Lovely childcare

[Autumn Activities] Nature Play and Craft Ideas for Fall to Incorporate into Childcare!

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.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Autumn is a season full of nature that can be put to good use in childcare.

It’s also a time when we can really feel children’s growth, isn’t it?

As it becomes more comfortable to spend time outdoors, many preschools and kindergartens likely enjoy activities like collecting nuts and gathering fallen leaves.

You want to introduce lots of new activities but can’t find any ideas…

For those with that concern, we’ve gathered recommended nature play and craft ideas for autumn.

Enjoy them together with the children and savor the fruitful season.

The experiences they have at your center will become precious memories for them.

[Autumn Activities] Fall Nature Play and Craft Ideas to Use in Childcare! (81–90)

Autumn Lion

Here’s a craft idea for making an autumn lion using fallen leaves.

Draw the lion’s face in the center on the back side of a paper plate.

Let the children use crayons or other materials to draw the lion however they like.

Once the face is done, stick double-sided tape around the rim of the plate and attach fallen leaves onto the tape.

Go all the way around the plate so the leaves form the lion’s mane.

Mixing green leaves with orange and yellow ones, as well as leaves of various shapes, will create a unique and expressive lion.

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Flying dragonfly

Here’s a craft idea for making a dragonfly out of construction paper that you can actually fly.

Fold a sheet of red construction paper in half and draw half of a dragonfly along the folded edge.

Cut along the line with scissors and open it up to reveal the dragonfly shape.

Then decorate it with stickers or crayons, and insert a paper clip halfway onto the head.

Now your flying dragonfly is ready! It’s perfect for an autumn craft.

For children who aren’t ready to use scissors, let them enjoy creating patterns using various techniques.

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acorn

Kimie Gangi: Easy and safe “How to make an acorn top (spinning top)” for elementary school Life Studies. #acorn #donguri #LifeStudies #2ndGrade #children’splay #elementaryschoolteacher

acorn

Why not make a homemade spinning top using acorns you’ve picked up at parks or campgrounds? It’s also a great opportunity for kids to get hands-on with natural materials.

The trick is to choose larger acorns, such as sawtooth oak (kunugi) acorns, for the top.

First, mark the center of the top of the acorn, then set it on a rubber doorstop or similar item to hold it steady.

While holding the acorn firmly, use a pushpin to make a hole.

If you want to widen the hole, you can use a screw hook.

Once the hole is made, insert a toothpick straight in, trim it to a suitable length, and you’re done! This method is simple and safe enough for elementary school children, so give it a try.

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Making cosmos flowers with a sponge

[Craft Activity] Wall Mural Cosmos Made by Dabbing Color with a Sponge

Making cosmos flowers with a sponge

Let’s try painting cosmos flowers, which are at their best in autumn, using a sponge! Prepare a piece of thick paper with a cosmos shape cut out, then dab paint onto a sponge and stamp it into the cut-out area to add color—your cosmos will take shape! For the yellow center, you can also apply color with a sponge or use round stickers.

Another recommended method is to cut a sponge into thin strips and use them to make individual petals, building up the cosmos flower.

Try painting these beautiful autumn flowers in whatever style you like!

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A cosmos field with bottle-cap stamping

[Kindergarten/Daycare] Three-Dimensional Dragonfly Artwork for a September Cosmos Field

A cosmos field with bottle-cap stamping

It’s an idea where you use a plastic bottle as a stamp to make lots of cosmos flowers—let’s all stamp together and create a cosmos field! Cosmos have many petals and can be hard to depict, but turning them into stamps makes it easy to create lots of flowers, which is the recommended point.

Attach cardboard shaped like petals to the bottom of a plastic bottle, apply paint, and stamp away.

For the pistil in the center, paint a yellow circle afterward.

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