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)
Make it with kitchen paper! A cute bouquet
Here’s a craft idea for making flowers that also lets you enjoy a bleeding-ink effect.
Prepare two circles cut from kitchen paper and draw on them with water-based markers.
Once you’ve finished drawing, stack the circles, scrunch them up, pinch a bit of the back side at the center, and wrap a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) around it as the stem.
Then simply spray the kitchen paper with water using a mist sprayer to let the ink bleed.
Make several and bundle them together to create a lovely bouquet! It’s especially fun to use multiple marker colors and enjoy the blended color changes.
A telegram-like letter holder
Telegrams are an easy way to send a congratulatory message, and these days there are lots of cute ones, like those that come with stuffed animals.
This idea is about making a handmade version of such a telegram.
Cut construction paper into the shape of a bear and cover the entire surface with crumpled tissues.
Then attach face parts made from construction paper on top, and finish by having the bear hold a tube made by wrapping decorative washi paper around a toilet paper roll core.
Slip a heartfelt letter into the tube and give it as a gift.
It’s a lovely idea that can be made with many different motifs besides a bear.
Make it with things around you! Mother’s Day gift
@renamama_asobi Carnations made from everyday items#AtHomePlayParent-child playHandmade crafts#Mother's Day
♬ Happy bright happy orchestra – 3KTrack
Let’s make carnations using paper towels and a straw.
Prepare two sheets of paper towel, draw patterns with water-based pens, then mist water over them to create a bleeding effect.
The patterns will blur away, so anything is fine! Once the paper towels are dry, cut them into quarter-size pieces, stack them, and accordion-fold.
Tie the center with a rubber band, cut both ends into zigzags, then separate the layers one by one to form the petals.
Hold a straw to the base, secure it together with several petals using masking tape to make the stem, and you’ve got a perfect Mother’s Day gift!
Easy! Tissue paper carnations
Carnations made from tissue paper look and feel just like the real thing! The method is simple, so give it a try for Mother’s Day.
Stack six sheets of tissue paper measuring 9.5 cm × 12 cm, then accordion-fold them in 1.5 cm widths.
Once folded, wrap floral wire around the center to secure it, and cut both ends of the tissue paper into a zigzag shape.
Then, as you lift each layer, make small snips with scissors.
This will create petal-like frills just like a carnation.
How to make fluffy carnations
You can make lovely carnations with tissue paper and paper straws.
Cut the tissue paper into rectangles, stack several identical pieces, and accordion-fold them.
Staple the center, trim both ends into zigzags, then fluff up each layer to form the flower.
Use a straw for the stem: wrap it with masking tape to turn it green, and snip a slit on one end.
Open the slit and attach the flower to finish the carnation.
Make several and wrap them with lace paper to create a bouquet.
How to make an origami carnation
Here’s an easy origami project.
In this idea, you’ll layer two sheets of origami paper to make the carnation’s bloom.
First, fold the paper in half twice to form a square.
Next, fold it into a triangle, then fold it narrower by aligning the triangle’s side with the base.
Now use scissors to cut off the excess at the top and trim the cut edge into a jagged pattern.
Snip about 5 mm off the bottom corner, which will be the center of the flower, then unfold it.
Make another piece the same way and layer them to create frilly petals.
Alternate mountain and valley folds along the creases to shape it.
Attach a stem and leaves made from another sheet of origami paper, and you’re done!
[May] Exciting Crafts for 4-Year-Olds! May Craft Idea Collection (21–30)
Paper Cup Windmill
May is when it gets warmer and kids spend more time playing outside.
In this refreshing season, many children are probably looking forward to outdoor activities.
A pinwheel made from a paper cup could make playing outdoors even more fun.
Make a hole in the center of the cup’s bottom, then cut the rim into six equal sections with scissors.
Use a pen to draw patterns on the rotating part of the pinwheel.
The drawing step lets children enjoy expressing their creativity.
Fix the pinwheel using a toothpick and a straw with a chopstick inside, and it’s done.
If you set aside time in pleasant May weather to run and spin the pinwheel, the children are sure to be delighted.
