[For 3-year-olds] Winter craft activities and bulletin board decoration ideas for use in childcare
In winter, there are many ways to have fun with children—big events like Christmas, New Year’s, and Setsubun, as well as chances to experience the changing climate and nature through snow and ice.
Many teachers may be thinking about incorporating that wintry feeling into their art and craft activities as well.
So this time, we’re introducing craft ideas to make in winter with three-year-olds.
We’ve gathered a wide range of ideas, from those related to winter events to themes unique to the season—like snowmen and mittens.
We’ve selected activities that will spark children’s interest and curiosity, so please try using them in your childcare setting.
Because the children’s creations are treated as works, we use the term “制作” (seisaku, ‘creation/work’) in the text.
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[For 3-year-olds] Winter craft activities and bulletin board decoration ideas you can use in childcare (61–70)
Origami Plum Blossoms Kids Can Enjoy—Perfect for New Year’s Too!
Free-thinking sparks children’s creativity! It’s a great idea that lets kids enjoy both the focus of folding origami along lines and corners, and the excitement of tearing it dynamically.
Use the torn origami as beautiful branches, then stick on carefully folded plum blossoms to create your very own plum tree.
Drawing the pistils and stamens with crayons or colored pencils will help capture the distinctive features of plum flowers even more.
Take this opportunity to give it a try!
Handmade toys you can play with during the New Year
Try making New Year’s crafts that you can enjoy and play with even after they’re finished, together as a parent-child activity.
You’ll make a spinning top, a kite, and a hanetsuki set (paddle and shuttlecock).
For the top, draw pictures on the sides of a paper cup, cut four evenly spaced slits and flare them open, then attach a plastic bottle cap as the handle.
For the kite, slightly offset and layer two sheets of origami paper and glue them together; attach sparkly tape as the tails to complete the body, then add a lactic-acid drink bottle as the handle and tie on kite string.
For the hanetsuki paddle, use cardboard and disposable chopsticks: cut two paddle-shaped pieces from cardboard, sandwich the chopsticks between them, and glue.
For the shuttlecock, tie a knot in the middle of some raffia (suzuran) tape, press a small ball of tissue onto the knot, and wrap it with origami paper.
Cute wobbly daruma doll
Let’s make a cute daruma that wobbles when you poke it.
You’ll need a paper plate, construction paper, and a pen.
Please prepare construction paper in four colors for the body, face, eyes, and decorations.
First, cut the body piece of construction paper into a circle to match the size of the paper plate.
Next, cut an oval from the face-colored paper, and cut two small circles from the eye-colored paper.
Glue them in order—body, face, then eyes—and draw the pupils with the pen.
Then cut three ovals from the decorative paper and stick them below the face.
Fold the paper plate in half and attach the daruma to one side—that’s it! If you’re making this with small children, adults should prepare the parts in advance.
Winter craft! Rolling snowman
Snowmen made from toilet paper rolls are round and adorable.
Cut a toilet paper roll in half, then glue colored origami paper on top.
Glue the two prepared roll pieces together to form a snowman shape.
Attach a triangle hat made from construction paper, draw the face with colored pens, and your snowman is complete.
Since cutting the round toilet paper rolls can be difficult for children, it’s a good idea to prepare pre-cut pieces in advance.
On the walls too! Cute winter crafts
When you open it, a cute wall display featuring fir trees and snowmen appears.
Gather washi paper, water-based markers, scissors, water, a brush, and a pencil to get started.
Fold the washi paper in half twice and draw your guide lines.
It’s easier to cut if you follow the guide lines as you cut toward the tip.
Color the fir tree and snowman areas with water-based markers, then blur them with water on your brush and let them dry thoroughly.
Finally, gently open the washi paper, paste it onto construction paper, and you’re done.
Try changing the colors or the expressions to create your own original wall decoration.
Let’s make a Fukuwarai and play!
How about enjoying a classic New Year’s game, fukuwarai? Have the children draw and make the base sheet and facial parts however they like using construction paper and crayons.
By creating them themselves, the kids can grasp what the finished face should look like, and after playing fukuwarai they won’t be able to stop laughing! It might be even funnier if you make it as a self-portrait.
It’s perfectly fine if the fukuwarai face doesn’t turn out “well,” so why not encourage the kids by saying, “Make a funny face on purpose!”
Stamping Shishimai (Lion Dance)
This is a New Year–themed craft activity that kids can enjoy by stamping away.
Through making it, they can naturally learn that the furoshiki cloth of the shishimai (lion dance) often features auspicious patterns, such as the swirling karakusa arabesque and the powerful ke-manji motif.
The shishimai is a beloved traditional performing art for warding off misfortune and praying for good health, and it’s said that being “bitten” on the head will keep you lively for the year.
As children create patterns with stamping, sharing this background story alongside the activity will greatly deepen their understanding.
