[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn Season
When it comes to September events and observances, the Mid-Autumn Moon, Respect-for-the-Aged Day, and the autumn equinoctial week come to mind.
These are long-standing traditions in Japan, so they should be familiar to many older adults.
In this context, we’re introducing simple craft activities suitable for senior facilities such as day service centers.
We’ve gathered many projects perfect for September, featuring motifs like moon-viewing rabbits and themes of longevity and health.
They’re fun to make, attractive to display, and likely to give a sense of accomplishment! Although summer is ending and autumn is approaching, some regions still experience hot days.
Craft activities are great because they can be done indoors and are accessible even for those who find physical movement challenging.
Please give them a try!
- [For Seniors] Simple crafts that feel like autumn: a fun creative activity
- [For Seniors] Recommended for September! Craft Idea Collection
- [For Seniors] Recommended September Origami to Feel the Autumn Season
- [Day Service] Handmade Autumn Crafts: Take-Home Project Ideas
- Moon-Viewing Wall Decor Ideas for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Fall Wall Decoration Ideas
- Simple, Recommended Autumn Crafts for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Enjoy September’s Autumn Fun! A Collection of Craft, Game, and Exercise Ideas
- Useful in care facilities! Ideas for autumn wall decorations
- [For Seniors] Simple Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn Season with Fall Foliage
- [For Seniors] Easy Snack Activity Perfect for September
- [For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
- Wall decoration ideas for seniors recommended for September
[For Senior Facilities] Simple! September Craft Ideas to Feel Autumn (71–80)
Moon-viewing Rabbit
When it comes to moon-viewing, rabbits are indispensable.
So, let’s make a moon-viewing bunny using UV resin! For this project, you’ll need resin liquid, a UV light, tweezers, and a mold to cure the resin into a circular shape.
Many 100-yen shops carry these items, so give it a look if you like.
The workflow is to brush a thin layer of resin into the mold and cure it, then create the rabbit parts.
The fine work may be tricky at first, but take it step by step.
Once the parts are finished, assemble them with resin.
Add color at the end, and you’ll have an adorable moon-viewing bunny.
Moon-viewing Dumpling Wall Decorations
Even if it’s difficult to display real Tsukimi dango, a wall decoration lets you enjoy the moon-viewing scene without taking up space! Cut out Tsukimi dango and the sanpō (the tray that holds the dango) from construction paper and stick them on the wall.
If you want a slightly three-dimensional look, you could use cotton or crumpled tissue paper for the dango.
Around the dango, try adding a lively touch by sticking on a moon, pampas grass, and rabbits cut from construction paper as well.
Moon-Viewing Wall Hanging Decoration
This is a wall-hanging decoration that captures the moon-viewing scene—an essential event on long autumn nights.
It’s a simple craft made by using a paper plate with the center cut out as the base and adding decorations.
First, paint the paper plate black, then create a night sky by attaching sequins and a moon cut from yellow origami paper.
Next, place dango and rabbits—both staples of moon viewing—and attach a string for hanging to complete it.
It could be fun to think about how to color the night sky with the rising moon and what to include to convey the joy of moon viewing in your own way.
[For Senior Care Facilities] Simple! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn (81–90)
dragonfly
As if to celebrate the harvest, all kinds of insects appear in autumn, don’t they? Let’s make a dragonfly—one of the insects strongly associated with autumn—out of origami.
You can aim for a realistic dragonfly, or go for a cute, stylized version.
We’ll create parts like the body and wings and then assemble them; by changing the colors, you can end up with a vibrant dragonfly.
If you keep a rounded feel for the body parts and a thin, delicate look for the wings, you’ll achieve a more realistic effect.
Moon-viewing rabbit made of clay
Here’s a simple rabbit craft idea using clay.
Wondering what kind of rabbit? Think of a snow rabbit.
You’ll need 25 g of white clay.
First, divide the clay into two parts.
Use the first part for the rabbit’s body; the second part is for the ears and tail, so a small amount is fine.
Roll the first portion into an egg shape.
To keep it from rolling, flatten the bottom slightly.
Divide the second portion into three pieces to make the ears and tail, then attach them to the body with glue.
Finally, add the eyes, and you’re done.
For an even nicer finish, make the ears with Japanese-patterned chiyogami and decorate them, and create a background by accordion-folding paper.
Maple leaf photo frame
Maple leaves have often been the subject of waka poetry since ancient times.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro’s poem, “Akiyama no momiji o shigemi madoinuru imo o motome mu yamaji shirazumo,” is well known.
It’s quite charming to go on a momijigari (autumn leaf viewing) with everyone from the day service while thinking of such poems.
How about decorating a photo frame with the maple leaves you gather? It will make a lovely autumn memory, and photos taken in the fall will surely shine.
The photo frame can be handmade or store-bought—either is fine.
Arrange various shades of orange paper and maple leaves beautifully on the frame you’ve prepared.
Cosmos hanging ornament
How about making a cosmos wall decoration with beautiful, delicate stems and leaves? All you need is origami paper and wood glue, so it’s easy to make.
For the flowers, join two petal-shaped pieces together, and use yellow origami in the center to create the pistil.
Give the petals dimension by adding layers or curling them so they look almost like real cosmos.
For the stems and leaves, cut them as you would for paper cutouts—be careful with the fine parts so they don’t get cut off.
Finally, roll a thin strip of origami into a border, place the pieces on top, and you’re done.
You can enjoy it not only as a wall decoration but also by hanging it.
