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Hedgehog crafts for daycare and kindergarten! A collection of ideas to enjoy autumn in childcare

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
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.

Speaking of autumn, hedgehogs are also popular with children.

In fact, you can represent a hedgehog’s quills using fallen leaves, acorns, yarn, or origami paper! Here, we’ll share hedgehog craft ideas that children ages 1 to 5 can enjoy at daycare or kindergarten, tailored to each age group.

Beyond their cute appearance, choosing, sticking, and arranging different materials helps develop fine motor skills.

Enjoy the feeling of autumn nature with the children as you make prickly little hedgehogs together.

You’re sure to meet a variety of wonderfully unique hedgehogs! Because the children’s creations are treated as works of art, we use the term “production” (制作) in the text.

Hedgehog crafts for nurseries and kindergartens! A collection of ideas to enjoy autumn in childcare (21–30)

[Ages 1 and up] Easy Hedgehog with Fork and Sponge

Hedgehog Craft: Easy to Make Even for Infants Using a Fork or a Sponge

[Ages 1 and up] Easy Hedgehog with Fork and Sponge

Let’s have fun making a hedgehog that squeaks “peep-peep,” using a fork and a sponge.

Prepare disposable plastic forks, sponges, a base sheet of construction paper, a hedgehog template, paints, and a palette.

Apply paint to the entire back side of the fork and press it onto the hedgehog template as you paint.

A rubbed, scratchy-looking texture helps create a more three-dimensional effect—this is a key point.

When dabbing paint with a sponge, the strength of the pressure you apply to the paper will change how the color appears.

This craft is perfect for one-year-old children who are exploring textures—give it a try!

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[Ages 2 and up] Let’s make a hedgehog with newspaper!

[Preschool Craft] Make a Hedgehog with Newspaper! Easy Preschool Craft♪

[Ages 2 and up] Let’s make a hedgehog with newspaper!

Making newspaper hedgehogs is perfect for two-year-olds who enjoy using their hands.

Prepare construction paper, a hedgehog template, glue, newspaper, and scissors, and get started.

You can cut the newspaper with scissors, but tearing it by hand to represent the hedgehog’s spines or fur is also recommended.

Since two-year-olds aren’t yet familiar with using scissors, be sure to check their grip and how to open and close the scissors before proceeding.

Using tissue paper or origami to make a colorful hedgehog can also be a great way to help them enjoy colors visually.

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[Ages 3 and up] Colorful and cute hedgehog

Autumn Craft: Make a Colorful and Cute Hedgehog

[Ages 3 and up] Colorful and cute hedgehog

A fall-themed hedgehog craft made with construction paper is perfect for three-year-olds and helps improve concentration.

Get your construction paper, scissors, and glue ready and let’s start.

When cutting the hedgehog’s spiky quills, cut along the penciled guide lines as if tracing them.

By sketching the lines beforehand, the cutting points are easy to see, which helps children focus and guides the direction they move the scissors.

Try making colorful hedgehogs by changing up the color combinations of the quills.

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[Ages 4 and up] Colorful and cute hedgehog

[Preschool Craft] Easy with construction paper! Cute hedgehog | Cute hedgehog on construction paper

[Ages 4 and up] Colorful and cute hedgehog

Three-dimensional, colorful hedgehogs are a craft that even four-year-olds can enjoy making while exploring colors.

Sketch the shape of a hedgehog and cut along the traced lines.

Cut colored construction paper, fold it in half, and use glue to attach it to the body.

Incorporating the act of folding in half helps children become more aware of creating symmetrical folds.

Apply glue to one side of the halved paper and stick it onto the hedgehog.

You’ll end up with an adorable, colorful, three-dimensional hedgehog.

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[Ages 3 and up] Hedgehog with a fork stamp

Try making an adorable hedgehog with a slightly unusual fork stamp! First, have the children cut out the hedgehog’s body from construction paper.

The teacher should draw the cutting lines on the paper in advance.

After sticking the hedgehog onto a backing sheet of construction paper, draw the facial features with crayons or markers.

Next, put paint on the back of a plastic fork and stamp to create the hedgehog’s spines.

Showing a sample while explaining may help convey the idea more clearly.

Finally, decorate the surroundings with paper leaves, and it’s complete!

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[Ages 5 and up] Paper Hedgehog

[Autumn Craft] With templates! Let’s make three kinds of hedgehogs!

[Ages 5 and up] Paper Hedgehog

This is a hedgehog craft that uses thinly cut colored paper to represent its spines! First, use scissors to cut colored paper into strips of suitable thickness.

Apply double-sided tape to the backing paper that will become the hedgehog’s back, then randomly stick on the pre-cut colored paper strips.

Attach the finished back piece to the body piece, and draw the eyes, nose, and ears with crayons to complete the hedgehog—an animal that often appears in picture books and is loved by many! When using scissors, be sure to provide careful support so that children’s hands holding the paper do not come into contact with the blades.

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In conclusion

We introduced a hedgehog craft using autumn materials.

How about making use of twigs, fallen leaves, and acorns you find on a walk, while letting the children connect with nature? There are also hedgehogs you can make with familiar items like pinecones, forks, and tissue paper.

Enjoy the changing seasons with the children and spend time creating wonderful works together.