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 (41–50)

pansy

[Spring Origami] Easy! Cute Pansy Flower Folding Method — Origami Pansy

pansy

Pansies, which you often see in flower beds at kindergartens and daycare centers, are probably one of the flowers most familiar to children, aren’t they? Let’s try making those pansies with origami! Fold the origami paper into a triangle, then fold the two end corners up to the top point.

Fold all the corners inward to complete a petal.

Make five identical pieces, glue them together, and draw the pansy’s distinctive pattern to finish! When you create flowers you usually see without thinking much about them using origami, you grow even more attached to them.

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Chick and Four-Leaf Clover

Here’s an introduction to making chicks and four-leaf clovers.

Prepare paint, brushes, a palette, drawing paper, and crayons, and let’s get started.

Put paint on the children’s palms and have them do hand painting to color and create the four-leaf clovers.

Older children can try drawing chicks and ladybugs on the drawing paper.

For younger children, it’s also nice to have them paste pre-made chicks or ladybugs.

For the background paper, we recommend spring-like colors such as pink or light blue!

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Butterflies made with colorful tissue paper

https://www.tiktok.com/@kiitos_staff/video/7096033540764224769

Let’s make your very own special butterfly! Here are some ideas for butterflies made with colorful tissue paper.

Tissue paper is thin and soft, and it’s often used for crafts that have a gentle, festive feel.

With its wide range of colors, it’s perfect for creating three-dimensional flowers and decorations.

It’s lightweight and easy for kids to work with, so they can cut, crumple, and twist it to freely express different shapes.

This time, we’ll make a butterfly from the popular children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

The patterns and color choices really show off each person’s individuality.

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The kitchen sponge transforms into a butterfly!

https://www.tiktok.com/@hii_hoiku_seisaku/video/7481957164031003911

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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Sparkly-winged butterfly

Let’s make one with colored foil origami! Here’s an idea for a butterfly with sparkly wings.

Colored foil origami has a unique texture and a beautiful finish, giving a more glamorous impression than regular origami.

This time, let’s make the butterfly that appears in the beloved children’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” It’s also great practice for cutting straight with scissors.

For toddlers, it might be easier if they tear the paper by hand to create their own arrangement.

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Butterflies made with finger painting

Happy little fingers that stay clean! Here’s a butterfly craft idea using finger painting.

By using a zippered plastic bag, there’s no mess on their fingers, so even infants in the 0-year-old class can enjoy it—such a great point.

With finger-painted butterflies, kids can press with their fingers, step with their feet, or grab with their hands, enjoying art in any way they like.

Using their hands helps develop their senses and fine motor skills, and they can also enjoy the excitement of not knowing exactly how the artwork will turn out.

Let’s create together with the children and have fun seeing what kind of art emerges.

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Handprint butterfly

https://www.tiktok.com/@hoiku_ratty/video/7474215696705064213

Let’s create crafts using children’s handprints! Here are some handprint butterfly ideas.

Art made with children’s handprints turns into wonderful keepsakes.

The charm is that by taking their handprints, you can preserve their growth and a moment in time as a record! Use your child’s favorite paint colors and enjoy making it in a fun atmosphere.

What you’ll need: construction paper, paint, pipe cleaners, tape, scissors, glue, and a pen.

It would also be fun to display butterflies made with teachers’ or guardians’ handprints side by side with the children’s.

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