[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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- [Day Service] Handmade Autumn Crafts: Take-Home Project Ideas
- Moon-Viewing Wall Decor Ideas for Seniors
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- 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
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- Wall decoration ideas for seniors recommended for September
[For Senior Care Facilities] Simple! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn (1–10)
Making autumn leaves
When you think of autumn, you think of fall foliage—the leaves turning red and yellow—and the beautiful season of falling leaves.
Let’s make and enjoy our own autumn leaves.
Just cut white paper into leaf shapes and color them any way you like.
Try painting each one bright red, yellow, or with more nuanced shades, and create lots of different leaves.
You can enjoy decorating with the finished leaves.
Collage and origami moon-viewing and sunset
Let’s try making a beautiful autumn sunset and moon scene using collage and origami.
A paper plate works perfectly as a canvas.
Tear origami paper into small pieces to create the background—the reds of the sunset and the blues and blacks of the night sky where the moon appears.
Once the background is glued on, fold origami pieces for the setting sun or the moon, as well as rabbits and pampas grass—motifs perfect for September—and paste them onto the background to finish.
Punch a hole at the top and thread a string through it, and you’ll be able to hang your artwork easily on a wall, so be sure to display it once you’ve made it!
Cosmos wall hanging
In autumn, cosmos flowers bloom in cute shades of pink and white.
How about making wall decorations with these cosmos? There are many ways: cut construction paper into cosmos shapes and paste them, or fold origami several times, make cuts, and unfold it to form the petals.
Using washi paper is also recommended, as it gives your work a unique texture.
Besides pink and white, cosmos come in various colors like red and orange, so try making cosmos in many colors and turn your room into a beautiful cosmos field.
[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn (11–20)
Aurora Acorn
Let’s make aurora acorns using holographic film sold at 100-yen shops.
If you’re using acorns you picked up, be sure to prevent insects first by boiling them or using another sterilization method.
Start by removing the acorn caps and polishing the outside until it shines using a receipt.
Make a hole in the bottom with an awl, insert a toothpick or small stick for a handle, then brush on liquid laundry starch and decorate with holograms in your favorite colors.
Finish by applying another coat of laundry starch and putting the cap back on.
You’re done! Add a screw eye to turn it into a keychain or ornament.
rabbit
How about making a “mochi-pounding rabbit” wall decoration for the moon-viewing season? All you need to do is cut and paste colored construction paper, so anyone can make it easily! You can also download free templates for the small parts, so even if you’re not good at drawing, no problem.
You might arrange seasonal autumn motifs in the background, like the moon or pampas grass.
There are many ways to enjoy it—make it with your grandchild and display it at home, or create it together with friends as a recreation activity at a senior facility!
silver grass
When you spot pampas grass by the roadside, it really makes you feel that autumn has arrived, doesn’t it? How about using that quintessential symbol of fall—pampas grass—as an idea for a wall decoration? All you need to do is cut colored construction paper, so anyone can make it easily! Use greens and light greens for the leaves, brown for the stems, and a few shades like yellow and amber for the plumes to create a dynamic design.
It’s also perfect for the Mid-Autumn Festival and moon-viewing season, so give it a try for inspiration.
moon-viewing dumplings
As the saying goes, “dumplings over flowers,” and tsukimi dango are also perfect for autumn wall decorations.
Try making three-dimensional tsukimi dango using construction paper or cardboard.
In addition to the dango, creating familiar tsukimi motifs like pampas grass and bellflowers will really heighten the moon-viewing mood! With their stylish, mature aesthetic, these decorations are great for seniors considering tsukimi decor at home, as well as for wall displays in senior care facilities.