious textures.

Prepare several colors of construction paper and paint; some children will express themselves with lots of colors, while others will become absorbed in the changing shapes—each finding their own way to enjoy it.

Finally, if you cut out the finished patterns into hydrangea shapes and paste them, you’ll have a seasonally themed artwork, so be sure to give it a try.

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[Ages 3 and up] Easy! Pipe-Cleaner WristwatchNEW!

Perfect for Time Day! Make an easy wristwatch out of construction paper ⌚ #preschoolcrafts #nurseryteacher #teachingideas #withkids #TimeDay #easycraft #paperCraft #wristwatch #shorts

[Ages 3 and up] Easy! Pipe-Cleaner WristwatchNEW!

Here’s a showcase of creations brimming with children’s individuality.

First, glue together two sheets of construction paper that have been pre-cut into circles, then punch holes to make the base of a wristwatch.

Draw a circle in the center in your favorite color, then freely add numbers and clock hands to create your own original dial.

Finally, thread pipe cleaners through the two holes so it can be worn on the wrist, and your cute handmade watch is complete.

If you add stickers or patterns, it’s an easy process that children as young as three can enjoy, making it perfect for “Time Day” in June.

After it’s finished, you can play by asking, “What time is it now?”—a fun activity that helps children become familiar with clocks.

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[Ages 3 and up] Paper Cup WristwatchNEW!

How to Make a Handmade Wristwatch [Easy Paper Cup Craft That Kids Will Love]

[Ages 3 and up] Paper Cup WristwatchNEW!

It’s a wristwatch you can actually wear, made from paper cups! Prepare two paper cups.

First, cut out the bottom of one cup to use as a template for the clock face.

Using this template, cut a circle from construction paper in your preferred color.

Write the numbers on the circular paper with stickers and a pen, then attach hands made from origami or similar paper.

Next, cut away the unnecessary side of the second paper cup to form the watch shape, and glue the clock face onto the bottom.

Attach rubber bands to both ends of the strap, and you’re done! Since the hands can be moved, it’s perfect for learning how to tell time.

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[Ages 4 and up] Original clock made with paper cups and pipe cleanersNEW!

[Kindergarten/Preschool] Clock Craft / Easy / How to Make a Clock with Hands That Spin

[Ages 4 and up] Original clock made with paper cups and pipe cleanersNEW!

Watch “[Ages 4 and up] Original clock made with paper cups and pipe cleaners NEW!” on YouTube

A fun, original clock-making craft recommended from around age four is a great project where kids can enjoy creating while learning the meaning of Time Day.

Make a triangular base out of a milk carton, and for the clock’s bells, wrap shiny paper around small plastic capsules like the ones you get from gacha machines.

Glue torn pieces of origami onto a paper plate and add stickers with numbers written on them.

Use a pipe cleaner as the second hand, attach and secure it, and you’re done.

If you draw a face and add arms and legs to your liking, it may turn into a creation you feel especially attached to.

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[For 5-Year-Olds] Creative Projects to Try in June! Expand the Range of Expression (21–30)

Teru teru bozu made from a coffee filterNEW!

[Preschool Craft] Perfect for indoor play! Easy teru teru bozu ♪ | A simple teru teru bozu with a coffee filter

Teru teru bozu made from a coffee filterNEW!

Something to display on a rainy day! Let’s make a teru-teru bozu.

First, draw your favorite patterns on a coffee filter with water-based markers or crayons and have fun with color combinations.

When you’re done drawing, spray it with water and watch as the colors bleed and spread.

You’ll see children surprised and delighted by the magic of this “bleeding” effect.

After it dries thoroughly, fold the left and right sides inward and tape them to hold the shape of the teru-teru bozu.

Finally, add a face made from construction paper and decorations with pipe cleaners, and it’s complete.

The simple steps and the sense of accomplishment from making a one-of-a-kind creation are key points.

Even on rainy days, enjoy a bright, cheerful time with the children!

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