Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Winter Projects You’ll Want to Try! Recommended Craft Ideas

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.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

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.

[Childcare] Winter Projects You’ll Want to Try! Recommended Craft Ideas (41–50)

Make it with origami! A New Year’s mini wreath

[Origami] New Year Mini Wreath – Festive Japanese New Year Decoration

Make it with origami! A New Year’s mini wreath

Let’s make a New Year’s wreath that’s perfect for decorating at the start of the year.

Prepare 16 sheets of origami paper: four different patterns or colors, four sheets of each.

Fold each sheet into a square twice, then unfold to create crease lines and shape the parts.

When folding a triangle in half, make sure both sides are even.

Hold the piece so that the overlapping section is on top, and assemble by inserting both the front and back of one piece into the pocket of another.

Repeat to make 16 parts in total.

It may be easier to connect them in sets of four first, and then form the entire wreath at the end.

Attach a string and hang it indoors to enjoy the New Year’s decoration.

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paper-clay kagami mochi

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

paper-clay kagami mochi

Let’s make a handmade kagami mochi that brings warmth and a sense of the season—perfect for New Year’s decor.

Prepare clay, a clay board, paints, brushes, and a clay spatula.

Divide the clay into three equal parts and designate them as large, medium, and small.

For the mandarin orange part and the leaf part, knead the appropriate paint colors into the clay.

Shape the large and medium portions into the two tiers of the kagami mochi.

Place the mandarin on top, refine the overall shape, and your kagami mochi is complete.

Let it dry thoroughly before displaying it, and welcome a wonderful New Year.

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Lovely translucence! Easy New Year’s decoration

Easy New Year’s decorations to make with kids! The translucent look is beautiful.

Lovely translucence! Easy New Year’s decoration

This is a beautiful seasonal craft that showcases the glossy shine and clarity unique to resin.

The video carefully demonstrates the process of tinting resin and pouring it into plum blossom shapes, and it also discusses tips for coloring and suggestions for substitute materials, making it approachable even for beginners.

As an educational element, it introduces how mixing colors nurtures color sense and how fine finger movements can promote brain development—resulting in a project that’s “fun to make and delightful to display.” A cute New Year’s craft with a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

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Pop-up! Shishimai Lion Dance Toy

New Year’s games and Setsubun fun! A pop-up Shishimai (lion dance) toy [craft] [handmade toy]

Pop-up! Shishimai Lion Dance Toy

The lion dance popping out of a paper cup is so cute! Let’s get started by preparing a paper cup, chopsticks, yarn, vinyl (plastic) tape, construction paper, double-sided tape, and scissors.

Poke a hole in the bottom of the paper cup big enough for a chopstick to pass through.

Cut a plastic bag to fit the mouth of the cup and tape it around the rim of the cup.

Reinforce it from above with vinyl tape, push the tip of the chopstick through and secure it with tape, then make the lion dance face out of colored construction paper and attach it.

Wrap the entire paper cup with construction paper, and you’re done.

This is a craft that even little kids can enjoy for New Year’s, so give it a try!

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A cute kotatsu you can make with 100-yen shop items!

http://www.lemon8-app.com

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.

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Make It with 100-Yen Shop Items! Daruma Otoshi

@sayacky_be.child
🌟 Materials list • ⚠️ Notes & Tips below 🌟 (Follow before you forget ▶︎ @sayacky_be.child) [Materials] • Dessert cups (DAISO) • Vinyl tape or masking tape, etc. • Four plastic bottle caps • Flat-style chopsticks • Small stones or other weights (mine are from DAISO) Handy to have when making it • Permanent marker 🌟 Points 🌟 ▶︎ At first I thought just a few stones would be enough, but it didn’t work well at all 💦 Filling it up works better! ▶︎ Cups slide against each other easily, so I put vinyl tape on the bottom of the cups to add friction 🙌🏻 ▶︎ For New Year’s play, try daruma; for Setsubun season, oni characters—lots of different characters would be cute 🤭 ▶︎ It helps practice things like adjusting force, controlling your hits to tap only the middle cup, and other strength/control skills ❣️ ▶︎ Because of the screen size, I couldn’t stack them high, but try stacking 4 or 5 and give it a go 💕 ⋆┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⋆ Nice to meet you! “Let’s play like kids!” ✨ I’m Sayacky, a nursery teacher and mom of two 🥰 I share activities that excite both kids and those who were once kids ❣️ Please follow me 💓 @sayacky_be.child ▲ See other posts here ໒꒱ ⋆┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⋆#Sayakki-World #HandmadeToys #Childcare Crafting Craft Play #Childcare topic #AtHomePlay #StayHomeTime #100-yen shop DIY Simple craft Kids' crafts #DarumaOtoshi #Daruma Otoshi #NewYearGames
♬ Original Song – Sayakki ┊︎ Truly Moving! A New Kids’ Craft – Sayakki’s Play Atelier

How about making the classic New Year’s game “Daruma-otoshi” using items from a 100-yen shop? It’s very easy to make, and you’ll end up with a toy you can enjoy over and over.

First, fill a dessert cup with small stones, put the lid on, and that will be the body of the Daruma.

Create the face base and patterns with tape, stick them on, then draw the eyes and mustache with a pen to finish.

For the mallet, stack and glue four plastic bottle caps together, then attach a wooden chopstick as the handle.

If the Daruma is too light, it won’t stack properly when it falls, so be sure to put plenty of stones inside.

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Cute! How to make mandarin oranges

@yuumaama2022
How to Make Mikan (Mandarin Oranges)Translation child Childcare #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.

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