[May] Have Fun with 3-Year-Olds! Craft Ideas Perfect for May
By May, three-year-olds may be gradually getting used to their new school year.
Since the weather is pleasant, it’s a great time to actively incorporate outdoor activities.
May is also marked by events like Children’s Day and Mother’s Day, so in this article we’ll introduce crafts related to these occasions, as well as craft ideas you can enjoy outdoors.
Find ideas that suit your class’s atmosphere, interests, and curiosities.
Let’s enjoy making things together with the children!
Because the things children create are treated as works, we use the term “seisaku” (制作) in the text.
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- [For 3-year-olds] A roundup of craft ideas to enjoy in summer! Introducing various motifs and techniques
- [May] A collection of craft ideas to try with 5-year-olds
- [For Age 3] Let’s make it in April! A collection of craft ideas to feel spring events and nature
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- [Childcare] Recommended for April activities! A collection of helpful ideas for events and festivities
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[May] Have Fun with 3-Year-Olds! Perfect Craft Ideas for May (1–10)
My one-piece dress
Why not have fun trying a painting activity inspired by the popular children’s picture book “My Dress”? You will need rabbit parts, a triangle-shaped piece of paper, bottle caps with felt attached, paint, glue, and a pen.
First, stick felt in any shape you like onto a plastic bottle cap.
Dip the felt in paint and stamp patterns onto the triangle paper.
Once the paint is dry, glue on the face and hands.
Draw the face, add decorations around it, and you’re done! Make it colorful with your favorite colors.
Wavy 3D butterfly with fluttering wings
The fluttering wings are so cute! Here’s how to make a 3D butterfly that’s perfect for spring.
First, dip a plastic bottle cap in paint and stamp it onto thin strips of colored construction paper.
You can use both sides of the cap for different effects.
Next, cut out the butterfly’s wings with scissors to form the body-and-wing shape.
After stamping the wings as well, fold them down the middle.
Then, take the thin stamped strips and join their ends to create a 3D loop for each wing.
Make two of these and attach them to the body wings using double-sided tape.
Add pipe cleaners for the antennae, and you’re done! These are great for wall displays, so be sure to try making them with the kids.
Lantern-style memo stand
The translucent look is beautiful! Here’s an idea for a memo stand that resembles a lantern.
May brings events like Mother’s Day and Family Day, right? This is a recommended idea for those wondering what to make with kids this year.
What you’ll need: plastic cups, colored cellophane or transparent origami paper, glue, a craft knife, and construction paper cut into heart shapes.
Decorate the plastic cups with the cut pieces of colored cellophane or transparent origami.
Make slits and draw messages or portraits on the heart-shaped construction paper—it turns out super cute!
[May] Have fun with 3-year-olds! Craft ideas perfect for May (11–20)
Chick and Four-Leaf Clover
Let each child’s individuality shine! Here are some ideas featuring chicks and four-leaf clovers.
Clover motifs are beloved as symbols that bring good luck and make wishes come true.
Let’s express the hopes of moving up to a new grade through a craft activity.
You will need construction paper, crayons, white drawing paper, paint, and glue or double-sided tape.
Use hand painting with paint to make four-leaf clovers, and draw chicks and ladybugs with crayons.
Each piece will turn out as a unique, special creation!
bag-style accessory case
Make it with a clear file folder and paper plates! Here’s an idea for a small pouch that looks like a handbag.
It’s perfect for yourself, and also recommended as a gift for Mother’s Day or Family Day.
You’ll need paper plates, a hole punch, chenille stems (pipe cleaners), beads, a clear file folder, scissors, and double-sided tape.
If you place carnations made from the children’s handprints in the finished piece, it will make an even more wonderful gift.
Take this opportunity to give it a try!
Kashiwa-mochi castanets
Let’s get crafting for Children’s Day! Here’s a fun idea for making Kashiwa Mochi castanets.
Many preschools and kindergartens probably sing children’s songs like “Koinobori” together during Children’s Day events, right? Let’s make Kashiwa Mochi castanets that will come in handy for those moments! You’ll need cardboard or a milk carton, green construction paper, white air-dry clay, buttons, colored pens, glue, craft adhesive, and scissors.
It’s a delightful, event-specific craft—give it a try!
Soramame-kun’s Bed
Here’s an introduction to making a fava bean bed craft that’s perfect for May.
Gather paint, sponge stampers (tanpo), construction paper, cotton, colored pens, and glue, and let’s get started.
Stamp paint onto construction paper cut into the shape of a pod to create the fava bean’s bed.
Use colored pens to freely draw grass on the base sheet of construction paper.
Glue the pod onto the base, add the cotton, and the fava bean bed is complete.
Kids can enjoy the feel of the cotton and the color variations created by dabbing with the sponge stampers.
Give it a try!
