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] Craft ideas for autumn you can use in childcare (1–10)

A dragonfly made by dabbing paint with hands and sticking on stickers.

This is an autumn-themed dragonfly craft where you color by patting paint on with your palms.

Apply paint to your palms and add color all over by gripping and rolling a toilet paper tube.

Next, take the pre-cut dragonfly wing pieces and decorate them with your favorite stickers.

Then attach the wings and eye pieces to the painted body parts, and your cute dragonfly is complete! If you’re displaying them in a classroom, it’s also fun to thread a string through the tube and hang them so the dragonflies look like they’re flying.

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Halloween Origami

You often see wreaths around Christmastime.

It’s also a great idea to decorate with a Halloween-themed version of one.

You can even make it using only origami, so it’s perfect if you want the children to take the lead in a craft activity.

Another feature of this Halloween wreath is how easy it is to add originality.

Try placing a ghost in the center of the wreath, or a black cat—come up with whatever designs you like.

There are many folding instructions available online, so it’s a good idea to look those up as well.

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Autumn Origami: Acorns, Mushrooms, and Fallen Leaves

Let's fold seasonal origami♪ Acorns, mushrooms, and fallen leaves

Autumn Origami: Acorns, Mushrooms, and Fallen Leaves

We’ll make classic autumn items—acorns, mushrooms, and fallen leaves—out of origami! For the acorn, first fold the paper into a triangle twice, then unfold.

Fold one corner toward the center twice.

Flip it over and fold both sides in so they go a little past the center line.

Fold the bottom corner up slightly, and it’s done! Next, for the mushroom, fold the paper into a square twice, then unfold and fold one edge up to the center.

Flip it over and fold both sides toward the center, then fold the bottom up, leaving about 1 cm uncreased at the bottom edge to create a flap.

Fold the corners of that flap inward and open them, then fold all four outer corners in; the mushroom is complete! For the fallen leaf, fold once into a triangle, then make accordion folds from one end and unfold.

Lightly fold along the initial triangle’s crease at a slight diagonal.

Open it up while keeping the diagonal fold section, then round off the corners with small folds; your leaf is finished!

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Halloween ghost

[Kindergarten/Preschool] Full of individuality with all kinds of ghosts! Ghost-themed drawings and crafts

Halloween ghost

Speaking of autumn, Halloween is a favorite among children.

How about making ghosts that even one-year-olds can enjoy? Prepare the parts for the ghosts—eyes, mouth, hands, and so on—in advance, and put double-sided tape on the back.

First, attach a sponge to the end of a chopstick and secure it with a rubber band.

Dab white paint on the sponge and use it to draw big ghosts on black construction paper.

Next, peel the backing off the tape on the parts and hand them to the children so they can stick them on.

It’s best to let them be as free as they like, both when drawing the ghosts and when placing the parts.

You’ll end up with wonderfully unique and adorable ghosts!

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Bubbly little mushroom

Perfect for autumn wall displays! 'Bubble Wrap Mushrooms' (recommended for 3-year-olds)

Bubbly little mushroom

Let’s use the bubble wrap lying around at home to make autumn-themed mushroom decorations! Draw the shapes you want on construction paper or cardstock and cut them out.

Then cut the bubble wrap to match those shapes and glue it on top.

After that, use permanent markers to color the bubble wrap.

You’ll create decorations that feel fresh thanks to bubble wrap’s unique texture.

Coloring the bubble wrap is also a sensory experience you don’t usually get, so kids are sure to enjoy it.

It’s a great craft that puts bubble wrap—often thrown away or hard to repurpose—to good use!

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