Lovely childcare

[For 1-year-olds] Fun to make! A collection of winter craft activity ideas for use in childcare

[For 1-year-olds] Fun to make! A collection of winter craft activity ideas for use in childcare

Last updated:2026/1/16

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.

Winter is full of exciting events for children, like Christmas, New Year’s, Setsubun, and Valentine’s Day.

Many teachers are probably looking to enjoy winter-themed crafts together with their children.

In this article, we’ll introduce winter craft ideas for one-year-olds.

Along with ideas tied to seasonal events and holidays, we also feature motifs unique to winter—like snowmen and mittens—that are rich in seasonal atmosphere.

We’ve gathered craft ideas that use unique techniques to keep one-year-olds fully engaged, so we hope you enjoy creating together this winter.

Since the children’s creations are treated as works, we refer to them as “seisaku” (productions/crafts) in the main text.

[For 1-year-olds] Fun to make! A collection of winter craft play ideas you can use in childcare (1–10)

Gloves made from handprints

[Winter Craft] Great for younger kids too! Easy Handprint Mittens [Daycare/Kindergarten]

Gloves made from handprints

Recommended for the cold winter! Here’s how to make simple mittens using a handprint.

You will need construction paper, tissue paper, glue, and a pencil.

First, fold the construction paper in half, place your hand on one side, and trace around it with the pencil.

Cut slightly outside the traced lines so the pencil marks don’t show.

Next, cut the tissue paper—if you’re working with one-year-olds, let them enjoy tearing it by hand.

Glue the cut (or torn) tissue paper onto the side of the construction paper that you didn’t cut out.

Fold it in half, and you’ll have an adorable mitten where the tissue paper shows through the cutout!

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Snow Globe Made with Construction Paper

@tensaikids1031
January craft activity for the 1-year-old class ⛄️Genius Kids Club Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Production Aspiring childcare worker Childcare Ideas
♬ My Binky – Baby Version – HeyKids Nursery Rhymes

Make Your Own Snow Globe! Here’s a simple way to create a snow globe using construction paper.

Materials: a white piece of construction paper cut into a circle, a slightly larger colored construction paper circle, glue, crayons, and stickers.

First, draw a circle on the white paper with crayons in any color you like.

After drawing the circle, stick your favorite stickers on top.

Since peeling stickers can be tricky for some one-year-olds, please work together with the teachers.

Finally, glue the white circle onto the larger colored circle—and it’s done!

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New Year’s first calligraphy drawn freely

Perfect for New Year’s! Here are some creative ideas for kakizome (first calligraphy of the year).

Even if we say “kakizome,” this is a free-form version that even children who can’t write characters yet can try.

Depending on age, let them try drawing pictures, writing characters, or simple words.

After they do their kakizome on drawing paper, paste it onto a slightly larger sheet to serve as a backing.

Then attach rolled sheets of paper to the top and bottom to give it a hanging scroll look.

Finally, add pre-made parts like a rabbit daruma, a gold fan, and pieces of washi-patterned origami, and it’s done! For younger children, it’s best to prepare the parts in advance so they can simply stick them on like stickers.

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Christmas tree made with tissue paper

https://www.tiktok.com/@chooobo2/video/7437083772450852103

Here’s how to make a Christmas tree with plastic cups, recommended for one-year-olds.

Materials: plastic cups, colored construction paper cut into circles, decorative pom-poms, tissue paper, cellophane tape, and double-sided tape.

First, tear the tissue paper by hand, crumple it into balls, and put them inside the plastic cup.

Cover the opening with a circle of colored paper and secure it with tape.

Put decorative pom-poms inside the cup, and stick another circle of colored paper on the outside.

Finally, attach a star to the top with double-sided tape, and it’s complete!

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A kagami mochi made by crumpling tissue paper

https://www.tiktok.com/@hoiku.labo/video/7314907471255047425

Fun for 1-year-olds! Here’s how to make a Kagami Mochi by crumpling and sticking tissue paper.

You’ll need colored construction paper, a paper daidai (bitter orange) made from colored paper, tissue paper, glue, and crayons.

First, glue a paper sanpō (offering stand) made from colored paper onto the base sheet.

Have the children tear the tissue paper lengthwise, crumple it into balls, and glue them onto the base.

Finally, add the paper daidai on top and let them decorate freely with crayons—done! Enjoy making this together with your child as you prepare for the New Year.

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Torn-paper collage daruma

@taisougakuen_osaka_ikuno
Here are the January craft activities of the Sunun (1–2-year-old) class 👀 We made daruma dolls 🔴 Tearing, coloring, and sticking—each child is diligently creating their own daruma just the way they imagine it 👶🏻 We’re still accepting free trial visits! We look forward to seeing you anytime ☆Gymnastics Academy Ikuno Ward, Osaka City Kita-Tatsumi Ikuno Ward Nursery School Excellent Unlicensed Childcare Facility I love gymnastics I want to connect with people who like gymnastics.Free trial now available
♬ Kawaikute gomen – HoneyWorks

Cute for New Year’s decorations! Here’s how to make a daruma using torn-paper art that’s perfect for 1-year-olds.

What you’ll need: colored construction paper with a circle drawn in the center, parts for the daruma’s eyes and beard, origami paper for decoration, stickers, and glue.

How to make it: Since 1-year-olds enjoy tearing paper with their hands, have them tear red origami paper by hand.

Apply glue to the torn pieces and stick them inside the circle on the colored paper, then attach the daruma parts on top.

Finally, decorate around the daruma with any origami paper or stickers you like, and it’s done!

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Santa Claus with a fluffy beard

@asmrtttd
Christmas: Ideas for making Santa craftsNursery teacher / Childcare worker Made in December #NurseryTeacherThings #NurseryTeacherDailyLife Day off of a nursery school teacher
♬ Christmas standard song – 3KTrack

The texture of tissue paper is so much fun! Here’s how to make a Santa Claus decoration that 1-year-olds will love.

Materials: a Santa face piece without eyes, white tissue paper, double-sided tape, and round stickers.

First, prepare Santa’s face using colored construction paper.

Apply double-sided tape to the beard area.

Have the child crumple the tissue paper and stick it onto the tape.

Finish by adding eyes and cheeks with the round stickers.

Depending on the child’s age, you can also use yarn instead of tissue paper for a fun variation.

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