[Childcare] Winter Projects You’ll Want to Try! Recommended Craft Ideas
Winter is packed with events like Christmas and New Year’s.
With one fun event after another, children are surely full of excitement.
Plus, winter-specific activities and warm, cozy motifs add color to everyday life.
In this article, we’ll introduce craft ideas to enjoy during the winter season.
If your ideas have been getting repetitive or you’re looking for a hint, please use this as a reference.
Since the things children make are treated as works, we use the term “seisaku” (production) in the text.
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[Childcare] Projects to Try in Winter! Recommended Craft Ideas (171–180)
Torn-Paper Origami Lion Dance
A fun collaborative activity for a class of one-year-olds: “Torn-Paper Shishimai.” How about making New Year ema plaques with a shishimai (lion dance) theme? Prepare a backing sheet cut into the shape of an ema and torn pieces of origami and chiyogami paper.
After sticking the origami and chiyogami onto the backing, make a shishimai face and attach it.
Finally, punch a hole and tie it with tape or string to finish.
This origami idea lets children enjoy tearing paper and sticking it on.
Give this Japanese-style decoration a try—you can hang it on doors or walls.
Oni Made with Lattice Weaving
This is a perfect idea for 5-year-olds who are getting more skilled with their hands! Winter includes events like Christmas and New Year’s, and Setsubun in February is one of them too.
So as a winter craft, let’s try making an oni (ogre) using lattice weaving! The weaving will be for the oni’s pants.
Take a base sheet with several straight slits and weave thin, long strips of construction paper over and under in order.
When it’s finished, it will form a checkered pattern, so aim for that as you work.
Once the pants are done, attach them to the oni’s face, add arms and legs, and you’re finished!
Yarn-Wrapping Tree
Let us introduce a Christmas tree you can make by wrapping yarn—an easy craft using familiar materials! Be sure to try it with the kids.
First, cut a triangle out of thick paper (cardstock) and make small slits around the edges.
Next, wrap yarn around the triangle, tucking it into the slits as you go.
Decorate by gluing on beads, then combine it with a base made by wrapping origami paper around a cut piece of a toilet paper roll—and you’re done! It stands up on its own, so it makes a nice accent for any room.
It’s sure to boost the festive Christmas mood.
Mittens made with a yarn threader and torn-paper collage
When it gets cold, you wear gloves when you go out to keep your fingertips warm, right? Here’s a craft idea for making such gloves.
First, decorate the gloves with yarn threading and torn-paper collage.
Pre-punch the holes for threading with a hole punch, and let the child thread yarn freely on one glove.
On the other glove, they’ll glue torn origami paper, so have them thread the yarn around the edge in a looping pattern to create a border.
Prepare glove templates, origami paper, and yarn in various colors and let the child choose; that way they can create their ideal gloves and enjoy the activity.
Three-dimensional oden
Oden is a dish you start craving when winter comes.
When oden appears at convenience stores, it really makes you feel that winter has arrived, doesn’t it? So here are some ideas for making oden crafts.
For example: chikuwa made by bleeding brown paint into washi paper and rolling it in bubble wrap; konnyaku made by soaking paint into a sponge; and goboten made by rolling two sheets of construction paper of different colors and stacking them.
There are lots of fun ideas! While valuing the ideas that children come up with, try making the oden you’d like to eat and plating it in a small bowl.
[Childcare] Winter Projects You’ll Want to Try! Recommended Craft Ideas (181–190)
Snowman made of snowflakes using paper plates
Let’s make a snowman with beautiful snowflakes using a paper plate.
First, cut out the center of the paper plate with scissors.
Secure the cut edge with tape.
Next, draw a face with crayons on the cut-out center piece.
Then, use origami paper to make snowflakes.
After you stick the snowflakes in the middle of the plate’s frame, attach the face on top.
Feel free to prepare accessories like a hat and twig arms as you like.
Each step involves fine work, so it’s perfect for 5-year-olds to try.
Oni mask made with paper plates and origami
Winter is the season of Setsubun, isn’t it? Some children might be plotting, “How should we defeat the oni this year?” Here’s a craft idea for making an oni mask.
Use a paper plate for the face and glue on torn pieces of origami paper.
The color of the origami changes depending on whether you want a red oni or a blue oni, so prepare several sheets, including other colors as well.
Once you’ve finished gluing the origami, add the facial features, horns, and yarn for hair, and it’s done! It’s an idea you’ll want to use as a wall decoration, too.