[Childcare] Rainy days can be fun too! Recommended rainy-season craft ideas for June

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

During the rainy season, when there are more rainy days, kindergartens and daycare centers often have stretches when the children can’t play outside, which can be disappointing for them.

Here, we’ll introduce craft ideas that make those days fun.

There are projects like umbrellas, frogs, and snails that you can make to decorate the walls or play with, works that use interesting techniques, and items to make together with adults.

Choose activities that match the children’s ages and developmental stages, and try making them together.

If you decorate the room with lots of what you’ve made, you can enjoy the rainy season too!

[Childcare] Rainy Days Can Be Fun Too! Recommended Rainy-Season Crafts for June (41–50)

Hydrangea Clock

How about a wall decoration that treats hydrangeas as a clock? Hydrangea blossoms have many small flowers that form a round shape, which resembles a round clock.

You could put the clock numbers on the small petals that make up the flower, or place a snail in the center to act as the clock hands.

You could also put frogs or umbrellas above the numbers to indicate, “This is the time right now.” Even if it doesn’t keep real time, as long as the design makes it clear that the clock and hydrangea are combined, it will feel stylish and capture children’s interest!

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SAKI

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[Childcare] Rainy days can be fun too! Recommended rainy season craft ideas for June (51–60)

Totoro’s Umbrella

Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro is a beloved film for both children and adults.

Many people probably remember the scene where Totoro stands at the bus stop holding an umbrella.

Let’s create a piece that combines umbrellas—which get lots of use in June—with Totoro, a favorite among kids! You could boldly place a big Totoro with a big umbrella, or, as in the anime, include Satsuki and Mei, which is also recommended.

Adding Chu-Totoro and Chibi-Totoro will make the picture even more lively.

In the anime, they use a plain black umbrella, but choosing a colorful one might brighten the mood even in the rain.

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SAKI

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raincoat

A raincoat is indispensable during the rainy season.

Here’s an idea to use raincoats—something familiar and friendly to children—as a wall decoration.

Instead of simply cutting out raincoat shapes and displaying them, why not try adding a creative twist? Prepare raincoats in a variety of bright colors, then create patterns by rolling marbles dipped in paint over colored construction paper, or by flicking paint from a brush in a dripping style.

After adding the patterns, cut the paper into raincoat shapes to make unique, personalized raincoats.

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utatane

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Hanging ornament of umbrellas and raindrops

These days you can even find transparent origami paper at 100-yen shops.

How about using that transparent origami to make a hanging decoration of umbrellas and raindrop shapes? Use pipe cleaners to make the umbrella handles.

With umbrellas in different colors and raindrops fluttering gently, it’s a delightful, mesmerizing decoration to look at.

You can make it with colored cellophane too, but transparent origami paper is sturdier and holds its shape more easily.

You can also get pipe cleaners and nylon thread at 100-yen shops.

It should look even more beautiful when the light hits it.

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utatane

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Handprint snail

During the rainy season, you’ll have more chances to spot snails in places like the playground, right? How about drawing snails using handprints! One method is to prepare the parts other than the shell with construction paper and stamp the handprint for the shell.

You can also get creative with the handprint placement and make the body from a handprint as another option.

If the teacher uses their hand, you’ll get a larger snail, but it’s also recommended to have the children help a little and use their own handprints to make snails for wall decorations.

Try creating a lively piece where the snails happily crawl along!

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SAKI

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Rainy season plastic shrink art

@tokumeisan111
Plastic board #Hydrangea Start of the rainy season Rain Frog Baking Soda Art gypsum Daiso Seria #100-yen-shop #Interior Art Miscellaneous goods work Arts and crafts #Summer vacation homework Art Simple arrangement #TextureArt Translation Impersonation / impressions #amateurDIY I tried making it Recommendation
♬ Sensitivity – Tōkyū Orris

Let’s make a rainy-season inspired craft using shrink plastic! Draw hydrangeas, frogs, raindrops, and other rainy-season motifs on the plastic sheet with colored pencils, then cut around the drawings.

Coat each piece with resin and cure it under a UV light.

Place small, finely cut and heated pieces of shrink plastic onto the hydrangea section, then cure again.

Arrange all the parts in your preferred layout, layer on more resin, and cure to finish.

You’ll have a cool, transparent-looking craft! It also makes a great keychain or bag charm.

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yuri

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Rainy Day Bear

Let’s use the marble-rolling art technique to make a cute “Rainy Day Bear.” First, place small drops of paint on drawing paper and roll marbles over it.

Be sure to use a container with raised edges so the marbles don’t roll out.

Since this will become the bear’s raincoat, choose bright colors for a cute finish.

Once the paint is dry, cut it into the shape of a raincoat and attach the bear’s face and rain boots.

Finally, use a green paint handprint as a leaf umbrella for the bear to hold, and you’re done!

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tsukada moe