![[Childcare] Autumn craft ideas](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XcEtswDNE64/hqdefault.jpg)
[Childcare] Autumn craft ideas
We’ve gathered fall craft ideas that are perfect for childcare!
Autumn is a comfortable season with plenty of chances to go for walks and play outside.
Children are likely to pick up all sorts of intriguing things—acorns, pinecones, leaves, and more.
In this article, we introduce crafts that use found items as materials, as well as projects made with construction paper, origami paper, and recycled materials.
We’ve collected a wide range of ideas—from toys kids can play with after making them to decorations for wall displays—so try choosing activities that suit the children’s ages and have fun creating together!
[Childcare] Fall craft ideas (1–10)
Pine cone necklace
You often see pine cones on the ground in autumn.
Let’s make an autumn-themed necklace using those pine cones! First, thread a single pine cone onto some yarn or string.
Then, to surround the pine cone, thread other decorations onto the string.
Besides beads, use colorful straws cut into small pieces.
Once you’ve threaded enough beads and straw pieces to make the right length, tie the ends of the string and you’re done! It’s great for kids to wear themselves, and it also makes a nice gift for parents or guardians.
Dragonfly’s glasses
How about making colorful, cute dragonfly glasses as a craft activity at daycare? You can use colored clear file folders from the 100-yen shop for the wings and colored cellophane for the lenses.
It’s fun to let the kids draw patterns on the wings with permanent markers or decorate them with sparkly stickers to create designs they like! The feel of cutting a clear file—something they don’t usually handle—might also feel fresh and interesting to them.
And after making them, they can have lots of fun playing with the see-through dragonfly glasses toy!
Autumn wreath
In autumn, it’s common to go on walks to the park with everyone from the daycare and enjoy collecting nuts like acorns and pinecones! Let’s use those natural finds to make a cute wreath.
Cut a circle out of cardboard with a utility knife to create a wreath shape.
It might be best for teachers or parents to handle this step.
Have the children glue on materials like nuts, pipe cleaners, and pompoms! Enjoy displaying the wreaths in the room or around the daycare.
acorn maracas
Let’s try making maracas using acorns you picked up on an autumn walk! Just put acorns into a plastic bottle or an empty can, and you’ve got a simple, sound-making toy.
If you decorate it together with the kids using washi tape, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind maraca! The sound changes depending on how many acorns you use, so you can enjoy a variety of tones.
Once they’re finished, it would be fun to sing songs and play rhythm games while shaking them.
It’s a perfect autumn craft that makes use of nature’s gifts—give it a try!
hedgehog
Hedgehogs with prickly spines have autumn colors, so they’re perfect for fall crafts! Cut out the hedgehog’s body and the general mountain shapes of the spines from construction paper.
Add patterns to the spine sections however you like.
For example, you can wrap yarn around so it hooks onto the spines, or randomly glue on finely cut yarn or origami paper.
For the eyes and nose, draw them in with crayons or stick on round stickers.
Adjust the crafting method to suit the children’s ages and give it a try.
Spider web wreath
Here’s a spiderweb wreath I highly recommend as a Halloween party decoration.
Using a paper plate, let’s easily make a wreath.
First, cut out the center of the paper plate so you’re left with just the rim, and make several small slits around that rim.
On the remaining rim, attach Halloween-themed decorations—like jack-o’-lanterns and bats—made from origami or construction paper.
It’s also a great idea to add small torn pieces of origami paper as confetti-like decorations or use Halloween-themed stickers.
After that, hook black yarn into the slits you made in the plate, crisscrossing it from different directions to form a spiderweb pattern, and you’re done! Add a ribbon and you can hang it on a wall or anywhere you like.
Bagworm Kendama
In the fall, you often see bagworms hanging from trees, right? Let’s make and play with a kendama inspired by those bagworms! Glue construction paper cut into leaf shapes around a paper cup, and stick eyes on the rim where you drink.
Then attach a string to a small ball made by crumpling newspaper, and combine it with the cup—that’s it! To keep the crumpled newspaper from coming apart, it’s best to wrap it with vinyl tape.
Swing the paper cup, and if the newspaper ball lands in the cup, you’re good! Have fun playing while feeling the season.