![[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn Season](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/5bwlkunv9i0/maxresdefault.webp)
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
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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)
Autumn Foliage Mobile
September is the time when we start longing for the red-tinted autumn leaves.
Let’s make a mobile with a foliage motif, hoping to see them soon! Cut origami or construction paper into shapes like maple leaves, ginkgo leaves, and other leaf forms, then thread them onto strings to finish.
If you want a slightly three-dimensional look, layer 3–4 pieces of paper cut into the same shape.
Using autumn colors like red and yellow for the mobile’s strings will enhance the fall atmosphere.
Place it near a window and enjoy the approaching autumn as you feel the autumn breeze.
origami red spider lily
Let’s make origami red spider lilies, which bloom around the autumn equinox in September.
Combine several sheets of origami paper with long, thin slits cut into them, and curl each strip using a pencil or another thin stick.
For the center of the flower, it’s best to use tissue paper crumpled into a small ball.
Put these parts together, add a long, rolled strip of green paper for the stem, and you’re done! You can turn it into a three-dimensional wall decoration, or arrange the flowers in a bottle like a vase.
Enjoy this seasonal, precious flower and feel the arrival of autumn.
Making Japanese-patterned bookmarks
Autumn is often called the season for reading, isn’t it? How about making a simple bookmark with a traditional Japanese pattern? For the bookmark body, cut a piece of fabric with a Japanese motif to the size of two bookmarks, apply double-sided tape to just half of the back, then fold it in the middle and press to adhere.
That alone is a bit too simple, so let’s add a small temari ball and a ribbon—often used in hanging decorations—as accents.
Punch a small hole at the top of the bookmark, thread a slightly long ribbon through, then thread a temari ball onto each end of the ribbon and tie them.
This alone gives it a festive look, and the temari balls swaying at the ribbon tips are very cute.
If you prefer a stiffer bookmark, you can insert cardstock between the layers of fabric.
Hanging decorations for moon viewing
When you think of autumn in Japan, the full moon shining in the night sky comes to mind, and moon-viewing (Otsukimi) feels like an indispensable event.
This project is about making a hanging decoration inspired by Otsukimi.
It’s a simple craft where you attach paper cut into various designs onto a long string.
Dango dumplings and rabbits are classic motifs associated with the moon, but by incorporating a variety of designs that evoke not only moon-viewing but autumn in general, it might heighten the anticipation for seasonal festivities.
Even just coming up with the designs makes this a craft that can get you excited for autumn.
Grape decoration making
When it comes to the flavors of autumn, grapes are a top pick, aren’t they? How about making delicious-looking grapes and muscat clusters using toilet paper rolls and tissue paper? They’ll instantly brighten up even a simple wall when used as decorations in senior care facilities! They’re also great as a day-service recreation activity.
Cut toilet paper rolls, wrap them with tissue paper to recreate the grape berries, and add a bit of roundness for a cute finish.
Once you’ve made a few, glue them together to complete the cluster.
Use brown tissue paper for the stem and green origami for the leaves to create realistic grapes.
The 3D look makes them stylish as a garland, too—just thread a string through!
At the 100-yen shop! A craft-band rabbit trinket holder
Let’s use craft bands to make a rabbit-shaped trinket holder that’s perfect for the Moon-Viewing Festival.
Craft bands are paper straps that you can even find at 100-yen shops.
Start by weaving them to form the basket shape of the holder.
It’s helpful to use clothespins to keep the shape neat and to hold the woven, glued parts in place while they set.
Once you’ve got the rabbit-shaped container, make the facial parts—eyes, mouth, and so on—out of craft bands as well, attach them, and you’re done! On the night of the Moon-Viewing Festival, try filling it with some small treats and enjoy the beautiful moonlit evening.
A gift for Respect for the Aged Day, too! An origami crane wreath
Cranes are also famous as symbols of longevity.
How about making a crane-themed wreath for Respect-for-the-Aged Day? You can assemble folded paper cranes like a puzzle to form a wreath, use a paper plate and attach the cranes to it, draw pictures of cranes—the methods are endless.
Try swapping them with friends or displaying them at Respect-for-the-Aged Day events.
Using origami with traditional Japanese patterns will give your wreath an even more stylish finish!