Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Fun to Make! Recommended Craft Ideas for Spring

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.

In spring, with new admissions and moving up to the next class, you can see children in all sorts of states—excited, nervous, and everything in between.

Many teachers are probably hoping that the children will come to enjoy their days at the preschool/kindergarten.

So this time, we’re sharing craft ideas perfect for spring.

We’ve gathered plenty of motifs that evoke the season—like cherry blossoms, tulips, and ladybugs—as well as ideas you can use for events such as Easter and Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day).

Decorate various areas to wrap your room in a spring atmosphere, and the children are sure to feel cozy and smile!

Give them a try.

Note: Since the things the children make are treated as “artworks,” we refer to them as “seisaku (制作)” in the text.

[Childcare] Fun to Make! Recommended Craft Ideas for Spring (141–150)

Fluffy Tissue Paper Butterflies

(Paper Pom-Pom) Easy! How to Make a Cute Butterfly [DIY]

Fluffy Tissue Paper Butterflies

Gorgeous and beautiful! Here are some ideas for making fluffy butterflies with tissue paper.

Let’s use tissue paper—often used for crafts with a soft, elegant look—to create butterflies that look ready to flutter away.

Tissue paper comes in a wide range of colors, so it’s great that you can combine your favorite shades.

When spreading the wings, gently and lightly fluff them out for a more beautiful finish.

Give it a try!

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Tissue-paper butterfly

Kimie Gangi’s spring wall display: super-easy tissue-paper “butterfly” with template included

Tissue-paper butterfly

Why not try making fluffy butterflies using soft tissue paper? If you use a template, you can easily make them in bulk.

Start by creating a butterfly template with dark-colored tissue paper.

Divide the tissue paper into six equal parts and cut out the template with scissors.

Once cut, stick it onto copier paper and make copies.

Stack several sheets of butterfly tissue paper on top of the copied paper, staple around the edges, and then cut them out along with the template.

After cutting, twist a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) around the center of the butterfly paper to finish.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Let’s make it using tissue paper

How to Make a Dandelion Wall Display? A Preschool Teacher Explains Recommended Spring New-Term Crafts (For Ages 1–3)

Let's make it using tissue paper

Here’s a cute spring wall display featuring dandelions.

Prepare construction paper, tissue paper, round stickers, scissors, and glue to get started.

Cut a circle from construction paper, fold it three times to divide it into eight sections, then cut two triangular notches at the top.

When you open the paper, it will form a dandelion shape.

Make the fluff (seed head) the same way using a different color of construction paper.

Use green construction paper to create leaves and stems.

Glue the dandelion parts onto the base sheet.

For the ladybug, assemble all the parts and use round stickers to make the wing spots.

Changing the color of the round stickers would be cute too.

Crumple tissue paper into a small ball for the dandelion center, glue it on, and you’re done!

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Tear it off and stick it! Laundry

[Kindergarten/Daycare] May Tearing-and-Pasting Laundry Art/Craft

Tear it off and stick it! Laundry

Perfect for warm spring days! Here’s a fun craft making laundry by tearing and pasting paper.

You’ll need a wide rectangular backing sheet, clothing templates, tissue paper, string, clothespins, a tree cutout, glue, and tape.

First, cut out the clothing templates with scissors.

Tear the tissue paper and paste it onto the clothing shapes.

Stick the string onto the backing sheet, then decorate with the tree, clothespins, and the clothes—and you’re done! It’s also fun to let the children choose their favorite colors for the backing sheet and tissue paper.

Hang up your original laundry and enjoy a spring-themed decoration!

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Strawberries made with torn-paper collage

[Something to make in spring] Tingly Stick-on Strawberry Torn-Paper Collage 🍓 #preschoolcraft #nurseryteacher #teachingideas #withkids #origami #origamicraft #tornpapercollage #strawberry #easycraft #shorts

Strawberries made with torn-paper collage

Let’s create using our fingertips! Here are some ideas for making strawberries with torn-paper collage.

You’ll need red origami paper, patterned origami paper, a backing sheet, glue or double-sided tape, scissors, flower-shaped cut paper, and strawberry calyx-shaped cut paper.

Use your fingertips to boldly tear the origami! It’s fun that the sound changes depending on how fast you tear.

Even things that seem obvious to adults can deepen the activity when you enjoy children’s discoveries as you work together.

Paste the torn pieces onto the backing sheet, then have a caregiver or teacher cut the sheet into a strawberry shape with scissors to finish.

It’s also great if the children can glue on the strawberry calyx themselves.

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Hanging weeping cherry (branch)

Kimie Gangi: “Weeping cherry blossoms” made with tissue paper and a vinyl umbrella #hangable #tissuepaperart #goshikizuru #shidarezakura #cherryblossom #sakura #diycrafts #seasonaldecor

Hanging weeping cherry (branch)

Great for events too! Let me share an idea for a hanging weeping cherry blossom decoration.

You’ll need a clear plastic umbrella, string, tape, glue, a stapler, scissors, pink tissue paper, and light pink tissue paper.

First, use the two colors of tissue paper to make cherry blossoms.

If you trim them into a forked shape with scissors, you can capture the characteristic look of cherry blossom petals! Next, glue the tissue paper blossoms onto the string.

Finally, tape them to the clear umbrella and you’re done.

It’s portable too, so give it a try!

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Flying grasshopper

[Wakuwaku-san’s Craft Class] A craft to make a “jumping grasshopper” using a toilet paper roll! Make it and have fun playing with it!

Flying grasshopper

Make it with a toilet paper roll! Here’s how to create a flying grasshopper.

First, make the grasshopper’s antennae with colored construction paper and tape them to the rim of the toilet paper roll with cellophane tape or similar.

Draw the eyes with your favorite color pen.

Next, make the grasshopper’s legs from colored paper and stick them on—then you’re done! If you press and release the rim of the roll with your fingers, the grasshopper will jump.

It’s also cute to change the paper color and make a cricket, so that’s recommended too.

Decorate your grasshopper however you like and create your very own original grasshopper!

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