Lovely childcare

[Craft] Make and Display! A Special Feature on Ideas for Making Koinobori (Carp Streamers)

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

When it comes to Children’s Day, many people think of koinobori (carp streamers).

Koinobori are displayed at schools and at home to wish for children’s healthy growth.

This time, we’re sharing ideas for making koinobori.

There are plenty of fun ideas: perfect for wall displays, ones that use handprints and footprints, and even wearable versions! If children arrange them freely with their own ideas, they can create wonderfully unique koinobori full of personality.

Through making activities, let’s also teach the origins and customs of Children’s Day to deepen their interest in the event.

We use the term “seisaku” in the text because the items children create are treated as works or projects.

[Crafting] Make and Display! A Special Feature on Ideas for Making Koinobori (Carp Streamers) (31–40)

Bleeding-paint koi-nobori

No-Paint Bleeding Art: Koinobori Craft Ideas ♪ Easy Method [Kindergarten/Preschool]

Bleeding-paint koi-nobori

Let’s make a carp streamer (koinobori) using a bleeding-ink painting technique, where you drip water onto water-based marker drawings to intentionally blur them into patterns! Draw the scale pattern of the koinobori with water-based markers, mist water over it with a spray bottle, and let it dry as is.

You don’t have to draw the scales precisely—since they’ll gently blur, being rough is fine.

Using various colors and letting them bleed makes it super cute.

For the base paper, coffee filters are recommended because they’re water-resistant and hard to tear.

Add an eye and attach it to a straw pole!

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Connected/decorative carp streamers you can string together

[Craft Idea] Koinobori (carp streamer) decorations (May) (Children’s Day) (activities for seniors) (wall decorations) (early childhood education) (origami) (samurai helmet) (seasonal decorations)

Connected/decorative carp streamers you can string together

These are origami carp streamers that you can make in quantity, line up, and display.

Apply glue along one edge of the origami paper, roll it into a tube, and stick it together.

Gently flatten it, then cut the tail fin into a triangle.

Next, attach the eyes and scale pieces made by cutting origami paper.

Connect thin, folded strips of origami to make a string, thread it through holes you’ve punched at the ends of the streamers, and you’re done—carp streamers swimming side by side! If you make them in different sizes and line them up, they’ll look just like a family.

It’s also fun to do the rolling and pasting of the parts together with children.

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Koinobori wreath

Let's make a May carp streamer wreath with origami!

Koinobori wreath

This is a carp streamer wreath made from origami.

Its biggest feature is that, unlike the typical wreath-making method where you might imagine connecting decorations with thread or string, this one doesn’t use any at all.

You fold the origami into triangles with slots, then combine six of them in a circle to form the wreath.

Attach a carp streamer in the center and you have a wall decoration.

By changing the colors of the base wreath, you can also use it for occasions like Christmas, so give it a try!

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Colorful Koinobori (carp streamers)

[Preschool Craft] Children's Day Craft♪ Making Colorful Koinobori (Carp Streamers) | Making Carp Streamers

Colorful Koinobori (carp streamers)

Here’s how to make a very colorful, fluffy, and cute koinobori (carp streamer).

First, prepare a clear plastic bag and fill it with crumpled tissue paper.

Seal the bag opening with tape, attach a tail fin made from colored construction paper, and then add scales using half-circle pieces of colored paper.

Add eyes with construction paper or round stickers, and attach it to a pole made by wrapping vinyl tape around a pair of wooden chopsticks—done! It’s also nice to add a gold decoration or a pinwheel to the tip of the chopsticks.

You can even make two koinobori in different sizes and attach them together.

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Carp streamers made from paper plates

[Nursery/Kindergarten] How to Make a Paper Plate Koinobori Table Decoration ♪ [Craft Idea for Early Childhood]

Carp streamers made from paper plates

A koi windsock made from a paper plate—and what’s more, this koi sways cutely back and forth when you nudge it with your finger.

To make it, fold a paper plate exactly in half, cut off both sides, and on one side snip it so it forms a tail fin shape.

Open the plate back up and decorate the rim all the way around with masking tape or similar.

Prepare round stickers cut in half, and stick them on like scales.

Finally, add an eye with a round sticker, and it’s done! It’s a round and adorable koi windsock, and it’s fun to make them in different sizes and colors.

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Koinobori of Kashiwa Mochi

Let’s make a Kashiwa-mochi carp streamer using kashiwa mochi, which is eaten during the Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku).

Cut construction paper into a leaf shape, draw the veins with a white crayon, and paint over it with green paint to create a wax-resist effect.

Cut another piece of construction paper into the shape of a carp streamer and draw patterns with crayons inspired by kashiwa mochi.

Place the leaf on top and glue them together.

Attach a face and a samurai helmet folded from origami, then stick them onto the carp streamer to finish.

It also sounds fun to choose parts of the project according to the child’s age and ability!

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Koinobori and Kintaro

We’ll introduce a craft activity featuring carp streamers (koinobori) and Kintaro.

Prepare a paper plate, ribbon, a photo of the child, and koinobori cutouts.

Cut out the center of the paper plate to make a wreath base.

Use finger stamping on the koinobori to create the scales.

Place the child’s photo in the center and add a Kintaro headpiece on top.

Attach the koinobori as well, and you’re done! We recommend using paper plates with printed patterns.

This is a craft that even 0-year-olds can enjoy, so give it a try.

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Carp streamers swaying in the wind

@hanamikoto8
Makes me want to swim on the wind 🎏#Koinobori Origami How to make Children's Day wall surface #Production Video Koinobori (carp streamers)#100-yen-shop
♬ Stylish cafe-style BGM – Hiro Hattori

Let me introduce carp streamers that sway gently in the wind.

Prepare washi-pattern origami paper, felt-tip pens, paper, scissors, and tape, and let’s get started.

Fold the origami paper about a quarter of the way and draw the eye.

Use tape to join both ends and form the paper into a tube-shaped carp streamer.

Make cuts at the end, fold the pieces inward to shape the tail fin, then do the same on the opposite side to finish the carp streamer.

When connecting them, attach thin strips of paper to both ends and link the streamers together.

The sight of the carp streamers swimming as they sway in the wind is truly lovely.

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Koinobori garland

When we think of big events in May, Children’s Day comes to mind.

Many places use carp streamers (koinobori) as wall decorations.

Instead of just making koinobori and sticking them on the wall, how about turning them into a garland? Cut colorful construction paper into the shape of koinobori, draw the eyes and scales, connect them with raffia ribbon (suzuran tape), and hang them on the wall.

For the scales, you can draw them, paste on cut pieces of origami, or use a sponge to stamp them.

It would be great to make them together with the children and create a garland of many koinobori!

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A carp streamer made by combining everyone’s scales

Here’s a wall decoration idea: each child makes a carp streamer scale and sticks it onto a large carp streamer.

Using scale-shaped construction paper, everyone colors their scale in their favorite colors.

They can use crayons or colored pencils, or even dab colors on with stamps.

Then, one by one, attach the finished scales to the large base carp streamer to complete a big koi nobori!

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