[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!
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[For Senior Care Facilities] Simple! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn (81–90)
Papercut Art: Moon-Viewing Rabbit
Here’s a paper-cutting idea of a moon with the silhouette of a rabbit pounding mochi.
It seems useful for wall decorations, autumn crafts, and many other settings.
The method is simple: fold a sheet of yellow origami paper in half, draw the rabbit and the moon with lines, and cut them out with scissors.
If you have trouble drawing a perfect circle for the moon, fold the paper twice and draw one quarter at a time.
Also, since freehand drawing the rabbit can be tricky, it may help to draw guide lines beforehand; for older adults, it might be better to have them trace over those lines with a pen.
Moon-viewing dumplings made with cardboard and washi paper
Let’s make a sanpō (ceremonial tray) and dango that will be useful for a moon-viewing event.
There are templates for both, so please download those first.
Once you’ve downloaded the templates, cut the sanpō parts out of thick paper and attach them to washi paper.
After you’ve prepared all the parts, assemble them.
For the dango, roll up tissues lightly moistened with a misting spray, let them dry, then use glue to adhere chirimen fabric over the top.
Lay washi paper with red-painted edges on the assembled sanpō, place the dango on top, and you’re done! You’ll use a hole punch to make the decorative openings on the sanpō, but if you don’t have one, drawing black circles with a pen is fine, too.
Handmade pampas grass
Here’s a craft idea featuring pampas grass, which is essential for autumn scenery and moon-viewing.
Make fine cuts into colored construction paper with scissors, roll it tightly from the edge, and secure it with tape to create the pampas grass.
If you want to display the pampas grass upright, try making a stand by wrapping green construction paper around a toilet paper roll and decorating the tube with pipe cleaners.
Since this craft involves using scissors and rolling, it’s also great for finger and hand coordination practice—perfect for autumn craft time.
If you make some dango as well, you’ll have a splendid moon-viewing decoration ready!
Cosmos wall art decorated with handmade stamps
Here’s an award-worthy wall decoration idea using makeup sponges! Dab paint-soaked sponges onto shoji paper.
The naturally blurred colors give it a stylish, cute look.
Once the paper is dry, fold it and cut out petal shapes with scissors.
Next, gather some yellow tissue paper and use a plastic bottle cap to create a three-dimensional flower center.
Combine the two, and you’ve got pastel-colored autumn cosmos! Make lots to fill your room and bring in the fall vibe!
Handmade pom-pom stamp moon-viewing dumplings
How about making tsukimi dango by stamping dots onto black construction paper? First, glue a sanpo offering stand and a moon, both cut from construction paper, onto the black background.
For the dango, dip a sponge wrapped in cloth into white paint and stamp the dots onto the sanpo.
That’s all there is to it, so it can be finished quickly and also works well as an autumn wall decoration.
If you add pampas grass or rabbits made from origami or construction paper, it will look even more like a moon-viewing scene.
Try different variations and enjoy this autumn craft!
Full Moon Rabbit
This is a craft project where you create the image of a rabbit emerging on a full moon using a single sheet of origami paper.
By cleverly folding to form both the moon and the rabbit at the same time, it also helps develop fine finger movements.
As you proceed while understanding which part you are folding, the enjoyment of seeing it gradually come together should increase.
Once you’ve made the round full moon and the rabbit shape, draw the rabbit’s facial expression to finish.
Since this is a craft that reproduces a set form, add originality through how you draw the expression.
[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn (91–100)
Cosmos made of paper tape
What often concerns people when making cosmos flowers is that there are so many intricate steps: finely cutting the petal shapes, and dealing with leaves and stems that have lots of thin lines—very detailed work.
But this method for making cosmos is very simple! For the petals, use paper tape and just cut the tips all at once with pinking shears.
For the stems and leaves, simply cut and twist green pipe cleaners, so even those who aren’t good at delicate tasks can give it a try.
With this method, you can make lots of them—an entire wall covered in cosmos isn’t just a dream!
