Lovely childcare

May: Craft Ideas That Excite 4-Year-Olds!

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.
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.

May is the time when the new school year settles down a bit and the weather is perfect for enjoyable outdoor activities.

Four-year-olds are surely excited about the new season, too.

May also includes Children’s Day and Mother’s Day, making it a great time to deepen learning about traditional events.

In this article, we’ll introduce May craft ideas you’ll want to enjoy with four-year-olds.

Four-year-olds are increasingly energetic.

Let’s incorporate ideas that not only involve making crafts, but also add twists to the process and allow children to play with what they create.

Because items made by children are treated as works of art, we use the term “制作 (seisaku),” meaning “creation/work,” rather than “製作,” in the text.

[May] Ideas 51–60: May crafts that will excite 4-year-olds

[Craft Play] Where the Dinosaurs Are

[Practical Guide] Where the Dinosaurs Are (Younger Class, May – Classroom Environment)

[Craft Play] Where the Dinosaurs Are

April 17 is known as Dinosaur Day, named for the date when American zoologist Roy Chapman Andrews, who helped spark dinosaur research, set out for the Gobi Desert.

To celebrate Dinosaur Day, here’s a craft you’ll want to make using cardboard, paper, and paint.

Imagine creating a space where dinosaurs live: make three-dimensional dinosaurs out of cardboard, and paint the background on paper.

Refer to picture books and other sources to imagine and build a place where your cardboard dinosaurs can live happily.

It’s also a great idea to have everyone think about how to create the background and which dinosaurs to place.

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Twisting Soap Bubbles

[Preschool Teacher] Easy Handmade Toy! How to Make a Spinning Bubble Wand [Daycare/Kindergarten]

Twisting Soap Bubbles

Make and play! Here’s an idea for unbreakable, twirling soap bubbles.

You’ll need holographic origami paper, round stickers, a straw, scissors, reinforcement ring stickers, a bamboo skewer, and tape.

First, cut the holographic origami paper into 5 mm strips and attach eight strips to a round sticker.

Cut four slits in the straw and apply a reinforcement ring sticker.

After adhering the straw and holographic paper together, thread them onto the bamboo skewer.

Tape the top in place, and you’re done!

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Easter egg maracas

[Spring Craft] Perfect for music play♪ Let’s make Easter egg maracas 🥚🌸

Easter egg maracas

Here’s how to make spring-inspired Easter egg maracas.

Prepare two bottle caps, beads, vinyl tape, newspaper, aluminum foil, and a permanent marker.

Put beads into one cap, place the two caps together, and secure them with vinyl tape to make the sound component of the maraca.

Wrap the caps with newspaper to form an egg shape.

The key is to create a nice rounded bulge as you shape the egg.

Color the aluminum foil with a permanent marker, wrap it around the egg, and you’re done.

Decorating with washi tape or sparkly stickers is also recommended.

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[Toilet Paper Roll] Koinobori Decoration

Crafting with toilet paper rolls: Easy! Koinobori (carp streamers). How to make stylish and cute koinobori! Perfect decorations for Children's Day. May 5 is Tango no Sekku (Boys' Festival). First festival celebration. Reuse. Recycle.

[Toilet Paper Roll] Koinobori Decoration

Let’s make a carp streamer using a toilet paper roll core.

Flatten a toilet paper roll and wrap it with origami paper to create the koi’s body.

Use origami pieces to make and attach the eyes, scales, and other parts.

Since some parts can be quite small, it might be a good idea for the teacher to prepare them in advance for the children to stick on.

Also, cut origami paper into five color strips and attach them to the flattened toilet paper roll to make the windsock.

By the way, each color of the windsock is said to have its own meaning.

Once everything is ready, connect the carp streamer and the windsock with a string to finish.

By changing how you connect the string, you can also enjoy it as a garland or a hanging decoration.

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[Origami] Handheld Koinobori (carp streamer)

[Origami] Makeable with paper folding! Introducing a koinobori (carp streamer) [Nursery/Kindergarten]

[Origami] Handheld Koinobori (carp streamer)

Let’s try making carp streamers (koinobori) out of origami.

By varying the folding methods, you can create several types of koinobori even with the same origami paper.

If you have a stick, you can attach the koinobori to it so it looks like a real carp streamer.

Some folding methods are a bit complex, so have a teacher step in to help as needed.

Draw the koinobori’s face and scales with a pen.

Of course, you can also get creative by adding stickers or dipping your finger in paint to make polka dots.

It’s a great way to enjoy children’s free and imaginative ideas.

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