[Nursery/Kindergarten] New Year Craft Ideas: A Collection of Projects You Can Enjoy Even After Making Them
You want to plan New Year’s crafts at a nursery or kindergarten, but you can’t think of ideas that kids will enjoy while incorporating traditional elements… In times like these, decorations and classic toys made from familiar materials are perfect! Here, we introduce New Year-themed craft ideas ranging from lucky charms like akabeko (red cow), kagami mochi, and shimenawa, to playable crafts such as fukuwarai, kendama, and spinning tops.
They all make use of recycled materials like milk cartons, plastic bottles, and paper cups, so why not enjoy preparing for the New Year together with the children? Since the children’s creations are treated as “artworks,” we use the term “seisaku” (制作) in the text.
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[Nursery Schools & Kindergartens] New Year’s Craft Ideas Special! A Collection of Projects You Can Enjoy Even After Making Them (41–50)
Winter origami! Cute kotatsu
Here is an introduction to making a kotatsu out of origami.
First, fold a sheet of origami paper in half in the color you like.
Since it’s a kotatsu, a patterned paper might be cuter.
Then fold back about one-third.
After folding, unfold it, fold it to half that width, and return it.
On the back side, fold back one-third as well.
Next, fold the back diagonally to create the kotatsu’s slope, and the main body is complete.
Now make the tabletop for the kotatsu.
Use a quarter-size sheet of origami paper for this.
Next, make the mandarin orange, which is essential for a kotatsu.
This one is very small, so have an adult help you.
A 3D Daruma you can make with a single sheet of origami!
Let’s make a daruma that’s perfect for decorating your entryway for the New Year.
Prepare origami paper, felt-tip pens, round stickers, and scissors.
Take one sheet of origami paper, fold it into a triangle to make a center crease, then open it and fold both sides toward the center line.
As you firmly crease each fold, carefully adjust the balance of the daruma’s face.
By folding the corners, you’ll create a rounded shape for the daruma’s body.
Use felt-tip pens and round stickers to make the eyes and eyebrows, and it’s complete.
You can also make a small cushion (zabuton).
Enjoy displaying your daruma to kick off the New Year!
Fukuwarai made with origami
Fukuwarai is a game where a blindfolded person places eyes, a nose, and other facial parts onto a picture that only shows the outline of a face.
It used to be a New Year’s pastime, but it seems chances to play it have been decreasing recently.
A Fukuwarai set featuring an Okame face made from origami might be a more casual way to enjoy it.
Use black origami paper, crease it first, and then fold the Okame.
The black side of the origami becomes Okame’s hair, and the white side is the face.
Have the children freely draw the facial features with pens or other tools.
Of course, making separate facial parts and gluing them on will also look great.
3D origami Daruma doll
Let’s make a daruma doll—an auspicious charm—using origami.
Prepare origami paper, round stickers, a felt pen, and glue.
Open the origami paper and make firm creases into squares and triangles.
As you fold, tuck the paper in while creating rounded volume overall.
When folding the layers in, straighten the tips and shift them slightly as you make careful folds; this will help you create a nicely rounded daruma shape.
Fold the eyes from a separate piece of origami paper, then use black-colored round stickers to represent the eyes and eyebrows.
Attach them to the body to finish.
Try changing the color of the origami paper to make daruma dolls in various colors!
New Year decorations of rabbit Daruma
When it comes to New Year’s good-luck charms, daruma dolls are a classic.
Let’s make a craft that combines the zodiac animal with a daruma.
Prepare construction paper, origami paper, glue, and scissors.
First, create the base for the daruma and decide on its size.
Then cut out the parts to fit the base and glue them together.
It might be nice to change the color of the origami paper for the daruma, too.
Make the favorite food of the zodiac animal, and combine it with a gold fan for a New Year’s touch to finish.
Finally, glue the daruma and the food onto the construction paper base, and you’re done.
Give it a try!