![[Childcare] Moon-Viewing Craft Ideas](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/HqImkiaj4N0/maxresdefault.webp)
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)
Moon-viewing rabbit
Speaking of moon-viewing, rabbits are indispensable, aren’t they? Let’s make an adorable rabbit using a paper plate! Take a white, round paper plate and use construction paper or origami paper, pens, and round stickers to add the rabbit’s eyes, mouth, ears, and hands and feet.
Plus, we recommend adding decorations—if you like—so it looks like the rabbit is holding pampas grass or moon-viewing dumplings.
And just like that, your moon-viewing rabbit is complete! If the teacher prepares all the parts in advance, even small children can easily make it.
For ages 0–1: Footprint Bunny and Sticker Dango
Let’s make a moon-viewing (Otsukimi) artwork using the children’s footprints.
Stamp their footprints, painted with white paint, onto black construction paper.
It’s recommended to use the heel as the rabbit’s head.
Add the rabbit’s ears, eyes, and mouth by gluing pieces cut from paper or by drawing them with pens.
For the tsukimi dango, first cut out and paste the sanpō (the three-sided offering stand) from construction paper, then stick on white round stickers to represent the dango.
Finally, add decorations like the moon and pampas grass (susuki) to complete it.
For children aged 0–1, have them do the footprint stamping and the round-sticker pasting.
[For ages 1–3] Two Moon-Viewing Dango Crafts
![[For ages 1–3] Two Moon-Viewing Dango Crafts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DQ-g31O2fR8/sddefault.jpg)
Here are two crafting ideas for making Tsukimi dango that I recommend for children ages 1–3.
First, for both projects, cut out the sanpō stand and the moon from construction paper and glue them onto a base sheet.
It’s best for teachers or parents to handle this prep work.
The first way to make the dango is to glue thin cross-sections of a toilet paper roll onto the paper and then stuff each ring with small crumpled pieces of white tissue paper.
The second way is to use a finger dipped in white paint to stamp or draw round dango shapes on the paper.
Adjust the method to suit the children’s ages and abilities.
Moon-Viewing Dumplings Made with Paper Clay (for 1-year-olds)
How about having the one-year-olds try making moon-viewing dango out of paper clay? Since paper clay has a bit of weight to it, it’s recommended to make the sanpō (the tray for the dango) from sturdy materials like milk cartons or thick paper.
Teachers can prepare the sanpō in advance, and the children can roll the paper clay into balls and place them on top.
Don’t set any particular rules about how to arrange them—let the children place the dango freely.
Please be careful to ensure the children don’t put the paper-clay dango in their mouths.
Moon-Viewing Crafts While Playing Games (For 5-Year-Olds)
For five-year-olds, we recommend a Moon Viewing craft they can enjoy as a game.
First, the teacher prepares yellow construction paper cut into a circle with the center removed, yellow cellophane cut to match the size of the paper, and other pieces of construction paper cut into shapes for Moon Viewing decorations.
Tell the children, “Let’s find yellow things and decorate the moon!” and have them decorate the moon while playing a ‘yellow item’ scavenger hunt.
Good yellow items to prepare include yellow round stickers, star-shaped stickers, and yellow-patterned masking tape.
As the children search for yellow items, let them stick them on the cellophane however they like.
When they’re done, combine it with the construction paper that has a cut-out center to complete the moon! Then add the other decorations to finish the Moon Viewing display.
[Origami] Rabbit
![[Origami] Rabbit](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ACYSeAhWKfI/sddefault.jpg)
Origami rabbit faces are perfect for making decorations for the moon-viewing festival.
Enjoy folding them with the children and liven up the autumn event together.
Even simple steps can spark their imagination.
Add expressions with colored pens to make them even more adorable.
The finished rabbits also make lovely wall decorations for the classroom.
Enjoy creating moon-viewing decorations full of originality, where each child’s individuality shines.
A crowd of cute rabbits will brighten the classroom as autumn arrives.
[Origami] Pampas Grass
![[Origami] Pampas Grass](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/y_WKALjzK50/sddefault.jpg)
Let’s try making pampas grass (susuki), which is used as a Moon Viewing decoration, out of origami! Susuki is displayed on Moon Viewing Day as a substitute for ears of rice.
Since the rice has not fully ripened around the night of the Harvest Moon, pampas grass came to be displayed instead.
When crafting with origami, you can create the feathery flower cluster at the tip—called the flowering spike—by cutting slits into the paper or by folding it accordion-style.
It’s also recommended to make the spike and the stem as separate pieces.
Try making the moon and dango with origami as well, and decorate the area around them with pampas grass.