May: Craft Ideas That Excite 4-Year-Olds!
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.
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[May] Exciting for 4-year-olds! A collection of May craft ideas (11–20)
Pill Bug Made with Paper Plates
The pill bug is one of the insects that kids love.
Its habit of curling up into a little ball when touched is one of the charms that fascinates them.
Let’s make a pill bug out of a paper plate.
First, draw patterns on the paper plate with crayons, then paint over it with black paint.
Enjoy how the crayon resists the paint.
Next, cut the paper plate into six equal parts, stack all the small triangles together, punch a hole at the tip, and insert a split pin (paper fastener).
Finally, add a face and legs, and you’re done.
It even reproduces the pill bug’s distinctive movements, so kids are sure to be captivated.
Give it a try!
Broad beans you make by sticking (pieces) on
Broad beans, said to be in season from April to June, are perfect for spring crafts.
This time, we’ll introduce a craft that incorporates these beans.
Pre-cut the pod and bean shapes from construction paper.
For children who are comfortable using scissors, it’s also recommended that they try cutting them themselves.
Glue the pod and beans onto a base sheet of construction paper, draw faces on the beans, and it’s done.
The steps are very simple, so even young children can enjoy it.
The vivid green of the broad beans is sure to energize the kids even more.
Give it a try!
Paper Cup Kabuto Ornament
Let’s try making a kabuto (samurai helmet) for Children’s Day using paper cups! With just two paper cups, you can create a lovely kabuto.
Cut one paper cup about halfway with scissors, then make additional slits and fold it.
With the other paper cup, you can also make decorations for the helmet and a folding screen (byobu).
Adding the byobu helps create the authentic display feel of a real kabuto.
Place the decorated helmet in front of the byobu to complete the display.
Try experimenting with the byobu by accordion-folding it or folding it in half.
Koinobori binoculars
Carp streamers swimming in the refreshing May sky.
Some preschools may even decorate their yards with koinobori, right? Here’s a perfect May craft: binoculars made from toilet paper rolls.
Use origami paper in blue, red, and other colors, and make polka dots by dabbing paint with your fingers.
You can also draw wavy lines to create a scale pattern! Glue the patterned origami onto the toilet paper rolls.
Add eyes made from stickers or construction paper, decorate with origami, thread a string through, and it’s done.
Once finished, children can have fun peering at all sorts of things through their binoculars.
Mother doll with carnation hair
The second Sunday of May is Mother’s Day, right? How about making a craft to express your everyday “thank you”? It’s a mother figure with a carnation, made using a toilet paper roll and origami.
Of course, the “mother” part can be customized to represent anyone the children want to thank.
Cut origami paper into wavy strips, fold them to make the carnation, and decorate a toilet paper roll with origami to create the figure.
Combine the carnation and the figure to complete the piece.
It’s also nice to add a message written by the children, like “Thank you.”
Handmade straw necklace
This is a necklace made by connecting colorful straws.
These days, you can find straws in various colors at 100-yen shops and the like.
There are plastic ones as well as paper ones that are eco-friendly.
This time, let’s cut straws in different colors and make a necklace.
You can also add paper flowers or beads between the straw pieces.
With a bit of creativity, it makes a perfect gift for occasions like Mother’s Day or Respect for the Aged Day.
Give it a try!
[May] Exciting Crafts for 4-Year-Olds! May Craft Idea Collection (21–30)
Interactive card made with masking tape
Handmade, one-of-a-kind cards are delightful! Here are some ideas for interactive cards made with washi tape.
Washi tape is extremely popular with children.
Compared to regular tape or stickers, its adhesive is weaker, so it can be stuck on and peeled off with little force—making it safe for kids to use freely on their own.
By adding interactive elements to an original card, you can bring even more joy and surprise.
Take this opportunity to give it a try!