[Childcare] Moon-Viewing Craft Ideas
In autumn, we celebrate Otsukimi (moon viewing).
Also called Jugoya, it’s an event where people enjoy the night while gazing at a beautiful full moon.
This article introduces Otsukimi craft ideas that are useful in early childhood education.
There are lots of cute ideas featuring essentials of Otsukimi—like the moon, pampas grass (susuki), rice dumplings (dango), and rabbits—so try using them for pre-Otsukimi craft activities.
Try different ways of making the moon and dango depending on the children’s ages.
Once completed, you can turn them into wall decorations and create a September bulletin board—highly recommended.
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[Childcare] Moon-viewing craft ideas (1–10)
Swaying Tsukimi craft
Why not try making a cute, gently swaying decoration for the Moon Viewing festival? First, prepare a piece of construction paper cut into a circle to represent the moon, then paste on pictures with a moon-viewing theme made from origami or construction paper.
Rabbits, rice cakes—any design is fine! Next, get a paper plate folded in half, apply glue to about half of your finished picture, and stick it onto the plate.
In the unused space on the paper plate, decorate by pasting small pieces of origami or drawing designs, and you’re done! If you give the paper plate a little push, it will sway back and forth.
Moon-viewing craft with handprint art
Let’s try making an Otsukimi (moon-viewing) picture using children’s handprints! For adding handprints to an Otsukimi scene, pampas grass (susuki) is especially recommended.
Make the feathery plumes with handprints, and create the stems by cutting construction paper or drawing them with crayons.
You can also paint a rabbit’s ears with paint on your fingertips, and even make the moon-viewing dumplings with finger dots.
Don’t just use the whole palm—use different parts of the hand to keep adding to the picture.
Combine these with various cut-out pieces of construction paper to complete a lovely Otsukimi artwork!
Moon-viewing Rabbit Suncatcher
A sun catcher that reflects beautiful light into the room when sunlight shines on it.
How about making one with an autumn moon-viewing motif? First, prepare two pieces of clear file plastic cut into circles, then randomly stick on small torn pieces of tissue paper.
The circular clear plastic represents the moon; as you paste, mix in white tissue paper along with yellow.
After the tissue is on, add paper cutouts of a rabbit, pampas grass, and moon-viewing dumplings, then place the other circular clear plastic sheet on top to finish! Display it in a window or somewhere the sun shines in.
[Childcare] Moon-Viewing Craft Ideas (11–20)
Moon-viewing dango display
In autumn, we have Otsukimi, when we admire the full moon, right? Here’s a recommended decoration idea for Otsukimi.
Cut out a stand called a “sanpō,” which is used to hold the Otsukimi dango, from construction paper, and paste it onto a separate sheet of black construction paper.
If you also make and paste the moon and pampas grass (susuki) around it in the same way, it will feel even more like Otsukimi! Then, roll up tissues to make dango, stack them neatly, and glue them on to finish.
Once it’s done, enjoy Otsukimi while singing finger-play songs perfect for the occasion, like “Dango Kuttsuita” and “Tsuki.”
Full moon rabbit made from a single sheet of origami
Perfect for moon-viewing events! Here’s an idea for a full-moon rabbit made from a single sheet of origami paper.
Autumn is the season for tsukimi (moon viewing), right? Some of you might prepare pampas grass and moon-viewing dumplings at school or at home and enjoy the beautiful moon.
This time, let’s make a full-moon rabbit that’s just right for such an event.
What you’ll need: yellow origami paper, scissors, glue, and a pen.
Some steps are a bit tricky, so it’s best to work together with a parent or teacher for safety and ease.
Be sure to give it a try on this occasion!
Great for moon viewing! Pampas grass origami
Perfect for the Night of the Thirteenth Moon! Want to make pampas grass with origami? Prepare a 15×7.5 cm sheet of origami paper.
First, fold it in half lengthwise, matching the top and bottom edges—repeat this step three times to make a long, narrow strip.
Next, place the paper vertically, fold it in half top to bottom, and crease well.
Cut a vertical slit along one of the existing fold lines on either the left or right.
Then, take the top of the bundle that’s separated by the slit and fold it 90 degrees to the right.
Open the base to give the ears some dimension, then change the angle and fold the remaining sections diagonally.
Offset the overlapping ears and adjust the shape, and your pampas grass is complete.
[Stained glass style] Movable, playable rabbit
![[Stained glass style] Movable, playable rabbit](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8bUBwMqQrMg/sddefault.jpg)
Let’s make a movable rabbit decoration you can play with! Because this craft uses scissors and has many steps, it’s suitable for children ages 4 and up.
First, cut a circle out of navy construction paper, then cut out a smaller circle inside it.
For the rabbit, draw guide lines on white construction paper and have them cut it out.
Once it’s cut, draw the rabbit’s face.
Next, cut a circle from a clear file and stick on torn pieces of transparent origami paper to create a full moon.
Make a pocket from another piece of paper and attach it to the bottom of the navy paper, then place the rabbit you made into the pocket.
Finally, attach the full moon to the back and add a string at the top—and it’s done! Take the rabbit out of the pocket and have fun playing with it in different ways.