[For 4-year-olds] Winter craft ideas to enjoy at daycare and kindergarten
Children who attend kindergarten and nursery school are likely looking forward to celebrating Christmas and winter events together with their friends and teachers.
In the chilly winter, some people may be looking for events that can be enjoyed not only outdoors but also indoors.
In this article, we’ve compiled a collection of recommended winter craft ideas for four-year-olds in childcare settings.
We’re also introducing activities that involve using their hands and thinking about what to make as they work, which can help nurture concentration and thinking skills through play.
Try making these items that are fun to create and fun to play with!
Because the children’s creations are treated as works, we refer to them as “seisaku” (制作, craft/creation) in the text.
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[For 4-year-olds] Winter craft ideas (31–40) that can be enjoyed at daycare or kindergarten
Easy! Long-tailed Tit Origami
Adorably round! The long-tailed tit known as the Shima-enaga, a wild bird native to Hokkaido.
In recent years, we often see goods and items featuring its cute appearance as a motif.
Here’s an idea to make a Shima-enaga using a single sheet of origami paper, plus a pen and glue.
Once you’ve folded the creases, the base is done.
Making the wings and tail seems like something you could enjoy while teaching and learning together with friends or teachers! It could be fun to give it a smiling expression, too.
If you display the finished pieces lined up on a branch, like real Shima-enaga keeping warm together, both kids and adults are sure to feel soothed.
A cute kotatsu you can make with 100-yen shop items!
The kotatsu makes its appearance when winter comes and temperatures drop.
The only downside is that once you get in, it’s hard to get out—but that gentle, enveloping warmth makes you feel so happy, doesn’t it? A kotatsu also makes a perfect motif for winter craft ideas.
Here, two ideas are introduced: one kotatsu made by placing a circular piece of fabric over a doll-sized table, and another made by cutting and shaping a square box.
There’s also a tutorial for making mandarins using decorative pom-poms and pipe cleaners, so feel free to use it as a reference and give it a try.
Cute! How to make mandarin oranges
@yuumaama2022 How to Make Mikan (Mandarin Oranges)TranslationchildChildcare#mikan#Child'sToy
♪ Original song – Yuumaaama – Yuumaaama
One of the classic winter fruits, mikan (mandarins), can also be made using familiar materials.
Crumple up some newspaper and wrap it with two or three sheets of orange tissue paper.
Put the tissue-wrapped newspaper into a small plastic bag, add a leaf, and you’re done.
Even four-year-olds with their small hands should be able to crumple the newspaper and wrap it with tissue to make a mikan.
They’ll probably enjoy squeezing and crumpling the newspaper tightly.
With a slight change of shape and color, you could even turn it into a strawberry.
It also sounds fun to try making various fruits by changing the tissue paper colors and more.
A fun igloo with stamp play
https://www.tiktok.com/@hekimen_25/video/7474953127922322696Let’s try a fun winter craft with stamping.
First, apply white paint to a square sponge and stamp it all over a sheet of blue construction paper.
After the paint dries, cut the paper into the shape of an igloo.
Cut out the entrance of the igloo, a kotatsu, and the face and hands from construction paper, then glue them onto the igloo to finish.
Draw expressions on the face parts with crayons, and add any pattern you like to the kotatsu.
You can also use stamps or stickers to add patterns.
Let’s make winter animals!
@hoiku.labo Craft ideas for ages 3–5 💡 @hoiku.labo Create a wintery, snowy wall display with construction paper ❄️ ⭐↓ Detailed steps and tips in the comments ↓⭐ ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ ✨Hoiku Kyujin Labo✨ has many childcare job listings 🎉 Our specialist advisors will suggest nursery and kindergarten jobs that fit you! We’ll carefully listen to your concerns and preferences and support you 💁♀️ Feel free to contact us first 🎵 @hoiku.labo Sign up via the link in our profile!ChildcareNursery teacher / Childcare workerKindergarten TeacherCertified Childcare and Education Teacher#Nursery school#KindergartenKodomoen (combined childcare and kindergarten)Childcare job openingsChildcare Column#NurseryTeacherThings#IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers#Nursery School Craft#DaycarePreparationNursery School PracticumChildcare studentAspiring childcare workerChildcare Job LabChildcare SkillsJob change activities#JobChange#nursery_teacher_job_changeNursery teacher employmentProduction#Craftdrawing paper#ConstructionPaperArtWall decorationwall surfaceWall decorationSnowWinterWinter CraftSnow RabbitPoster Board Craft
♬ Snow, glitter, winter, Christmas(1195969) – Tunagamo
Let’s make a winter animal—a snow rabbit—using colored construction paper.
First, use white paper to make a plump, egg-like shape.
Cut out nandina (heavenly bamboo) leaves and berries from colored paper as well.
Create a window with falling snow from colored paper, then paste the rabbit there.
If the snow pieces for the window are too small and tricky, a parent or guardian can cut them, or you could draw them with a white crayon instead.
Putting this on a wall or mounting it on a backing sheet will enhance the winter mood and look lovely.
You could also change the wall decorations with each season.
[For 4-year-olds] Winter Craft Ideas to Enjoy at Nursery School or Kindergarten (41–50)
Handmade milk carton battledore
@silk_haru3mama I tried making a battledore out of a milk carton.New YearworkNew Year's craftNew Year’s craft#AtHomePlayHandmadeBattledore
Animal Baby – Akari Ueno
When it comes to New Year’s games, hanetsuki comes to mind.
Let’s try making this hagoita using a milk carton.
Open the carton and remove the bottom section.
After removing it, turn it inside out and fold it in half.
If you fold the spout area, it will resemble the shape of a hagoita.
Put a wooden chopstick inside some newspaper, fold the newspaper, and it will become the handle of the hagoita.
Set that into the milk carton and secure it with tape.
Once secured, tape the top and bottom as well as the seam of the carton.
You can also glue some cute patterned origami paper on the outside.
Moving! Paper Cup Snowman
When January comes, there will surely be regions where snow piles up.
One of the seasonal symbols of snowy weather is the snowman.
So let’s make a snowman craft using a paper cup.
Draw the snowman’s face on the paper cup.
Then make a hole in the cup, insert a straw, and attach a mitten made from construction paper to the end of the straw.
When you move the straw, the hands will flap.
Kids are sure to enjoy a craft with a moving mechanism like this.