Get kids excited for September! A collection of ideas to enjoy autumn events and activities
September is a month full of fun, with many events and activities at nurseries and kindergartens as we enjoy the autumn season.
There are plenty of activities and events to enjoy with children, such as moon-viewing, grape picking, and collecting acorns.
Here, we’ll introduce ideas for indoor activities and events that are filled with the unique seasonal feel of September.
Through finger plays and craft activities, let’s incorporate experiences that connect with autumn’s nature and foods to nurture children’s curiosity.
You’re sure to find hints for creating heartwarming memories.
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September childcare gets exciting! A collection of ideas (41–50) to enjoy autumn events and activities
[Hand Play] Moon-Viewing Pattan
![[Hand Play] Moon-Viewing Pattan](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WZEk_eH-CIo/sddefault.jpg)
Let us introduce “Otsukimi Pettan,” a perfect hand-play song for autumn! The lyrics describe a bunny living on the moon pounding mochi, making it a fun way for children to enjoy the moon-viewing season.
Become the bunny, clap both hands with a peta-peta sound, and then munch, munch on the finished mochi! The key is to exaggerate the actions as much as possible.
You can also adjust it to the children’s age—speed up the tempo during the mochi-pounding part, or pretend to use chopsticks while eating the mochi—to make it even more fun.
[Hand Play] Pumpkin, Nankin, Pumpkin
![[Hand Play] Pumpkin, Nankin, Pumpkin](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f3AfTWWFenk/sddefault.jpg)
Sweet and delicious pumpkin that comes into season in autumn.
This time, it’s a hand-play activity themed around the different names for pumpkin.
Children can learn three ways to say it—kabocha, nankin, and pumpkin—and even encounter names of dishes made with pumpkin, making it great for food education too.
The hand motions are simple, and the “cha-cha-cha” rhythm lifts the mood, so it’s easy for little kids to join in.
Give it a try together during Halloween season, when you see pumpkins more often!
Grandparents’ Day Portrait Origami
This portrait origami is perfect for making crafts for Respect for the Aged Day in September.
Try creating designs inspired by grandpa’s and grandma’s faces! It also makes a great handmade present from children to their grandparents, so why not introduce it in childcare settings? The trickiest part when making the face is the ears.
Since they require some fine folding, take your time and make firm creases.
You can also tear a separate sheet of origami paper and paste it on for the hairstyle.
Finish by drawing in the facial features, and you’re done.
If you’re unsure what to make for Respect for the Aged Day, this easy, approachable portrait origami is highly recommended.
Fallen Leaves Cake
Autumn parks are full of fallen leaves and acorns, and you can really feel the season, can’t you? Kids tend to play at the park more in autumn, so why not use the leaves and acorns you find there to make a “fallen-leaf cake” craft? First, prepare a three-tier cake base out of cardboard.
Have the children color some drawing paper and paste it onto the base, then let them decorate it with the fallen leaves and acorns.
The sticking and pasting are easy even for little kids, so it’s a simple way to enjoy an art experience!
Moon-viewing fun!
It’s one of the five seasonal festivals, but these days people don’t really celebrate with the festival in mind anymore, do they? For children around kindergarten senior age, how about making dango and little bunnies out of paper clay together? In mythology, rabbits are said to live on the moon, so I think playing with paper clay while talking about that would be a lot of fun.
Experiencing “mochi pounding,” which the rabbit is said to do on the moon, would also make a great memory.
You can pound away—thump, thump—using a mallet made from cardboard on bags shaped to look like mochi.
It sounds like it would make for a delightful autumn event!
Making moon-viewing dumplings
Around the 15th day of the 8th month in the old lunar calendar—roughly around September 15 today—is called the Harvest Moon (Juugoya).
It’s a day when the moon shines bright and beautiful.
To give thanks for the autumn harvest, people began offering seasonal produce and round rice cakes shaped like the moon.
Please try making rice cakes together! The nice part is that you can eat the offerings afterward.
Let’s make them delicious!
Painting of a fox and wild grapes
Let’s enjoy creating a painting with an autumn feel, using foxes and wild grapes as motifs! The grapes are made with finger stamping, and the fox is expressed with origami.
While it’s suitable for five-year-olds, why not start each child from the steps they can manage? Using pipe cleaners for the grape vines gives a realistic look, so definitely give it a try.
Through this activity, children can not only experience the season, but also learn about wild grapes in nature, which are a bit different from regular grapes!