Autumn Acorn Craft Ideas! Enjoy with Your Kids
In autumn, little treasures peek out from among the colorful trees—round, adorable acorns.
Their glossy look and smooth feel somehow make you want to slip them into your pocket.
In this article, we’ve put together acorn craft ideas that are perfect for creative time at preschools and kindergartens.
From pieces that make the most of their cute shapes to game-like projects, we’re introducing a wide variety.
Let’s help kids fully enjoy the artistic spirit of autumn!
[Autumn] Acorn Craft Ideas! Do Them With Your Kids (1–10)
den-den daiko (Japanese pellet drum)
Let’s make a pellet drum (denden-daiko) using acorns.
Attach an acorn to the end of each string for the hands, finishing it so they strike the tanuki’s belly.
The tanuki’s body can be made from cardboard, and the eyes and nose are easy to do with round stickers.
Finally, insert a bamboo skewer into a gap in the cardboard, and you’ll have a tanuki pellet drum.
Since the acorns strike the cardboard, it produces a soft, pleasant sound.
If you change the type of acorn on the ends, the drum will have a different feel.
Acorn Totoro
Beloved by everyone, Totoro is soothing just to display.
Let’s make that Totoro out of acorns.
It’s quick to do and super cute.
The trick is to pick acorns that are as round as possible.
You’ll be drawing on the acorn, and to keep the drawing from coming off the smooth surface, use correction fluid.
Paint Totoro’s belly and eyes with the correction fluid, let it dry thoroughly, then use a permanent marker to draw the pupils and the pattern on the belly.
And you’re done! It’s so easy you’ll want to make lots of them.
yo-yo
A common item sold at festival stalls is the water yo-yo.
You can make a fun yo-yo that makes pleasant sounds by using acorns instead of water.
To make it, prepare two plastic bowls (bowl-shaped cups) and color them brightly with markers.
Use an awl to make a small hole in one of the cups, thread through three rubber bands linked together, secure them from the inside with a short piece of chopstick so they won’t come out, and tape over the top.
Put acorns or small bells into that cup, then fasten the two cups together with vinyl tape.
The sound changes depending on what you put inside and how much, so try experimenting with the contents and amounts.
acorn spinning top
When it comes to the most well-known and traditional toys made with acorns, the acorn spinning top probably comes to mind.
All you have to do is stick a toothpick into an acorn, but to work safely, this video introduces various helpful tools.
If you set the acorn in a doorstop rubber and work on it, it won’t roll even if you apply force, allowing you to work safely.
You can make a top out of any acorn.
If it’s too hard to insert the toothpick, steaming it or soaking it in hot water will soften it and make the process easier.
Acorn Cake
You can use acorns to make cakes that look just like the real thing.
It’s simple and fun, so give it a try.
For the cake body, use a sponge—not sponge cake.
For the whipped cream, cut pieces of felt.
Make the whipped cream decorations with pom-poms.
Since insects can sometimes come out of acorns, it’s best to lightly boil them to prep before using.
They’re great for pretend play or as a small decoration in the entryway to bring a touch of autumn.
It’s easy, so please try making one!
Acorn-capped snake
You often see crafts made with acorns, but isn’t it rare to see ones that use just the caps? This toy is made by threading acorn caps together so that it looks like a snake.
If you attach the last cap facing the opposite way, it becomes the snake’s head.
Because it bends and wiggles, it’s cute as a key case charm or a bag accessory.
In the video they’re left brown, but painting each cap before stringing them together would also make for an adorable snake.
balancing toy (Yajirobe)
Speaking of crafts using acorns, this classic balancing toy (a yaw-yor-literally a seesaw doll) is a great example.
You only need three acorns to make one, and it’s fun to play with after you’ve finished, so it’s highly recommended.
You can use any kind of acorn, but round ones like those from Abemaki or sawtooth oak (konara/kunugi) are easier to work with and balance better.
Since you’ll be making holes with an awl, it’s best to have an adult handle that part.
Steaming acorns makes them softer and easier to shape.
Draw faces on them to finish them off cutely.
Clattering Acorn
A clattering acorn toy that uses the acorn’s own weight.
It’s easy to make and fun to play with afterward, so give it a try.
Here’s how to make it.
Wrap wire around a bamboo skewer seven times.
Don’t wind it too tightly; otherwise the acorn won’t be able to slide down.
Drill a hole in the acorn and attach it to the wire with a hot glue gun.
Use a hot glue gun to fix the bamboo skewer to the pre-drilled base.
Set the wire onto the bamboo skewer and give the acorn a gentle push—while making a clattering sound, the acorn will drop down.
The movement is irresistibly cute.
acorn maracas
Why not try making maracas with acorns? It’s fun to make, and it’s extra rewarding because you can play with the toy afterward.
All you need are acorns, a plastic bottle, and masking tape.
Leaving the bottle transparent lets you see the contents, which is interesting, but decorating it with masking tape to create your favorite design might be even more fun.
The sound changes depending on the size and amount of acorns you put inside, so give it a try.
You can also increase or decrease the amount along the way by opening the bottle cap.
Acorn Maze
Why not try making a maze using acorns? For the pathways of the maze, use small sticks you’ve gathered from the forest.
Arrange the sticks to form a course on a piece of thick paper or cardboard, and secure them with wood glue.
Use origami paper, cardstock, or leaves to make the course more complex and colorful.
Once it’s finished, roll an acorn along the course and see who can reach the goal the fastest, or try out the courses your friends made.
After playing, you can display it by the entrance—it will make a fun decoration that brings a seasonal touch.