[Childcare] Autumn craft ideas

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!

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] Autumn Craft Ideas (161–170)

A dragonfly made by dabbing paint with hands and sticking on stickers.

This is an autumn-themed dragonfly craft where you color by patting paint on with your palms.

Apply paint to your palms and add color all over by gripping and rolling a toilet paper tube.

Next, take the pre-cut dragonfly wing pieces and decorate them with your favorite stickers.

Then attach the wings and eye pieces to the painted body parts, and your cute dragonfly is complete! If you’re displaying them in a classroom, it’s also fun to thread a string through the tube and hang them so the dragonflies look like they’re flying.

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yuri

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Grapes made by crumpling origami paper

Here’s an idea for making grapes by crumpling origami paper that’s fun to create, too.

You’ll need purple and light purple origami paper, plus a plastic bag.

Choose a small, clear bag.

Once you have the materials, crumple each sheet of origami paper into a ball.

The texture feels nice, so I think you’ll enjoy the process.

After you’ve finished crumpling them all, put them into the plastic bag, then cut the bag into an inverted triangle shape to finish.

It clearly looks like grapes and has a cute charm to it.

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yamamoto

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[Childcare] Autumn Craft Ideas (171–180)

Autumn Tree Made with Dyed Paper

Let’s use the paper-dyeing technique to express an autumn tree.

First, prepare washi paper (hanshi) and fold it into small triangles or squares.

Next, dip the paper in paints that evoke autumn leaves, such as brown, yellow, and red.

If you dip just the corners of the paper, the colors will adhere nicely.

After dyeing the paper with several colors, unfold it and let it dry.

Then simply cut it into leaf shapes and paste them onto a tree trunk.

If you tear the paper by hand to make the leaf shapes, it will create a softer look.

You can also make animals that come to play in the tree out of construction paper to create a fun wall display.

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tsukada moe

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Cosmos Flowers with Cardboard Stamps

How about using cardboard as stamps to create cosmos flowers? First, the teacher can cut the cardboard into cosmos shapes.

At the same time, cut out round shapes about the same size as the cosmos shapes, and glue them together.

Next, attach the cardboard to the bottom of a plastic bottle, and your cardboard cosmos stamp is ready.

Then let the children freely stamp on drawing paper to create a lovely cosmos field! For the center of each cosmos, add a yellow round sticker, and you’re done.

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SAKI

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Wool yarn inchworm

How about making a cozy bagworm using yarn? First, cut open a milk carton and build a small rectangular box.

This will be the bagworm’s body, so adjust the size to something easy for children to handle.

Next, have the kids glue short pieces of yarn onto the carton.

Layering lots of yarn creates beautiful colors and conveys the yarn’s warm texture.

Once the glue dries, attach the bagworm’s face to the top of the body—and it’s done! Be sure to let the children draw the facial expressions themselves.

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tsukada moe

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Autumn leaves with a single-faced cardboard stamp

This is an autumn leaves wall decoration made using single-face corrugated cardboard with the wavy ridged side exposed.

Dab paint onto the ridged side of the single-face cardboard and stamp it onto construction paper or kraft paper.

Prepare the cardboard in an easy-to-stamp shape—such as making it into a loop—so children can hold it comfortably.

Once the stamping is done, let the paint dry thoroughly, cut out leaf shapes, and attach them to a backing sheet to finish.

The cardboard’s striped pattern looks just like leaf veins, resulting in a wonderfully charming piece!

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yuri

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Flying dragonfly

Here’s a craft idea for making a dragonfly out of construction paper that you can throw and play with.

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

Cut along the lines with scissors and unfold to reveal the dragonfly shape.

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

Now your flying dragonfly is ready to play with! It’s very easy, so give it a try as an autumn craft.

For children who can’t use scissors yet, let them enjoy creating patterns using a variety of techniques.

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sasashina

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