Lovely childcare

Craft ideas for 1-year-olds to enjoy in spring: flowers and koinobori (carp streamers)

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

Curious and eager to go and try things, one-year-olds often have a strong desire to explore.

They also show interest in making things, and their motivation to “give it a try” grows.

For those wondering what kinds of projects to enjoy with one-year-olds, here are some spring recommendations.

We’ve gathered ideas for creating fun motifs like flowers, animals, and carp streamers (koinobori) using a variety of materials and techniques.

These activities will make craft time exciting for the children, so please use them as a reference.

Because we treat children’s creations as works of art, we use the term “seisaku (制作)” to mean “art/craft projects” throughout the text.

[For 1-year-olds] Craft ideas to enjoy in spring: flowers and koinobori (61–70)

Strawberries made with cotton swab stamps

[Spring Craft] How to Make Strawberries with Cotton Swab Stamps! [Ages 2 and up] (ASMR-style video)

Strawberries made with cotton swab stamps

For a spring craft, let’s make bright red, delicious-looking strawberries.

Prepare construction paper, paint, cotton swabs, scissors, and glue.

Cut the construction paper into strawberry shapes, then dip a cotton swab in paint and stamp on the seeds.

If you use a slightly larger amount of paint and thin it well with water first, the seed color will transfer more easily.

Once you glue the calyx to the top of the strawberry, it’s complete.

Cutting origami to decorate around the strawberry or adding washi tape will make it look even more spring-like and festive.

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Mobile of clouds and balloons

Feel the sky with the cute hanging decoration “Fluffy Cloud and Hot Air Balloon” ☁

Mobile of clouds and balloons

It spins around and looks so cute! Let me share an idea for a mobile with fluffy clouds and hot air balloons.

You’ll need scissors, glue, thread, beads, translucent origami paper, tissue paper, four rubber bands, craft adhesive, tape, and bamboo skewers.

Use the tissue paper and rubber bands to make fluffy clouds, and make the hot air balloons with the translucent origami paper and beads.

You’ll build a frame with the bamboo skewers and hang the pieces, so if you’re making this with children, be sure to work with safety in mind.

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Strawberry Tissue Paper

[0- and 1-year-olds] We made strawberries and played pretend strawberry picking.

Strawberry Tissue Paper

Here’s an idea for making strawberries using crumpled tissue paper in clear bags.

Give the children red tissue paper and have them enjoy the sound as they crumple it.

It doesn’t have to be a perfect ball.

Once it’s crumpled, put it in a bag and tie the opening—an adult should do the tying.

Next, stick black round stickers on the bag to make seeds, and attach a calyx made from construction paper to finish! You can play with them as they are, or use raffia (suzuran) tape and clothespins to create rows and enjoy a pretend harvest—highly recommended!

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Torn-paper collage: Cherry tree

[Graduation/Entrance Ceremony] Make it from 0 years old! Let’s create a cherry blossom tree with torn-paper collage ♪ [Spring Craft]

Torn-paper collage: Cherry tree

As a spring craft idea, here’s a cherry blossom tree made with torn paper.

First, prepare by drawing the tree trunk on construction paper.

You could draw just the outline and let the children color it in.

Next, prepare several sheets of tissue paper in different shades and let them tear the paper as they like.

Encourage them to enjoy the ripping sensation and to feel the softness by crumpling the torn pieces in their hands.

Spread glue over the trunk drawn on the construction paper, then stick on the torn tissue paper to make the cherry blossoms full and blooming—and it’s complete!

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[scribble] butterfly

[Crafts] Recommended right after moving up a grade! Low-stress crafts for infants [Nursery/Kindergarten]

[scribble] butterfly

Here’s an idea for making butterflies using scribbled drawing paper.

First, prepare a large sheet of drawing paper and let the children scribble on it with crayons.

Using pens is fine, too! Once they’re done, use a template to cut the paper into a butterfly shape, then attach a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) as the antennae to finish.

The children’s scribbles will become the patterns on the butterfly wings, so try to position the template over areas with lots of drawing.

Also, an adult should handle the cutting with scissors.

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[Handprint] Easter Bunny

Introduction to Fun and Easy Easter Crafts [Nursery/Kindergarten]

[Handprint] Easter Bunny

Here’s an idea for making an Easter bunny using a handprint! First, have your child make a handprint, making sure they spread their fingers wide.

Once the handprint is done, paint the spaces between the index and middle fingers, and between the ring and pinky fingers to create the bunny’s ears.

Draw the bunny’s face on the palm area.

You can stop there, but adding finger-stamped patterns around the bunny makes it even cuter—highly recommended! Also, cut the construction paper with the handprint into a flower-like shape to make it extra adorable.

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[Finger Stamp] Ladybug

[Spring Craft] How to Make Ladybugs with Finger Stamps! [Ages 0 and up] (ASMR-style Video)

[Finger Stamp] Ladybug

Here’s a ladybug craft idea using finger stamps.

Make the base of the ladybug entirely out of construction paper.

Have an adult cut out and assemble the head, wings, and antennae in advance.

For the wings, add a thin vertical line down the center to separate left and right.

Children can dip a finger in black paint and stamp dots onto the wings.

By leaving small gaps between the stamps and making several dots, you’ll get a nice wing pattern.

Once the paint dries, it’s finished! Making a larger ladybug and using it as a wall decoration could be really cute, too.

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