[Childcare] For 5-year-olds! Autumn craft ideas
Autumn is full of fun events for children, like Halloween, sports days, and field trips.
In this article, we’ll introduce craft ideas that are perfect for the autumn season.
Since autumn is a comfortable time of year, there are also plenty of chances to go for walks and collect acorns and fallen leaves.
We’ve included ideas that use natural materials like these as well.
You’ll also find ideas for crafts and wall decorations that can be used for events, so be sure to try making a variety of them.
Because the children’s creations are regarded as works (artworks), we refer to them as “sei-saku” (制作) in the text.
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[Childcare] For 5-year-olds! Autumn craft ideas (11–20)
Finger-stamp rice ear and scarecrow painting

In celebration of the autumn of bounty and harvest, let’s enjoy a craft project featuring rice ears and scarecrows! Use crayons to draw rice plants on a backing sheet, then add rice-ear patterns with finger stamps.
With children’s fingertip size, you can capture the delicate details of the rice ears! The trick is to put a small amount of paint on the fingertip and dab lightly.
Next, make the scarecrow’s body and face with origami and paste them onto the backing sheet to finish.
You can also add red dragonflies or a setting sun in the background to enhance the autumn atmosphere.
Painting of a fox and wild grapes

Let’s enjoy creating a painting with an autumn feel, using foxes and wild grapes as motifs! The grapes are made with finger stamping, and the fox is expressed with origami.
While it’s suitable for five-year-olds, why not start each child from the steps they can manage? Using pipe cleaners for the grape vines gives a realistic look, so definitely give it a try.
Through this activity, children can not only experience the season, but also learn about wild grapes in nature, which are a bit different from regular grapes!
Pacific saury made with aluminum foil

Here’s a craft idea for making Pacific saury (sanma) that you can use for wall displays or pretend play! By using aluminum foil, you can create a realistic-looking sanma.
First, shape newspaper or flyers into a long, thin form and wrap it with aluminum foil, forming the tail.
Next, wrap another sheet of aluminum foil around everything except the tail and adjust the shape.
Draw the sanma’s patterns with colored pens and attach an eye to finish! Having a sample, like a photo of a sanma, can help children picture it more easily.
When displaying them on the wall, you could add decorations like a grilling rack or autumn leaves (momiji) for extra flair!
Squirrel made from a toilet paper roll

When it comes to autumn animals that warm our hearts with their adorable looks, squirrels definitely come to mind! Let’s reuse toilet paper rolls to make a cute squirrel.
Use two cut toilet paper rolls and cover them with origami paper to create the squirrel’s face and body.
Next, cut construction paper to make the tail and ears, glue them on, and draw the eyes and nose to finish! The steps are simple, making it a great craft for five-year-olds.
It also makes a charming little ornament, so why not try making it together with the kids?
Squirrel acorn holder

A squirrel with its cheeks stuffed full of nuts is just adorable.
Here’s an autumn craft idea inspired by such a hungry little squirrel! Make a hole in the center of a deep paper plate and tape it onto a shallow paper plate.
Around the hole in the top plate, decorate with the squirrel’s face, tail, and hands, along with autumn motifs like maple and ginkgo leaves.
Kids can have fun collecting and displaying nuts like acorns they’ve found at the park! Since this craft may involve using a utility knife, make sure the teacher handles that step.


