How to make a home theater for children?

Who hasn't heard of origami, ikebana, or kamishibai? Japanese culture is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, full of traditional forms of art and crafts that delight with their precision and aesthetics. It's also a great way to spend creative time with children, develop their imagination and manual skills, and introduce them to the fascinating world of Japanese customs and the symbolism of the land of the rising sun. Celebrate Hanami with us, the Japanese spring festival, where the beautiful blooming sakura trees are a key element. Download our materials and prepare a Japanese theater performance – shibai – with us.

Japanese theater with characters from Endo T-shirts

Tired of this strange, snowless winter? Choose our Japanese motifs, inspired by Hanami, the cherry blossom festival (Japanese spring festival), and let's evoke the magical spring together. Do you like our distinctive T-shirt graphics? Now you can use these cheerful, cartoon characters in your own playful ways. Our graphic designers have prepared templates of Japanese characters – charming Kokeshi and brave Ninjas – perfect for role-playing. These are our original graphics, taken from current and previous collections (See -> Geisha clothing collection for girls ). Simply download the ready-made templates below, color them in, and cut them out. Then attach them to straws or skewers, and you're done. Just a few more decorations, for which you can use, for example, our cherry blossom stationery or other elements of your own design, and it's time to start the show. ;)

In addition to the characters for the theater, below you will also find coloring pages with our Japanese motifs for download.

Preparing a playhouse is a great starting point for shared fun and for learning about the culture of a distant country. Use our ready-made templates!

1. PRINT AND CUT THE TEMPLATES

Print out our characters and then cut them out. If you want to cut out a very precise outline, you'll need a parent's help in some places. Small scissors also work best. The template can be printed on regular printer paper, but we also recommend using slightly thicker construction paper, which will make the cut-out characters more durable.

2. COLOR

Of course, you can also color the characters - it will be easier for the child to do this before cutting them out.

3. ATTACH THE STICKS

Next, attach the cut-out figures to any longer stick. Ideally, you can use skewers, wooden spatulas, disposable sushi chopsticks, or simply straws. You can also decorate the stick, for example, by wrapping it in crepe paper. To attach the figure to the stick, you can use mounting compound, double-sided tape, or even regular modeling clay. Tips: If you're using thin skewers, you can poke the pointed end into a cork or piece of Styrofoam, which will make it easier for your child to hold and move the figure.

4. PREPARE THE STAGE

Time for a stage. Like us, you can make one from a shoebox – the slits cut at the top should be smaller than the cork or Styrofoam, so the characters can be hung freely. But you can also create your own theater in a completely different way, for example, by creating a traditional blanket screen. It all depends on your imagination. :)