[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 (41–50) to enjoy autumn nature
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 in bubble art
This is a grape craft made with bubble art.
Bubble art is a technique that uses bubbles created from a soap solution.
Mix detergent, water, and paint to make a colored soap solution, then blow through a straw to create bubbles.
Place the bubbles onto drawing paper to make patterns.
Once the bubbles dry, cut them out into grape shapes, and attach them to a grape backing sheet to finish.
Instead of a straw, you can also use a cut plastic bottle covered with cloth or netting as a substitute.
Moon viewing with tampos
Let’s work on a Moon-Viewing (Otsukimi) craft using tampo stampers.
For the inside of the tampo, use absorbent cotton or a sponge.
Wrap the filling with a towel or gauze and secure it with a rubber band.
If you also wrap rubber bands around the handle, it will be easier for children to hold.
Next, cut brown construction paper into the shape of a sanpo (offering stand) and paste it onto navy or black construction paper.
Draw pampas grass around it with crayons, and now it’s time for the tampo! Use white paint to stamp on top of the sanpo to represent rice dumplings (dango).
Many children may not know what stacked dango look like, so showing a sample beforehand helps things go smoothly.
Once the dango are done, use yellow paint and the tampo to create a full moon.
Your uniquely expressive Moon-Viewing craft is complete!
Full moon rabbit made from a single sheet of origami
Perfect for moon-viewing events! Here’s an idea for a full-moon rabbit made from a single sheet of origami paper.
Autumn is the season for tsukimi (moon viewing), right? Some of you might prepare pampas grass and moon-viewing dumplings at school or at home and enjoy the beautiful moon.
This time, let’s make a full-moon rabbit that’s just right for such an event.
What you’ll need: yellow origami paper, scissors, glue, and a pen.
Some steps are a bit tricky, so it’s best to work together with a parent or teacher for safety and ease.
Be sure to give it a try on this occasion!