[Childcare] A collection of craft ideas for enjoying Setsubun
As Setsubun approaches, nursery schools and kindergartens get busy preparing for bean-throwing.
Crafts that incorporate Setsubun-specific motifs—like oni (ogre) masks, bean boxes, and eho-maki—are a wonderful opportunity to deepen children’s interest in the seasons.
Here, we’ve gathered ideas for Setsubun crafts that you can enjoy using familiar materials such as origami, paper plates, and construction paper.
By drawing cute oni expressions or designing their own horns, each child can create a piece that shines with their individuality.
How about enjoying the Setsubun festivities while making things together with the children?
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[Childcare] A collection of craft ideas for enjoying Setsubun (21–30)
A demon biting into an ehomaki
Ehomaki rolls are eaten to ward off misfortune and invite good fortune.
This lucky charm comes with a unique idea: an ogre—considered a symbol of evil spirits during Setsubun and driven away with beans—takes a big bite! Make it by dividing it into parts for the head, fangs, body, and the ehomaki, then assemble them later into a single design.
Creating it in the original size might be challenging, so try using larger origami paper.
Once finished, it can also be used as a wall decoration, instantly bringing a festive Setsubun atmosphere to the space.
Make and play! Setsubun crafts
After you make it, you can enjoy bean-throwing too! Here are some oni craft ideas.
First, prepare an envelope in your preferred size and cut it in half.
Please use a gusseted envelope.
Attach small pieces of cut paper along the cut edge to represent the oni’s hair, then stick on the horns and face parts made from construction paper.
Finally, draw the eyebrows and mouth with a pen to complete the oni! Mount the oni on the wall and throw “beans” made by crumpling paper at it.
After the bean-throwing is over, try a challenge to see how many beans you can put into the envelope!
[Childcare] A collection of craft ideas to enjoy Setsubun (31–40)
Egg-shaped red ogre & blue ogre
This is an oni made by covering an egg-shaped polystyrene ball with chirimen fabric! All you do is cut and stick the chirimen fabric, yet it turns into a very elegant and lovely piece.
After making it, place it on a table as a Setsubun decoration.
You’ll need chirimen fabric for the oni’s body, pants, hair, horns, club, and mouth, so prepare any designs you like.
The process is simply to apply double-sided tape to the back of the chirimen fabric, cut out the parts, and stick them onto the polystyrene ball.
Since the body and pants cover a large area, stretch the fabric as you apply it to avoid wrinkles, and trim any excess fabric with scissors.
Not scary! Oni masks that kids will love
Here are three ogre masks you’ll want to make for Setsubun! All of them use familiar, easy-to-get materials, and they’re ideas that naturally bring kids to mind.
The tissue-paper crown ogre is just crumpling and sticking on tissue, so children can enjoy fine-motor play as they work.
Choosing colors gives each mask a unique expression, which is part of the charm.
The envelope ogre hat involves sticking, drawing, and decorating, making it a focused, fun activity.
Washi tape and yarn really expand the individuality.
The paper-bag ogre mask is great because kids can wear it to play once it’s finished.
And the paper-plate mask—surprise!—uses broccoli.
Stamp paint onto a halved paper plate with broccoli.
These projects will make the celebration even more fun.
Ehomaki (lucky direction sushi roll)
Let’s make an Ehomaki using a toilet paper roll core.
The main materials are a toilet paper core, origami paper, tissues, rubber bands, and tape.
First, attach black origami paper to the side of the core to resemble seaweed.
Next, cut the origami paper for the fillings into 7.5 cm × 15 cm pieces.
Fold the cut paper in half to make a strip, roll it up tightly from the end, and glue it.
Once all the fillings are rolled, bundle them together and secure with a rubber band, wrap them with tissue, and fix them inside the core.
You’ll need the same on the other side as well, so please make two sets of fillings.
A three-dimensional ogre made with origami
Many children might have a scary image of oni (ogres).
However, this oni is a cute, cone-shaped one! With some origami paper, you can easily meet a cute oni.
First, cut one sheet of origami into a semicircle.
Using a protractor, mark off about 135 degrees.
Take another sheet of origami, cut it into a semicircle as well, then trim it down to a 135-degree sector and cut it into about three long, narrow strips.
Paste these together with the first piece so they look like stripes, then roll them up into a cone shape.
Next, use chenille stems (pipe cleaners) to make the oni’s hair, and use round stickers or small pieces of cut origami to create and attach the facial features and patterns.
That’s it—you’re done!
A three-dimensional oni mask
Here’s how to make a paper oni mask that’s perfect for Setsubun using colored construction paper! First, cut out the oni parts.
Let the children do the cutting according to their age—it’s great scissor practice.
Next, cut yarn for the hair.
Glue the yarn onto the hair backing.
Be sure to apply the glue to the backing paper! Once you stick on all the parts, it’s done! When kids do the gluing, you get all kinds of adorable faces.
Add a band and it becomes a wearable mask for play, or hang it on the wall as a display.
It connects making, playing, and decorating, and it’s easy for children from about age three—give it a try!