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)

Bûche de Noël made with paper clay

@suginoko2525
Making Christmas cakes 🍰🎄 Easy enough for preschoolers!Suginoko Kindergarten #Kindergarten #Nursery school Kindergarten teacher Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Childcare student #NurseryTeacherInTraining Cake Translation Younger class (kindergarten junior class)Ages 3 and 4#Santa Santa #acorn #Pine cone #Christmas Christmas present Christmas song Christmas Eve
Santa Girl feat. nishina – WurtS

When it comes to Christmas, cake is a classic, isn’t it? For this cake, let’s prepare cardboard, paper clay, decorative items like nuts and pom-poms, and some glue.

We’ll make the “cream” by softening the paper clay with a small amount of water.

Once it reaches a creamy texture, put it into a food storage bag with a snipped-off corner, pipe it onto the cardboard, and spread it like frosting.

The softness of the “cream” is the key point.

It also sounds fun to cut the cardboard into square or triangular shapes to make different cakes.

Try imagining the cake you want to eat and create it!

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Making a Daruma fukuwarai

Fukuwarai Craft Full of Stimuli for Growth☆ January/Winter Craft Book: “We Made Funny Faces” ~For 2- and 3-Year-Olds~ [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

Making a Daruma fukuwarai

Daruma dolls are painted red, a color believed to ward off evil, and they’ve long been cherished as lucky charms.

This daruma fukuwarai is perfect for New Year’s, and it’s also a good idea for teachers to prepare the base and the eye and mouth pieces in advance.

Depending on the children’s ages, having them cut out just the pieces with scissors can be good practice, too.

Because they think about where to place the eyes and mouth before sticking them on, the funny expressions that result are part of fukuwarai’s charm.

It might also be fun to make a large fukuwarai to invite in lots of good fortune.

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Knitting a sweater with the yarn-wrapping panda

[Easy Winter Craft] Yarn-Wrapping 🧶 Panda’s Winter Sweater 🐼 #PreschoolCrafts #PreschoolTeacher #TeachingIdeas #FuturePreschoolTeacher #TeacherLife #WithKids #PaperCupCraft #PaperCup #Yarn #YarnCraft

Knitting a sweater with the yarn-wrapping panda

Crafting with yarn has a warm, cozy feel—perfect for winter.

This time, let’s make a panda using yarn and a paper cup.

Tape the end of the yarn to the paper cup and wrap it around.

When you finish wrapping, secure the end with glue, then attach a panda face made from construction paper to complete it.

You can also make other animals or change the yarn colors for a cute, colorful look.

It’s a hands-on project that stimulates the senses while letting you feel the warmth of the yarn, so give it a try!

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

Kagami mochi made with paper clay

New Year’s Craft: Easy-to-make Kagami Mochi for preschoolers aged 3–4

Kagami mochi made with paper clay

It’s said that we display kagami mochi at New Year’s to welcome the gods and have them watch over us so we can live healthily and happily.

For this craft, divide paper clay into three equal parts to make two mochi layers and one daidai (bitter orange).

Roll the clay to form the kagami mochi, and for the daidai on top, mix orange paint into the clay and knead in the color as you shape it.

A key point is to knead the clay so the color blends evenly throughout.

Reading New Year’s picture books and doing New Year’s fingerplay is also recommended—it deepens knowledge and enjoyment by teaching about the origins of the holiday.

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Snow fairy! Adorable long-tailed tit (Shima-enaga)

[Easy Origami] How to Make a Long-Tailed Tit 💡 #Hokkaido #SnowSpirit #Bird #Birdie #bird #새 #鸟 #Winter #Animals #Cute #HowToFold #Origami #Paper #DIY

Snow fairy! Adorable long-tailed tit (Shima-enaga)

Why not try making the popular long-tailed tit as a “snow fairy” with origami? All you need is a single sheet of your favorite origami paper and a black pen, so preparation is super easy.

Fold by creasing and flipping the paper as you go: use the white front side to represent the body and the colored back side for the wings.

Finish by drawing the eyes and beak with a black pen to enjoy different expressions.

With few steps, it’s easy even for a 3-year-old, so it’s highly recommended.

After it’s done, you can show them to each other or line them up on the wall to create a cute atmosphere.

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Let’s make oden toppings!

Here’s a craft perfect for the cold winter: making oden ingredients! Let’s make oden together—kids love it.

Wrap a toilet paper roll core with tissue paper, then dab on brown paint with a cotton swab to turn it into chikuwa.

Make a bag from yellow tissue paper, stuff it with facial tissue, and twist-tie the top with a chenille stem to make a mochi pouch.

Fold origami paper into a triangle and add patterns to transform it into konnyaku.

Using everyday materials, you can easily create oden ingredients.

It’s an activity that 3-year-olds can enjoy, so give it a try!

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Colorful spinning tops

Let’s make colorful, vibrant spinning tops perfect for New Year’s using paper plates and origami.

First, fold a paper plate in half and cut it to create the shape of a top.

Then freely color it with crayons or colored pencils in your favorite colors.

Next, paste small torn pieces of origami paper on top to add patterns, like a torn-paper collage.

You can use plain origami, patterned paper, or chiyogami to give it a festive New Year’s look.

Finally, attach the spindle piece made from colored construction paper, and you’re done.

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