Lovely childcare

[For 3-year-olds] Winter craft activities and bulletin board decoration ideas for use in childcare

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.

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.

[For 3-Year-Olds] Winter Craft Activities and Bulletin Board/Wall Display Ideas for Childcare (1–10)

A bubble art snowman

https://www.tiktok.com/@levwell_hoikushi/video/7587300923865648405

Soap-bubble art creates unique patterns.

This time, let’s use the technique to make a snowman.

First, prepare some colored bubble solution.

Just mix soap solution into white paint thinned with water.

Dip a toilet paper roll core into the bubble solution and use it as a stamp so that two circles connect.

These will be the snowman’s head and body.

Once it’s dry, draw the face, hands, and a scarf with pens or crayons to finish a cute snowman.

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[Yarn] Snowflake

This is a great idea for those in snowy regions or anyone looking for a craft with a seasonal feel! You’ll need items like thick paper or a milk carton, cool-colored yarn, cellophane tape, scissors, and so on.

Many children may have never seen real snowflakes.

Before starting the craft, it’s helpful to look at snowflakes in picture books or encyclopedias to help them build an image.

The yarn-wrapped pieces are cute enough to display on their own, but turning them into a garland or mobile can create a lovely atmosphere!

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Tissue paper heart

This is a Valentine’s craft with a heart motif.

Try expressing a heart in various ways in the center of a sheet of construction paper.

For infants, a recommended method is to draw a heart outline and fill the inside with crumpled tissue paper to create a three-dimensional heart.

For children who can use scissors well, try cutting a heart-shaped window in the center of the paper and expressing the heart with a lattice pattern made from strips of construction paper.

As a decoration, making heart-shaped paper cutouts with origami is also recommended.

Create a lovely heart using methods suited to each age group!

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[For 3-year-olds] Ideas for Winter Crafts and Wall Decorations Useful in Childcare (11–20)

Hand-painted oni creation

[Setsubun] Making an Oni with hand painting #Setsubun #February

Hand-painted oni creation

Let’s try painting an oni (demon) face by hand.

Prepare a black construction paper base and paints in any colors you like.

First, put some watered-down paint on your hand and use it to draw the outline of the oni’s face on the base.

The outline can be round or triangular—anything is fine.

Have the children imagine the kind of oni they think of and draw it.

Once the paint dries, glue on the parts you made from construction paper—face, cheeks, horns, and hair—to finish.

Any paint color is okay, but since the base is black, bright colors work well.

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Perfect for February! Easy snowman

@shokaaijien
We’ll be making snowmen in February. ⛄️ You can use your favorite colors to make your own snowman, so be sure to give it a try!Tsunashima Shohana Nursery School #Nursery school Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers Aspiring childcare worker #NurseryTeacherInTraining Nursery school teacher Production translation #Production Video Made in February February Snowman 3 years old Winter Winter Production The cutest ever #SuperTokimekiPromotionClub
The most supremely cute! – Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu

This is a fun snowman craft where the paint bleeds into patterns! Brush water onto the surface of a snowman-shaped piece of construction paper, then dab on your favorite colors of paint.

Once the paint dries, draw the snowman’s face and glue on a paper bucket to finish.

Prepare paints and construction paper in various colors so children can enjoy choosing their colors.

The way the paint bleeds changes depending on how much water you mix with it, so be sure to observe the differences.

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Battledore with dyed paper and a daruma

The soft hues of dyed paper are perfect for making New Year’s battledores (hagoita).

Give it a try.

Use hanshi (thin calligraphy paper) for the dyeing.

To capture the festive feel of the New Year, it’s a good idea for adults to preselect the colors to some extent.

After enjoying the dyeing process and letting the paper dry thoroughly, treat the paper as a hagoita, glue it onto brown construction paper, and add a handle.

A battledore alone can look simple, so combining it with other crafts—like a daruma—will really enhance the overall atmosphere.

Enjoy making these together with the children.

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Shishimai (lion dance) made with torn-paper collage

[Kindergarten/Daycare] January: Tear-and-Paste Craft! Shishimai (Lion Dance) Artwork & Craft Part 1

Shishimai (lion dance) made with torn-paper collage

This is a cheerful lion dance (shishimai) torn-paper collage recommended for three-year-olds.

First, fold a red sheet of origami so that the white and red sides each show halfway.

Prepare parts like the shishimai’s nose and eyebrows in advance.

With the red side facing up, glue on the parts, then draw the eyes and mouth with crayons to complete the face.

Next, prepare a backing sheet and apply glue in an area matching the size of the shishimai’s body.

Tear colorful strips of origami paper and stick them on freely.

Finally, place the shishimai face on top, draw any pictures you like in the empty spaces, and it’s done!

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