Lovely childcare

[October] Craft ideas for fall you can use in childcare

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

October is when you can feel autumn even more strongly, thanks to changes in nature and the climate.

This is a must-read for teachers who are thinking, “I want to enjoy autumn-specific crafts with the children!”

Here we introduce craft ideas perfect for October.

You’ll find a wide range of ideas: themes inspired by Halloween such as ghosts and pumpkins; and themes that feature autumn-only natural items and seasonal tastes like fallen leaves, acorns, mushrooms, and grapes.

We also introduce techniques that stimulate children’s five senses and curiosity, as well as fun ways to use materials that greatly expand their imaginative world—please use them for inspiration.

Because we focus on ideas for creating works that allow children to freely express their individuality, we use the term “制作 (seisaku)” as “creation” or “craft” in the text.

[October] Useful for childcare! Introducing autumn craft ideas (71–80)

Fun in autumn! Roasted sweet potato origami

[Origami] Roasted Sweet Potato

Fun in autumn! Roasted sweet potato origami

After folding the origami into a square and creasing it, open it up and place the paper so the crease runs horizontally.

Fold the top and bottom edges to the crease, then fold all four corners inward to complete the roasted sweet potato.

This alone gives plenty of autumn vibes, but let’s add one more touch.

Tear the roasted sweet potato you made in half, and insert a yellow “roasted sweet potato” made the same way inside.

Now you’ve made a half-eaten roasted sweet potato.

It also works as a wall decoration and seems like an idea that could contribute to children’s food education.

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Three-dimensional cosmos

[Origami] Cosmos – Easy 3D Tutorial | Autumn Flower Origami | Kid-Friendly Instructions | September, October, November Origami [Origami]

Three-dimensional cosmos

Here’s an idea for making a cosmos flower by combining identical parts.

Fold a sheet of origami paper in half into a triangle, then fold it in half into a triangle again, and place it so the triangle points downward.

Take the top layer’s left edge and fold it to meet the right edge, then fold it back again to align with the center line.

Slightly fold the right corner of the folded section inward, open that section up, and use the creases to shape it into a petal.

With one part completed, make eight parts total and assemble them by overlapping, tucking in any excess as you go to form the cosmos.

Adding a round sticker in the center makes it easy to represent the flower’s core.

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3D persimmon origami

Persimmon decoration made with easy origami (with audio commentary)

3D persimmon origami

After folding the origami in half twice to make a small square, place the center of the origami facing down and use scissors to round off the left and right corners.

Open the origami, make slits, then bring the four corners to the center and glue them—this completes the persimmon fruit part.

For the calyx, use 7.5 cm origami paper.

Fold it into a triangle twice and open it, then fold it into a small square like the fruit and cut off both side corners.

Open the paper, fold the four corners toward the center, then fold them back and create a stepped fold.

Pinch the corners while pressing toward the center to hollow out the middle of the paper.

Finally, glue it to the fruit, and it’s complete.

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Grapes stamp with a paper core featuring beautiful bleeding-style painting

Cut a toilet paper roll core in half, dip the cut edge in paint, and stamp to create the base with grape berries.

Next, use a wet brush to trace the edges of the berries you drew, then spread the paint inward to fill each berry.

Paint the stem with paint, and for the leaves, apply paint to real leaves and stamp them.

Once the paint is dry, cut the base into the shape of a bunch of grapes to finish.

If you use several colors for the initial berry paint, it will create a beautiful gradient when you spread it.

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Grapes made with original stickers

Draw swirling lines with a purple water-based marker on aluminum foil, then rub a sheet of round stickers over the drawing.

Once the marker color has transferred to the stickers, cut the base construction paper into the shape of a bunch of grapes.

Stick on the round stickers to represent the grapes, add a stem and leaves made from other pieces of construction paper, and you’re done.

You can use store-bought stickers as-is, but adding this extra step lets you create original stickers, which I highly recommend.

Using several shades from the same color family for the markers will give the colors more depth and character.

Be sure to use the stickers after the ink has dried.

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