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 Ideas for Childcare (51–60)

Let’s try playing Fukuwarai!

[New Year’s Games] Let’s make a Fukuwarai!

Let's try playing Fukuwarai!

Why not try making a fukuwarai using crayons, scissors, and construction paper? Fukuwarai is a traditional Japanese game said to date back to the mid-Edo period.

First, draw parts like eyes, nose, and mouth on construction paper and cut around each piece.

Then make a base.

For the base, you can either cut pale orange construction paper into a face shape and glue it down, or draw the face with crayons.

Once everything is ready, start arranging the parts.

You can express different emotions—like a smiling face or a sad face—depending on how you place the pieces.

It’s also fun to arrange the parts while blindfolded.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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For New Year decorations! Mini kadomatsu

@soramame.sensei
Childcare Let's play at home Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Production Translation New Year’s decoration for January New Year #New Year's card Winter Break #WinterBreakProject　#StayHomeTime Translation #diy
♬ Oshogatsu Pico Pico Chiptune Version(1376601) – STUDIO incho3

Let me share a handmade idea for a mini kadomatsu you can make with simple steps.

In this idea, you’ll make a kadomatsu, a folding fan, plum blossoms, and red-and-white gohei from origami or construction paper, attach them to bamboo skewers, and create decorative parts.

Then place floral foam in a cup of your choice, insert the skewers, and arrange the parts for good balance.

Finally, fill any gaps with crumpled flower cores to finish.

If the bamboo skewers are too long, it’s best to cut them; however, they’re hard to cut with scissors, so prepare skewers that have been cut to an appropriate length in advance.

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Let’s make it with cardboard stamps! Cute shishimai (lion dance)

@chooobo2
Shishimai making 🎍#Childcare Crafting #Nursery School Craft # January production New Year’s craft
♬ NEW LOOK – MISAMO

If you roll a strip of cardboard into a spiral and dab it in paint, then press it onto paper, it makes the pattern for a shishimai (lion dance) costume! Using that pattern, let’s make a hanging shishimai decoration.

First, take a green sheet of construction paper cut into a rectangle and stamp any pattern you like.

Next, sprinkle on small pieces of gold origami paper to add a festive touch.

Finally, attach a shishimai face made from construction paper to one corner, add a string to the back, and you’re done! A plain backing works fine, but if you stick washi masking tape along the top and bottom, it will look like a hanging scroll and be extra lovely.

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Challenge in childcare! First calligraphy play

@miraistep.hoikuen
New Year – January Crafts#Nursery school Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Saitama Prefecture Saitama City Mirai Step New Year First calligraphy of the year #Nursery School Craft #Year of the Snake
♫ Original Song – Mirai Step Co., Ltd. – Mirai Step Co., Ltd.

Kakizome is the first calligraphy of the year, in which people write down their New Year’s resolutions and wishes with the hope of improving their handwriting.

Although it’s an event that assumes you can write characters, it’s the New Year—so why not let children from infants to preschoolers enjoy their own style of kakizome? For older preschoolers who are practicing letters in preparation for school, it’s a good idea to write that year’s zodiac animal in hiragana.

For infants, writing characters is a high hurdle, so encourage them to try it as a drawing activity while letting them feel the texture of the brush and washi paper.

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[For 3-year-olds] Winter craft activities and bulletin board decoration ideas you can use in childcare (61–70)

Fun with threading! Daruma-san

@haruharo_made
TikTok Document New Year’s Craft / Daruma Lacing Materials: • Yarn • Construction paper • Scissors • Cellophane tape • Glue • Hole punch • Paper plate • Round stickersCrafts for 4-year-olds　Crafts for 5-year-olds #3-year-old crafts #2-year-old's craft Crafts for 1-year-olds Crafts for 0-year-olds Production #Nursery school Wall decoration #StayHomeTime #AtHomePlay Production ideas #Nursery School Craft Winter Craft #Kindergarten Kindergarten craft Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher wall surface　#ChristmasTree Production for children under age (infants and toddlers)　Simple craft Made in December　# January production Made in February　 New Year’s craft　#Daruma making　Tatsu Production #Mask making　Mask #paint　Sticker application　Round sticker Sticker-pasting craft　　　　　Hanging ornament drawing paper　#ConstructionPaperArt　 Paint making　　paper plate　Paper plate craft　Paper Plate Craft　Threading (a cord/strap through a hole)
♬ Mela! – Ryokuoushoku Shakai

Let’s make a Daruma decoration with a lovely yarn texture.

First, cut a circle out of the center of a paper plate.

Then use a hole punch to make evenly spaced holes around the inner rim.

Thread red yarn through one of the holes and tie a knot so it won’t slip out, then enjoy lacing the yarn through the holes as you like.

When you finish lacing, glue on the Daruma face and body pattern pieces made from construction paper over the yarn, and decorate the plate with stickers or plum blossoms to complete it.

Add a string for hanging, and it can be displayed like a wreath!

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Fun with black construction paper! Making snowmen

@hekimen_25
Winter craft: We made snowmen using crayons and paint! ⛄️❄️🎵#Childcare Crafting #Wall Creation Nursery teacher / Childcare worker I tried making it Snowman
♬ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – neozilla

Here’s a craft idea: paint a snowman with white paint on black construction paper, then finish by adding a paper bucket and mittens, plus face stickers.

For the snowman, draw a circular outline and fill it in with paint.

Because it’s surprisingly hard not to paint outside the lines, if infants are doing this activity, it’s better to either prepare pre-painted pieces or have an adult cut a snowman shape from the child’s white-painted paper and glue it onto the background.

If you put double-sided tape on the back of the bucket and mittens, kids can use them like stickers, making them easier for little hands to handle.

Once the snowman is done, use cotton swab stamping to add a snowy landscape in the empty space to complete the project.

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Easy to make! 3 New Year decorations

Crafts: Easy New Year’s Projects [Daycare/Kindergarten]

Easy to make! 3 New Year decorations

Here are three New Year decoration ideas: “Shishimai (lion dance),” “Daruma,” and “Ema (votive plaque).” For the shishimai, cut out parts from construction paper, glue them together, and use a toilet paper roll as a stamp to create the body’s pattern.

For the daruma, draw a face on a paper plate and stick torn pieces of red and yellow origami paper around it.

Use yellow for the decorative patterns, tearing it into long, thin strips.

Lastly, for the ema, first cut cardboard into the shape of an ema to make the base, then cover the surface with gold origami paper.

Glue a slightly smaller piece of white construction paper on top, write your wish, and add patterns with stickers or pens to finish it off brightly.

When you want to display them, attach a ribbon or string to each one.

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