[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.
- [Childcare] Ideas for January wall decorations
- [Nursery/Kindergarten] New Year’s wall decorations! A collection of craft ideas to enjoy with children
- Perfect for January bulletin boards! A collection of Daruma craft ideas kids will love in childcare settings
- [Childcare] Collection of Daruma Craft Ideas: Fun Projects Using Everyday Materials
- Origami to Enjoy January and Winter! A Collection of Simple Ideas to Use in Childcare
- From New Year’s games to winter crafts! A roundup of January recreation activities to enjoy in childcare
- For 4-Year-Olds: January Crafts! A Collection of Fun Ideas with Winter and New Year Themes
- Brighten up your winter daycare room! A collection of recommended wall decoration ideas
- [Childcare] Ideas for snowman wall decorations. Recommended for January crafts.
- Fun January Crafts! A Collection of Ideas You Can Make and Play With for 5-Year-Olds
- [January Crafts] Fun DIY Ideas for Kids: Perfect for Use in Childcare
- [For toddlers] Simple but amazing craft ideas — including toys they can play with
- Have fun with one-year-olds! A collection of craft ideas featuring recommended January motifs
[Nursery/Kindergarten] New Year Craft Idea Special! A Collection of Creations You Can Enjoy Even After Making Them (111–120)
Eto Sugoroku
For the New Year, let’s have fun together with a teacher-made zodiac sugoroku board game! Write puns and fun facts related to that year’s zodiac animal on the squares, and make the dice by assembling a milk carton into a cube.
Have the children make the playing pieces with paper clay.
Sugoroku is a great game for learning numbers and practicing hiragana.
While bringing in a New Year vibe, put your pun skills to work and create a sugoroku that will make the children chuckle.
New Year’s card
New Year’s greeting cards, sent to celebrate the start of the year, are cherished as a traditional part of Japanese culture.
Why not bring some perfectly seasonal ideas into your childcare activities? Children can enjoy creating cards in many ways, such as drawing illustrations featuring the zodiac animals or hand-lettering phrases like “Happy New Year.” It’s also recommended to let them try spattering—rubbing a toothbrush to flick paint so patterns emerge.
Encourage them to make New Year’s cards that convey their feelings to loved ones such as family, friends, and teachers.
maneki-neko (beckoning cat)
The beckoning cat, or maneki-neko, is said to use its right paw to bring in money and its left paw to invite people.
With all its small details, drawing it might be tricky, but if the teacher prepares the parts, kids can have fun assembling their own maneki-neko! Cut out pieces like the cat’s face and whiskers, and make the koban (gold coin) by gluing gold origami onto a ball of crumpled newspaper.
After that, leave it to the children! Have them glue the parts onto the base in order, then scatter small squares of chiyogami paper around the edges, and the auspicious maneki-neko is complete.
You can also explain the general meanings of each paw and let the kids choose which side their cat will raise!
ema (votive wooden plaque)
Try making a lucky ema plaque! Pre-cut the base cardboard and white drawing paper into the shape of an ema.
Glue gold origami paper onto the cardboard, then stick a slightly smaller piece of white drawing paper on top.
Attach a string for hanging, and you’re done in no time! Next, write your wishes on the white part.
If it’s hard to write after sticking it on, you might want to write on the paper first and then attach it.
Prepare decorative stickers as well for children who aren’t confident with letters or drawing!
battledore (a traditional Japanese decorative paddle used for New Year, also used in the game hanetsuki)
Hagoita, which are traditionally given to women as protective charms, are also associated with New Year’s games.
It’s certainly fun to focus on elaborate decorations, but if you make them sturdy enough to play with friends, you can keep enjoying them long after they’re finished.
Another nice point is that they’re easy to make since you can use recycled materials like milk cartons.
This is a highly recommended craft that lets you fully enjoy the New Year by decorating your hagoita freely and playing to your heart’s content, so give it a try!
