[For 3-year-olds] Perfect for September! A Collection of Craft Ideas to Enjoy Autumn Nature
September makes craft time with children even more fun.
Here, we’ll introduce craft ideas for three-year-olds using seasonal themes like moon-viewing, mushrooms, and cosmos flowers.
Let’s enjoy autumn crafts together using stamp daubers, origami, and everyday materials.
Through activities that highlight each child’s individuality, their interest in autumn’s nature will grow.
You’ll find plenty of tips everyone can enjoy together, so please use them as a reference.
Because we emphasize ideas that harness children’s free imagination to create works, in the main text we use the term “seisaku” (制作, creation/production) rather than “seisaku” (製作, craft-making).
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[For 3-year-olds] Perfect for September! A collection of craft ideas to enjoy autumn nature (21–30)
A dragonfly made from rolled origami
Why not enjoy autumn by making a semi-3D dragonfly using origami and construction paper? First, draw your favorite patterns with crayons on construction paper cut into dragonfly wing shapes.
Next, attach the wings to a long, thin strip of construction paper.
Fold a sheet of origami paper in half, then cut along the crease.
Fold again into strips a few centimeters wide and cut them out.
After cutting several colors of origami paper, roll each piece and glue it to hold its shape.
Finally, arrange and glue the rolled origami pieces onto the dragonfly’s body section, add the eye parts, and you’re done! Try making colorful dragonflies with the kids.
Popping Bubble Wrap Mushroom
Why not make cute mushrooms using bubble wrap? First, the teacher draws the shapes of mushroom caps and stems, as well as autumn leaves, on construction paper.
Cut out the mushroom cap to use as a template, and trace the outline onto the bubble wrap as well.
Have the children cut out each part with scissors.
Since bubble wrap can be difficult to cut, consider assisting the children or cutting it yourself, and adjust the task accordingly.
Next, glue the bubble wrap onto the construction paper with the bubbles facing up.
Then use a permanent marker to draw patterns on the bubble wrap.
Draw a cute face on the mushroom stem, too.
It’s a fun idea to see what kinds of mushrooms the children will create!
Cosmos flowers stamped with a dab-dab technique
Let’s try making autumn flowers—cosmos—using paper plates and a sponge.
As preparation, cut the center of a paper plate into the shape of a cosmos flower.
After that, simply use a sponge to dab the cosmos shapes onto construction paper.
You can reflect the real colors of cosmos, such as pink and yellow, or choose any colors you like for a fun twist.
Layering the flowers little by little will create a more vibrant finish.
You might also enjoy looking at real cosmos flowers before starting.
Have fun making lots of cosmos blossoms!
Acorn with origami
When you think of autumn fruits, acorns come to mind.
Many preschools and kindergartens probably go out to look for nuts during outdoor activities, right? Searching for acorns is a favorite activity for children.
So let’s try making acorns with origami! There aren’t any complicated steps, but there are some small folds, making it perfect for three-year-olds who are just getting used to origami.
You can use various colors, and drawing faces on the finished acorns is adorable, too.
They also make great wall decorations, so try folding lots of them!
Chestnuts you can try from around age 3
Here’s an origami chestnut that even preschoolers can enjoy.
Fold the paper in half, then open it and fold the bottom edge up toward the center crease.
Flip the paper over and fold the top half along the line to form a triangle.
Fold the lower left and right corners up along the crease, then round the corners to finish.
Draw a face to create your own cute, original chestnut.
Display the finished chestnut indoors for autumn crafts or as wall decor to bring a sense of the season and add a charming touch.
Grapes with bubble-wrap stamping
Here’s a September craft activity idea themed around grapes, a beloved taste of autumn.
Make stamps by wrapping pieces of cut bubble wrap around toilet paper rolls.
In advance, the teacher cuts construction paper into grape shapes, and the children can have fun creating patterns with the bubble-wrap stamps! They can also enjoy rolling the toilet paper rolls around and feeling the bubble wrap’s texture.
Once the grape clusters are finished, glue them onto construction paper to complete the artwork! Adding a little caterpillar to the layout might also delight the children.
Grapes made with origami
Open the origami after folding it into a triangle, and place it so the crease runs horizontally.
Fold the two left edges in to meet the crease, then fold the right corner toward the center.
If the origami forms an isosceles triangle, the base for the grapes is complete.
Apply double-sided tape to the front and attach crumpled tissue paper to represent the grape berries.
Finally, glue on a stem made from construction paper to finish.
Using several shades of the same color for the tissue paper gives a vibrant look.
Switch to green to make muscat grapes.
