[Childcare] Fun for October! Craft ideas recommended for 4-year-olds
Four-year-olds become even more dependable in autumn.
You’ll probably start to hear conversations like, “Next year you’ll be in the oldest class!” Their crafting activities also gain depth, as they grapple with how to express their own ideas and offer imaginative suggestions that make the most of their creativity.
This time, we’ve put together October craft ideas we’d love to try with four-year-olds.
We’ve prepared a variety of ideas—from seasonal materials and motifs to projects that draw out their originality.
Please use them as a reference.
Since the children’s creations are treated as works, we use the term “seisaku” (production/art-making) in the text.
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[Early Childhood Education] Fun for October! Recommended Craft Ideas for 4-Year-Olds (1–10)
Making original puffy stickers
Did you know you can make your own squishy stickers using water-based markers and glue? It’s super easy! Draw a picture with a water-based marker on a clear plastic sheet or a large card case, then drip glue on top and spread it to match the shape of your drawing.
Let it dry for a day, and you’ll have a semi-transparent, squishy sticker! If a child isn’t confident about drawing, tape a sheet of paper with an illustration under the plastic sheet or inside the card case and have them color over it.
Note that this doesn’t work with oil-based markers, so please be careful.
Try making all kinds of stickers with autumn motifs like acorns and maple leaves.
Totoro taking a walk among the autumn leaves
This is an art project featuring Totoro, a character beloved by children.
Cut out tree parts from drawing paper and glue them together.
Cut various origami papers into strips, glue the ends together to make teardrop shapes, and attach them to the tree as leaves.
Fold Totoro from a single sheet of origami and just draw the face.
Since it only takes one sheet, be sure to have the kids try making Totoro too.
Finally, glue the tree and Totoro onto a backing sheet, and you’ll have Totoro walking among the autumn leaves! Because there are quite a few steps, we recommend doing the tree and Totoro on separate days.
Pumpkin Paint
Color your pumpkins! Enjoy “pumpkin painting” this fall.
For this craft, we’ll use small pumpkins that are easy for children to handle.
Once you have your pumpkins, acrylic paints, and brushes ready, start painting the pumpkins freely.
Although pumpkins may seem green, try painting them in your children’s favorite colors—blue, pink, red, white, and more.
After enjoying the coloring, use them as Halloween or autumn decorations.
When they’ve finished their role as decor, repurpose them for other crafts like vegetable stamping!
[Childcare] Fun for October! Recommended Craft Ideas for 4-Year-Olds (11–20)
Halloween pumpkin and bats
Let’s try making pumpkins and bats using toilet paper rolls.
Following the guidelines, cut the main body pieces and the bat wings out of construction paper.
Attach the pre-made facial parts to the main body piece, wrap it around the toilet paper roll, and you’re done.
For the bat, don’t forget to attach the wings.
If the children are around four years old, they might enjoy trying to cut out the smaller facial parts themselves.
Some materials or shapes can be hard to cut, so please support the children to make the activity easier for them when needed.
Making a cosmos flower with origami
Here’s a craft idea inspired by a classic autumn flower, the cosmos.
Fold a sheet of origami paper three times to make a long, narrow strip, then unfold it and cut along the creases with scissors.
If it’s hard for a child to cut straight, draw guide lines to help.
Glue the ends of each cut strip together to make loops, then glue the loops together to form a cosmos flower.
Start by arranging four loops in a cross, then fill in the gaps with the remaining loops for a neat finish.
Stick a yellow round sticker in the center and attach the flower to a backing sheet.
Finally, use crayons to draw leaves, the sky, or anything you like, and you’re done.
Try using pink origami paper in different shades to make it extra pretty.
Bat made by winding yarn around and around
How about making a fluffy, cute bat with yarn? It’s perfect for Halloween crafts, so give it a try! First, stick double-sided tape onto a toilet paper roll, then wrap your favorite color of yarn around and around.
Black is the classic bat color, but kids who don’t like it can choose any color they like.
Next, attach wings and ears made from construction paper, plus eyes and a mouth, and you’re done! If you thread a string through the roll, it’s easy to hang, so you can turn it into a hanging ornament or a garland!
Let’s build a 〇〇 tree together!
Let’s use our hands and feet to boldly spread paint and create an autumn tree! For October projects, we recommend designs inspired by the vivid colors of maple and ginkgo leaves.
Handprints resemble maple leaves, so be sure to give them a try.
You can also use footprint stamps to express the texture of the tree trunk, or stamp handprints on drawing paper and cut them out to make leaves.
Through the process of attaching leaves to the tree, this activity can nurture the imagination of 4-year-olds.
You can also adapt this project to suit different seasons, so please try it out.