[Autumn Activities] Nature Play and Craft Ideas for Fall to Incorporate into Childcare!
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.
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Autumn Activities: Fall Nature Play and Craft Ideas to Incorporate into Childcare! (111–120)
Paper quilling: Grape wall decoration
We’ll make autumn grapes using paper quilling, where you tightly roll strips of paper! Prepare several 2 cm-wide strips of construction paper in the color of grape berries, and roll each one around a pencil.
Apply glue to a base sheet of construction paper and arrange the coils freely to form clusters of grapes.
For the grape leaves, take three 2 cm-wide strips, roll each around a pencil, unroll them, then flatten each in half.
Layer those pieces and staple them together to complete a leaf.
Finally, attach the grape clusters and leaves to a branch made by cutting kraft paper into a thin strip—and your cute grape vineyard is complete!
Handprint and footprint stamp production
In daycare centers and kindergartens, it’s common to make crafts using handprint and footprint stamps that let you see the children’s growth.
For autumn-themed projects, how about making mushrooms and squirrels with footprints, or bagworms with handprints? Kids enjoy taking their handprints and footprints, and if they like stickers, it’s fun to add patterns with stickers too.
Display the finished pieces in the hallway, and parents will be able to see them at pickup—it’s sure to make them happy!
Making a kendama with pinecones and paper cups
During your autumn outdoor activities, be sure to pick up some pine cones.
You can make a kendama using a pine cone and a paper cup! All you need are a pine cone, a paper cup, and some yarn.
Make a hole in the bottom of the paper cup, thread the yarn through, and secure it.
Tie the pine cone to the other end of the yarn.
Draw your favorite design on the paper cup, and it’s complete.
Since pine cones can sometimes have insects, don’t forget to prep them by boiling or freezing for disinfection.
Hosting a kendama tournament with your finished toys is sure to be a hit!
Potato-finding Game
In autumn, you see more trucks selling stone-baked sweet potatoes.
These days, sweet potatoes are fairly easy to get year-round, but they’re definitely tastiest in season.
Let’s enjoy autumn with a game called “Sweet Potato Hunt”! First, use yellow and brown paper to make something that looks like a baked sweet potato.
It’s more fun when it looks realistic, so observe pictures or photos carefully before making it.
Fill 3 to 5 cardboard boxes with lots of shredded newspaper, and hide the baked sweet potato you made in one of them.
Whoever finds the sweet potato wins.
It’d be fun to play on a day when sweet potatoes are on the school lunch menu!
The “cattail” that explodes when touched
Have you ever seen those long, brown plants growing near ponds or marshes? They’re called cattails, and you can spot them in autumn, around October to November.
Believe it or not, the brown cattail heads actually explode! Don’t worry—there’s nothing dangerous about it.
If you gently squeeze a cattail head, it crumbles and releases a huge amount of fluffy fibers.
It’s fun to try, so if you find a cattail, give it a touch.
You could even research whether they’re in a nearby park before heading out for a walk!