Lovely childcare

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

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

Last updated:2025/10/10

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)

Grapes made with tissue paper

Autumn is full of delicious foods, and it’s especially the season when many fruits are harvested.

How about making grapes, a seasonal fruit you can enjoy in autumn? Roll purple tissue paper into balls to create the many round grape berries in a cluster, and have the children stamp their handprints in green on construction paper, cut them out, and use them as grape leaves.

Glue the grape berries onto a backing sheet of the same color.

The number of berries and how they are arranged will change the size and appearance, giving each piece its own personality.

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Frottage of fallen leaves

[Autumn Crafts] Four Painting Techniques Using Fallen Leaves and How to Do Them [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

Frottage of fallen leaves

Speaking of autumn, fallen leaves are an essential motif.

The way leaves in various colors pile up beautifully on the ground is striking.

It’s also a season when people often design fallen leaves in their drawings, but by using real leaves, you can create even more realistic designs.

With a technique called frottage, you place fallen leaves under the paper and rub over them with colored pencils, which brings out the leaves’ textures and patterns.

It’s also fun that you can explore many variations—choosing different leaf shapes and different colored pencils to create a range of effects.

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stylish tree

Perfect for the art-filled days of autumn! Here’s a stylish, artistic tree-making idea.

It’s a creative activity that draws out children’s free imagination, so why not try it at your nursery or kindergarten? The teacher cuts construction paper into leaf shapes, and the children freely color them with crayons or paint.

Next, tear craft paper (or similar) into branch and trunk shapes and glue them on.

Finish by arranging the colored leaves you made earlier.

If you have time, you can add a stamping activity using various recycled materials—kids will love it.

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Spider web wreath

[Halloween Craft] Easy Spiderweb Wreath Tutorial (for ages 2–5)

Spider web wreath

Here’s a spiderweb wreath I highly recommend as a Halloween party decoration.

Using a paper plate, let’s easily make a wreath.

First, cut out the center of the paper plate so you’re left with just the rim, and make several small slits around that rim.

On the remaining rim, attach Halloween-themed decorations—like jack-o’-lanterns and bats—made from origami or construction paper.

It’s also a great idea to add small torn pieces of origami paper as confetti-like decorations or use Halloween-themed stickers.

After that, hook black yarn into the slits you made in the plate, crisscrossing it from different directions to form a spiderweb pattern, and you’re done! Add a ribbon and you can hang it on a wall or anywhere you like.

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Chestnut gathering with an original basket

This is a craft project to make in-season autumn chestnuts and a chestnut-gathering basket using construction paper and origami! Cut a piece of construction paper into a half circle to form the base of the basket, and have teachers pre-cut vertical slits.

Then weave thin strips of origami paper up and down through the slits to create a basket-like finish.

Decorate a backing sheet or wall with the origami chestnuts and the basket for a piece full of autumn vibes! You can adapt the basket idea for other seasons by changing the materials and colors, so be sure to give it a try.

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