Get kids excited in November! A collection of play and craft ideas using autumn’s natural treasures

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.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

As autumn deepens, many teachers at daycare centers and kindergartens are surely looking to incorporate fun activities into their November plans.

This season offers plenty of ways to enjoy not only indoor play but also activities that get children moving.

As children’s smiles and cheerful voices fill these engaging activities, the feelings of parents and teachers resonate with them, creating wonderful memories.

In this article, we introduce recommended November childcare activities, including bonding games, rhythm-based play, and crafts that make use of nature!

Get Excited in Preschool This November! A Collection of Play and Craft Ideas (31–40) That Make the Most of Autumn Nature

Torn-paper collage sweet potato

These torn-paper roasted sweet potatoes are perfect for an end-of-autumn craft.

Use red, purple, and brown construction paper or origami paper, tear it by hand, and glue the pieces onto a sweet-potato-shaped base.

If you crumple and soften the paper before tearing, it becomes easier for children to rip—give it a try! For added dimension, you can also shape a sweet potato out of newspaper and then cover it with colored paper.

This craft idea brings out children’s expressive creativity and is sure to make autumn events even more enjoyable.

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miyabi

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Squirrel Wreath

Why not make a super-cute squirrel wreath and feel the autumn vibes? As prep, teachers should cut construction paper into 3.5 cm-wide strips.

Choose fall colors like yellow, orange, and red.

Have the children stamp the paper with cotton swabs or decorate it with stickers.

Once the decorating is done, apply glue along a 2 cm width and form the paper into rings.

After making nine rings, thread a string through their centers to connect them and arrange them into a round wreath shape.

Next, glue acorns onto the wreath and attach a squirrel face made from construction paper to finish!

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tsukada moe

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Rolling Acorn

How about enjoying a craft activity with children that makes use of acorns, one of autumn’s natural treasures? In fall, kids have more chances to collect acorns outdoors.

Paint the acorns in their favorite colors and roll them across construction paper to create delightful art! Then, cut the paper into leaf shapes and glue origami acorns on top for a piece that’s bursting with autumn flair.

It’s also a great idea to decorate with the colorful fallen leaves you actually gathered.

It seems like it would make a lovely wall display, full of the children’s individuality and autumn charm.

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Autumn Lion

Here’s a craft idea for making an autumn lion using fallen leaves.

Draw the lion’s face in the center on the back side of a paper plate.

Let the children use crayons or other materials to draw the lion however they like.

Once the face is done, stick double-sided tape around the rim of the plate and attach fallen leaves onto the tape.

Go all the way around the plate so the leaves form the lion’s mane.

Mixing green leaves with orange and yellow ones, as well as leaves of various shapes, will create a unique and expressive lion.

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utatane

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Fallen leaves with spray paint

Leaves that change color from the lush greens of summer to shades of red and brown.

Those changed leaves eventually fall, tinting the paths with autumn hues.

Let’s recreate those fallen leaves using paint spray! Just dissolve paint in water, pour it into a spray bottle, and you’re ready.

Then spritz it onto paper towels to add color.

Once the colors dry, cut them into leaf shapes, and, if you like, add eyes or decorations with round stickers.

You’ll have bright, adorable fall leaves! Depending on the children’s ages, it may be best for the teacher to handle the prep up to filling the spray bottles with paint.

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SAKI

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Get Kids Excited in November! A Collection of Play and Craft Ideas Using Autumn Nature (41–50)

Animal art made with fallen leaves

https://www.tiktok.com/@kichijyo/video/7177213771084090626

When November comes, various leaves detach from branches and become fallen leaves.

Let’s enjoy art by using plenty of these autumnal leaves, overflowing with reds and oranges.

Try making a lion by using fallen leaves as its mane, or a rabbit by using long leaves as ears.

It’s recommended to create outdoors, where children can look at leaves of different shapes and colors and let their imaginations expand.

Beyond animals, it could be fun to make foods or vehicles as well.

Encourage children’s free inspiration and expressive abilities to create wonderful autumn art.

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Making animals with fallen leaves

Making animals out of fallen leaves is fun, too.

Let me show you how.

First, prepare paper motifs like animal faces.

Then hand them to the kids together with fallen leaves, and let them freely create the bodies.

For example, for a lion, you can arrange leaves around the face to represent the mane.

Beyond lions, prepare a variety of creatures and enjoy tackling the activity together! By the way, animals that pair especially well with fallen leaves include bagworms and hedgehogs.

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yamamoto

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