![[For 3-year-olds] Winter craft activities and bulletin board decoration ideas for use in childcare](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/DA3hcguFrtM/maxresdefault.webp)
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/Wall Display Ideas for Childcare (1–10)
Kite made from a plastic grocery bag
A fun New Year’s activity we recommend is making a kite out of a plastic shopping bag.
Prepare a shopping bag from the supermarket and have your child draw their favorite picture on it.
Make sure they draw with the bag oriented so that the handles are at the bottom.
Once the drawing is done, attach kite string to both handles, then wind the string around a piece of construction paper or thick cardstock that will serve as the handle for pulling the kite.
Cut a small notch in the handle so you can hook the string into it.
Your plastic-bag kite is complete! Even in the chilly New Year season, head outside and have lots of fun playing with this kite.
Oni mask made with decalcomania
Using paint decoupage (decalcomania) to make a one-of-a-kind mask gives it a special feel that kids will love.
For this Setsubun mask, drop paint on one side of a folded sheet of construction paper, fold it closed, and press lightly from the top to create a symmetrical pattern.
Then cut it into the shape of an ogre (oni) mask to make the most of the pattern, add eyes and horns, and your original oni mask is complete! If you use yarn for the ogre’s hair, it adds more dimension and makes it look stronger and fiercer.
On cold winter days, try making oni masks indoors with the kids!
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.
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!
Valentine’s chocolates made with sponge stamps
Valentine’s crafts using sponge stamps turn out super cute, so I highly recommend them.
First, take a light pink sheet of construction paper and stamp colors like red, deep pink, and pale yellow using a sponge stamp.
When making your sponge stamp, try to shape it so the stamp prints as a circle.
Once you’ve filled the paper with stamps, cut it out into a heart shape with scissors.
Then glue the heart onto another sheet of paper, draw a motif like a bear, and you’re done! It would make a lovely gift for parents or guardians.
The Handprint Demon and the Ehomaki
Let’s make a craft by turning children’s adorable handprints into ogres (oni).
When taking the handprint, use four fingers except the middle finger: paint the index and ring fingers yellow, and the remaining fingers in oni-like red or blue.
Applying paint directly to the hand with a brush helps you get a clean handprint.
Once the paint dries, treat the yellow parts as the oni’s horns and attach the facial features.
Then, make an ehomaki roll with construction paper and crumpled tissue paper, and you’ll have a unique Setsubun-themed craft! Using handprints makes it a special keepsake of this moment, which is another charming point.
Three-dimensional Christmas tree
@buchiko_hoiku 🐶 @buchiko_hoiku ◂◂◂◂ Check out my other posts, too 🌼 This time, it’s a tree that even infants can make easily 🎄 Crumple up tissue paper to enjoy the texture, peel stickers using little fingers, and decorate as you go—so you can make a cute tree easily while having fun 😆💕 Tips: To keep the cone base from losing its shape, gently dab the pieces on when sticking. As you add tissue paper, it gets bulkier, so make the cone base a bit slimmer to avoid a chubby tree 🙆🏻♀️ Also!! This craft is available as a kit for purchase 🌟 Craft kits saved me back when I was working on the front lines, so now I want to help teachers who are struggling! I make each one with that in mind ✂️ Links to Mercari and BASE are in my profile! I’m selling other crafts, too, so I’d love for you to take a peek 👀 A follow would make me even happier 🥴💕 lol Please try making it yourself 🌈 I’d love to hear your “I made it!” reports—they keep me going 🥹❤️🔥 Thank you so much for reading to the end 🐶 I share ideas you can easily copy—from intro to crafting ♬︎ Likes ♥, saves 𖤘, and follows 𖤐 would make me cry with joy 😂 lol Comments are super welcome 🤍🤍Nursery teacher / Childcare workerKindergarten TeacherWinter Craft#Wall CreationInfant CraftPlay that expands from picture booksChristmas crafts
♬ Christmas – neozilla
When Christmas comes, the glittering Christmas trees around town are so beautiful, aren’t they? To make this tree, first create the base out of construction paper, then crumple tissue paper into balls and stick them onto the tree—this lets you change the tree’s shape and size, which is a fun point.
Wrap yarn around it to look like snow, add Christmas stickers and a star, and it’s done! Crumpling the tissue paper is an activity even small children can enjoy together.
Make your own cute, original tree, decorate your room with it, and have fun with your child!