Recommended for nursery and kindergarten sports days! A collection of handmade medal ideas
At nursery and kindergarten sports days, you want to give medals to the children who did their best with a cheerful “Great job!” Handmade medals become a special memory for the kids, too.
Here, we introduce a variety of DIY ideas, such as gold medals and original medals that use the children’s photos.
There are many ways to make medals—from ones that are easy to craft with familiar materials to more elaborate versions—so please use these as a reference.
We hope to see lots of smiling faces at the sports day!
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Recommended for nursery and kindergarten sports days! A collection of handmade medal ideas (11–20)
Animal Medal
These are animal medals that bring to mind the beaming smiles of children receiving them! Make vertical, horizontal, and diagonal creases in the origami paper, fold the four corners toward the center, then open it up and continue folding to form the medal shape.
When folding the four corners to the back, slightly fold the top section as well to give it an animal-like face shape.
Glue the folded parts, attach pieces like the nose and ears cut from construction paper or origami, and finally draw in the eyes to complete a cute animal medal! Add adorable decorations like ribbons or hats, and the children will be even more delighted!
Cute yet simple! Sports day medal
Cute yet simple medals made with felt! Here are some ideas for sports day medals.
When you think of sports day medals, many people probably imagine cutting and pasting origami or thick paper.
This time, let’s make medals that turn out adorable with just a few easy steps by using soft, touch-friendly felt.
What you’ll need: construction paper, felt, origami paper, ribbon, clear tape, glue, scissors, and a pen.
Using felt gives a gentle, cozy look, doesn’t it? Give it a try!
How to make a basic medal
This is our recommended way to make medals! Let me introduce some ideas for making basic medals.
When you think of the classic shape of an origami medal, what design comes to mind? Many of you may have received a medal with this design when you were children.
This time, let’s make a basic origami medal and give it as a gift! All you need to prepare are two sheets of origami paper and scissors.
If you attach a ribbon, you can hang the medal around children’s necks as a present, so feel free to add that arrangement.
Coaster Medal
These coaster medals are easy to make by simply combining thin cork or thick paperboard you can find at 100-yen shops with paper coasters.
The method is super simple: stack a paper coaster on a firm base like cork or cardstock, then fasten it with a stapler.
Attach a ribbon so it can be worn around the neck, and you’re done in no time.
Add a personal touch by sticking patterned origami onto the base or writing names and messages on the coaster—doing so will make the kids who receive them twice as delighted!
Medal made with double-sided origami
This is a medal you can make with double-sided origami, where you can write a name or message! First, crease the origami vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, then fold all four corners to the center.
Open it once, fold the opposite edges to the center line, then fold the shorter edges to the center line as well.
Open the pocket areas along the creases and tuck them in, continuing to fold in sequence to form the medal shape.
Fold the corners to the back, open the center area outward to create a sun-like shape, then insert a paper with a name or message inside to finish.
Add messages like “Congratulations” or “Great job!” and present them to children!
medal with photo
A medal with a face photo, made using the kids’ best-shot pictures.
Cut slits in the side of a paper cup and open it up, then trim each corner.
Rub with a pen or a chopstick to curl the edges, gather the opened sections toward the center, and tape them in place to create a flower-shaped medal.
Add color with markers, attach a ribbon, and finally stick the face photo in the center to complete a personalized, original medal.
You can already picture the delighted faces of the children receiving a medal the teacher made just for them!
Recommended for nursery and kindergarten sports days! A collection of handmade medal ideas (21–30)
gold, silver, and bronze medals
This is a luxurious medal made with gold, silver, and bronze origami paper—just like an Olympic medal! Cut the origami paper in half, accordion-fold it, and while lifting each mountain fold one by one, fold the corners at both ends inward.
Open one outer layer, fold it in half, then fold the corners of the protruding part and tuck them inside.
Open it into a circle and adjust the shape.
Finally, attach a ribbon to hang it around the neck, and it’s complete! If you use gold or silver origami paper, the uneven surfaces will reflect light, giving the medal a glamorous look.