[For 4-Year-Olds] Feel the Spring Up Close! Fun and Easy Craft Ideas You’ll Love

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.
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.

Spring is when colorful flowers bloom and insects begin to move about energetically.

Many teachers may be thinking, “I want children to feel the charms of spring!”

So this time, we’ve gathered spring-themed craft ideas recommended for four-year-olds.

Packed with fun projects that incorporate spring motifs familiar to children—like cherry blossoms, dandelions, butterflies, and ladybugs!

These ideas focus on enjoying self-expression while expanding their imaginations, as well as experiencing a variety of techniques and materials, so be sure to check them out.

Because the children’s creations are treated as artworks, the term used in the text is “制作” (seisaku), meaning “art/craft production.”

[For 4-year-olds] Feel the spring around you! Fun and recommended craft ideas (71–80)

Dandelion Drum

@picoton_craft
Welcome spring with an easy craft: a dandelion × den-den daiko (Japanese pellet drum) made from paper plates!#HandmadeToys Simple craft Translation #dandelion #handcraftideas
♬ Cute – Aurel Surya Lie

Dandelions transform into adorable instruments! Here’s an idea for making a dandelion den-den daiko (hand drum) with paper plates.

You’ll need two paper plates with a rim, a wooden chopstick, green masking tape, ribbon, and beads.

Wrap the chopstick all the way around with green masking tape so it’s safe to use.

Draw dandelions on the outside of the two paper plates, then treat the chopstick wrapped in green tape as the stem and attach it to the inside.

Next, attach ribbons to the left and right sides, and tie beads to the ends of the ribbons on the outside.

Stack and fasten the two paper plates together, and you’re done.

When you spin it, the beads hit the plates and make a sound!

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hiyoko sensei

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Papercut of a dandelion

Let’s make it with scissors! Here are some cut-paper dandelion ideas.

You’ll need yellow origami paper, glue or double-sided tape, scissors, and a compass.

Using the yellow origami paper, cut out three sizes of dandelions—large, medium, and small.

Layering the three sizes will give the petals a three-dimensional look and create a gorgeous finish.

If you also cut green origami paper to make the stem and leaves, it ties everything together beautifully.

Give it a try!

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Chick and Four-Leaf Clover

Let each child’s individuality shine! Here are some ideas featuring chicks and four-leaf clovers.

Clover motifs are beloved as symbols that bring good luck and make wishes come true.

Let’s express the hopes of moving up to a new grade through a craft activity.

You will need construction paper, crayons, white drawing paper, paint, and glue or double-sided tape.

Use hand painting with paint to make four-leaf clovers, and draw chicks and ladybugs with crayons.

Each piece will turn out as a unique, special creation!

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[For 4-year-olds] Feel the spring around you! Fun and recommended craft ideas to make (81–90)

Sticky Felt Balloon

Here’s an idea for making balloons that make the most of felt’s soft, fluffy texture.

First, cut light blue construction paper into a balloon shape.

Next, cut felt in three colors into triangles or squares.

Finally, use wood glue to attach the felt pieces onto the balloon and make a handle with yarn—that’s it! It’s also cute to display the balloons as if animals or characters are holding them.

Adjust tasks like cutting the paper and using scissors according to the children’s age and developmental stage.

Besides felt, it’s also fun to try various materials like ribbons and beads to decorate the balloons.

Give it a try for inspiration!

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honeybee

@sachimama_asobi
I tried making a simple and cute little honeybee! ✨🐝 Today, by my sons’ request, we made a “bee.” 🍯 Materials: - 1 sheet of yellow origami paper (15 cm × 15 cm) - 2 sheets of white origami paper (7.5 cm × 7.5 cm) - A little black origami paper (for the stripes/pattern) We’ll make it using glue. When you make it with origami, it turns out super cute, but be careful around real bees! 🥹✨ It’s easy, so be sure to save this and give it a try! +——————————————+ I’m Sachi-mama, raising three energetic boys ages 8, 6, and 2❀ I share play ideas and easy crafts with kids using 100-yen items, natural materials, and recyclables. Feel free to like, follow, or DM! Follow here ▷ @sachimama_asobi +——————————————+#AtHomePlay　#AtHomePlay work　 Play with children #I love crafts　Handmade　　 #origami #papercraft Spring crafts　Summer #hachi　#Honeybee　How to fold a bee Origami You Can Play With #Flower
♬ Such an adorable baby – arrived as expected

Let’s make a cute honeybee that goes buzz-buzz! Here’s an idea for making a honeybee out of origami.

You’ll need yellow and black origami paper, white origami paper cut into quarter-size pieces, scissors, and glue or craft adhesive.

It’s a fun idea that lets you create a lively bee in flight with origami! Use the yellow and black paper to make a cute, pop-style bee, then add wings with the white paper and you’re done! Using tools like scissors and glue makes the process exciting, too.

Kids will love the distinctive colors and shapes!

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The kitchen sponge transforms into a butterfly!

@an_hoiku_seisaku
Introducing stamp play you can set up in no time! For the sponge, just add some rubber bands 🧽 and the spoon works as-is 👌 The only thing to watch is the paint thickness 🎨✨ For the butterfly, using a bit more water than for the tulip made stamping easier 🦋#Childcare Crafting #Making Play #Spring crafts #paint Stamp #Production Video
♬ Round and Round – Mingle Game (Marimba Ringtone) – Anime Ringtones & Anytunz

It’s great that you can make use of familiar materials you already have at home or in the classroom! Here’s an idea where a kitchen sponge transforms into a butterfly.

The butterfly made with a kitchen sponge and a spork is appealing because the materials are easy to gather and the steps are simple.

The soft, gentle texture unique to sponges is a key feature! Cutting the sponge into smaller sizes lets you make tiny butterflies too, which is a fun twist.

Give it a try in your activities!

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Kitchen paper bouquet

@niconico_mama
It looks just like the real thing! 😍✨ You know how you go for a walk, pick some flowers, and then they wilt… such a common thing, right?? But with this, you can easily make flowers that look real and never wilt! 😍✨ The material is—believe it or not—kitchen paper!! Color it with water-based markers, shape it into a flower, then spritz it with water 💕 And in no time, your flower is done! By the way, you don’t even have to cut it into circles—just crumple it up as a square and secure it with a pipe cleaner, and that works too 😆👍 They look cute as room decor, and they’d make a great Mother’s Day gift next month… 😍♥️ Dads of the world! Please make these with your kids 🥹✨ ♥️ ‪๛ก(ｰ̀ωｰ́ก)‬ <If you make it, Mom will be happy> Try making them in lots of colors and have fun! 😊💕 —————————— Here’s what I used: • Kitchen paper (paper towels) • Pipe cleaners • Water-based markers • Scissors • Spray bottle and water If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can use a paintbrush with water or a dropper! —————————— ☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆ Thank you always for your comments and likes 😊 Some people even tell me, “I made it!” and that makes me super happy ☺️♥️ I’m looking forward to seeing what you all play with and make 😆✨✨ ☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆Mother’s Day craft #PapercraftHandmade #Handmade Mother's Day Gift
Adventure – YOASOBI

You can even create your own original vivid colors! Here are some ideas for kitchen paper towel bouquets.

Let’s arrange everyday paper towels that are familiar to kids and try making a bouquet.

You’ll need paper towels, water-based markers, a spray bottle, scissors, and pipe cleaners.

After cutting the paper towels into circles and coloring them with water-based markers, shape them with pipe cleaners and spray them with water.

The steps are simple, but the result is beautiful and brilliant.

It’s also nice to add a touch with wrapping.

Take this opportunity to give it a try!

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