September crafts for 2-year-olds! A collection of make-and-play ideas to enjoy autumn
Here are some autumn craft ideas you can enjoy with two-year-olds! We’ve gathered projects that feature September’s seasonal motifs—like moon viewing, autumn leaves, and mushrooms—that spark children’s curiosity.
Kids can have fun creating with a variety of techniques such as daubers, stamping, and torn-paper collage.
Use everyday materials like bubble wrap and tissue paper to express the beauty of autumn together.
Display the finished pieces to fill your classroom with wonderful memories.
Because the children’s creations are treated as works, we use the term “seisaku (制作)” meaning “production/work” in the text.
September crafts for 2-year-olds! A collection of fun, fall-themed make-and-play ideas (1–10)
Handprint and footprint stamp production
In daycares and kindergartens, it’s common to make crafts using handprint and footprint stamps that also let you feel the children’s growth! If you’re thinking about autumn-themed projects, how about making mushrooms or squirrels with footprints, and bagworms with handprints? Kids enjoy getting their handprints and footprints taken, and if they like stickers, it’s fun to use them to add patterns as well.
If you display the finished pieces in the hallway, parents can see them at pick-up time, and they’re sure to be delighted!
Autumn leaves with newspaper stamping
Beautifully colored autumn leaves.
Let’s try expressing those subtle shades by making stamps out of newspaper.
Cut the newspaper into a suitable size and crumple it to make your stamp.
A nice thing about newspaper stamps is that you can easily adjust them to fit children’s hands and make them easy to press.
On white drawing paper, mix two or three colors of paint and dab the stamp randomly.
Once you’ve stamped the entire sheet, cut it into leaf shapes.
You can add little insect-nibbled holes, string them together like a garland, and try all sorts of creative ideas.
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!
acorn maracas
Speaking of autumn, it’s the season when acorns ripen! Picking up acorns is fun, but how about making maracas with the ones you collect? You can easily craft them using familiar materials like plastic bottles or paper cups, so even small children can enjoy making them.
Decorate with cute patterned masking tape, and you’ll have a one-of-a-kind maraca! The sound changes depending on the amount and size of the acorns, so experimenting can be fun too.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to enjoy activities that connect children with nature!
The autumn-colored caterpillar
Speaking of caterpillars, we usually think of green ones, but caterpillars dressed in autumn colors are adorable too.
Let’s make a version of the beloved children’s book character, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, using fall foliage colors.
On a sheet of white construction paper, you’ll stamp circles—but the stamp is a blown-up balloon.
Mix a few paints in your favorite autumn shades, press the balloon lightly into the paint, then dab and twist it on the paper to make circles.
Even two-year-olds can have fun bouncing the balloon to stamp! Cut out the circles, add a face, and it’s complete.
Torn-paper collage of fallen leaves
Let’s express autumn with torn-paper collage! Torn-paper collage is not only easy to make, but also a great craft for stimulating the brain by using your fingertips.
Prepare a base sheet with a tree trunk drawn or pasted on it, and freely create autumn foliage by tearing origami paper in fall colors and pasting the pieces.
You can also use color pages from newspapers instead of origami to give it a stylish finish.
No two works will ever be the same.
How about decorating the wall with these unique pieces and enjoying a little exhibition together?
Dragonfly’s glasses
How about making colorful, cute dragonfly glasses as a craft activity at daycare? You can use colored clear file folders from the 100-yen shop for the wings and colored cellophane for the lenses.
It’s fun to let the kids draw patterns on the wings with permanent markers or decorate them with sparkly stickers to create designs they like! The feel of cutting a clear file—something they don’t usually handle—might also feel fresh and interesting to them.
And after making them, they can have lots of fun playing with the see-through dragonfly glasses toy!