Lovely childcare

Recommended for 2-year-olds! Introducing fall craft ideas and activities for September [Part 2]

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.

Here is Part 2 of our recommended September craft ideas for 2-year-olds.

From event-themed projects like the Harvest Moon viewing and Respect for the Aged Day to nature-inspired creations featuring autumn leaves and acorns, we’ve gathered plenty of craft ideas that let children feel the season of fall.

At age two, children are eager to try things on their own, so we’ve collected lots of ideas that allow them to freely draw and create while enjoying a sense of accomplishment.

Use these as a reference and enjoy the autumn season together.

Because the children’s work is regarded as “artworks,” we use the term “seisaku” (制作) in the text to refer to their creations.

Recommended for 2-year-olds! Autumn craft ideas and activities for September [Part 2] (11–20)

Mushrooms in bleeding watercolor

Daycare Craft: Mushroom Art! A Preschool Craft Activity Starting from Age 1!

Mushrooms in bleeding watercolor

Let’s use wet-on-wet painting to make cute mushrooms for the autumn season.

We’ll start with the stem.

Apply glue all over a sheet of origami paper and attach it to a toilet paper roll.

Fold and glue the excess at the top and bottom inward.

Next, use a coffee filter to make the cap.

Draw patterns on the coffee filter with water-based markers, then mist it with water.

Once it’s dry, firmly glue the stem and cap together.

Your mushroom is complete! Be sure to spray enough water so the ink bleeds nicely.

Prepare several colors of water-based markers and let the children choose their favorites.

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Maple leaves and ginkgo

How to Make Halloween & Autumn Origami: Super Easy! For Children Ages 0–2 #shorts

Maple leaves and ginkgo

These maple and ginkgo origami crafts are perfect for autumn projects with two-year-olds.

Let the children enjoy the sensation of tearing origami paper as they make the maple leaves.

Just glue the torn pieces together into the shape of a maple leaf! For the ginkgo, fold the origami paper into a triangle twice and add a branch to finish.

The goal is to get children familiar with origami, so folding perfectly isn’t important! Both activities are designed so that two-year-olds eager to try new things can have fun and stay engaged.

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Expressing autumn with paint

In the art-filled autumn (November), the two-year-old class at a nursery school in Fukui City expressed autumn with paints! How fun!

Expressing autumn with paint

Let’s paint newspaper with autumn-colored paints and express ourselves to the fullest! As children reach age two, activities using paint gradually increase.

To let them fully enjoy working with paints and brushes, give each child one sheet of newspaper and a brush, and have fun with expressive painting.

Prepare paints in colors like brown, yellow, and orange, then let the children paint the newspaper however they like.

Be mindful not to interrupt their activity so they can stay focused.

The experience of painting to their heart’s content will become a precious memory for the children.

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Red Dragonfly Decalcomania

[Autumn Wall Decoration Idea] Let’s make it with kids! Red dragonfly decalcomania 🍄 #PreschoolCrafts #NurseryTeacher #TeachingIdeas #AspiringNurseryTeacher #NurseryTeacherLife #Crafts #WithKids #WallDecor #ConstructionPaper

Red Dragonfly Decalcomania

Here’s a dragonfly craft idea using paint.

Fold a sheet of drawing paper in half to make a crease.

Open it up, and on one side, imagine a dotted pattern and dab small amounts of different colors of paint.

Close the paper and press firmly so the paint spreads.

Be careful not to place the paint too close to the edge, or it will squish out at this step.

Cut the paper into dragonfly wing shapes with scissors and open it up.

Finally, attach the dragonfly’s body and eye pieces to finish.

The paint has spread beautifully to create lovely patterned wings.

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Torn-paper collage mushroom

How about adding patterns to a mushroom cap using torn-paper collage? First, cut out the mushroom cap and stem from construction paper.

If the children are old enough to use scissors, let them do it themselves; if not, the teacher should prepare the pieces in advance.

Next, tear colored origami paper into small pieces.

Then randomly glue the pieces onto the mushroom cap to decorate it.

Once you’ve covered it enough, attach the cap and stem to complete the mushroom.

If you like, draw a cute face on the stem with crayons or pens.

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In conclusion

Was there anything you wanted to make? Even though it’s already September, the hot days are continuing, but I hope we can gradually bring in the feeling of autumn through our activities.

If there are challenging parts, please adapt and proceed in ways that match the children’s current interests and developmental stages!