[Childcare] February Setsubun Bean-Throwing! A Fun Collection of Oni Craft Ideas
As Setsubun approaches, creating oni-themed crafts becomes one of the fun activities at nurseries and kindergartens.
For two-year-olds, the experience of making something with their own hands is a very important time.
Coloring, sticking on parts, enjoying the feel of different materials—through these kinds of activities, their interest in seasonal events deepens significantly.
Here, we’ve gathered plenty of oni craft ideas perfect for Setsubun, from masks and bean containers to unique play items.
Make this year’s Setsubun even more fun together with the children! Note: In this article, we use the term “seisaku” (制作) to refer to children’s creations as “works.”
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[Childcare] February Setsubun Bean-Throwing! Fun Oni (Demon) Craft Ideas (21–30)
Hand-painted oni creation
Let’s try painting an oni (demon) face by hand.
Prepare a black construction paper base and paints in any colors you like.
First, put some watered-down paint on your hand and use it to draw the outline of the oni’s face on the base.
The outline can be round or triangular—anything is fine.
Have the children imagine the kind of oni they think of and draw it.
Once the paint dries, glue on the parts you made from construction paper—face, cheeks, horns, and hair—to finish.
Any paint color is okay, but since the base is black, bright colors work well.
A toilet paper roll core transforms into a fearsome oni!
Let’s make a warm and charming oni (ogre) using a toilet paper roll and felt.
First, wrap the toilet paper roll with felt and glue it in place.
Then use faux fur as hair, and attach facial parts and horns made from felt.
Using pearls for the eyes and cheeks will boost the cuteness and add a festive touch.
The key to this idea is layering yellow and brown felt, twisting them to create the pants.
It would also look cute if you use non-traditional colors.
Oni masks made with various materials and techniques
Let’s make oni masks using fun art techniques! The way to create the mask base and horn parts is the same; only the hair section uses different techniques.
We’ll introduce bleeding watercolor, wax-resist painting, torn-paper collage, and ideas that use glued-on yarn or tissue paper.
During Setsubun, we drive away oni by throwing beans.
Oni are scary, but wearing a mask you made yourself might give you the courage to face them.
Enjoy the crafting process and try expressing your own kind of strength!
A demon biting into an ehomaki
Ehomaki rolls are eaten to ward off misfortune and invite good fortune.
This lucky charm comes with a unique idea: an ogre—considered a symbol of evil spirits during Setsubun and driven away with beans—takes a big bite! Make it by dividing it into parts for the head, fangs, body, and the ehomaki, then assemble them later into a single design.
Creating it in the original size might be challenging, so try using larger origami paper.
Once finished, it can also be used as a wall decoration, instantly bringing a festive Setsubun atmosphere to the space.
Make and play! Setsubun crafts
After you make it, you can enjoy bean-throwing too! Here are some oni craft ideas.
First, prepare an envelope in your preferred size and cut it in half.
Please use a gusseted envelope.
Attach small pieces of cut paper along the cut edge to represent the oni’s hair, then stick on the horns and face parts made from construction paper.
Finally, draw the eyebrows and mouth with a pen to complete the oni! Mount the oni on the wall and throw “beans” made by crumpling paper at it.
After the bean-throwing is over, try a challenge to see how many beans you can put into the envelope!
Demon-slaying with paper cups!
Let’s try making a jumping ogre craft that springs into the air! You’ll need two paper cups, two rubber bands, and construction paper to draw the ogre’s face.
First, make four slits on the rim of one paper cup—top, bottom, left, and right.
About 1 cm deep is fine.
Hook two rubber bands into the slits so they form a cross.
Secure the bands with tape so they don’t come off.
Next, draw your favorite ogre face on the construction paper, cut it out with scissors, and attach it to the paper cup with the rubber bands.
Finally, draw the ogre’s body on the second paper cup.
Place the body cup upside down with the bottom facing up, then fit the rubber-band cup over it from above and press down firmly.
When you release, the ogre’s head will spring—boing!—into the air.
A demon target-shooting game where the artwork changes!
Here’s how to make a target that changes from a strong ogre to a crying one.
First, tape a piece of cardboard to the top half of an empty box that will serve as the base.
In this state, draw a picture of a strong ogre.
Think of drawing the body on the lower box and the face on the upper cardboard.
Then flip up the cardboard, and this time draw the body on the lower cardboard and the crying ogre’s face on the upper box.
Once you’re done drawing, put the cardboard back up and secure it with a stopper.
By swapping the positions of the cardboard, the ogre illustration changes.