September: Autumn crafts! Ideas you can use in childcare

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

In September, when the season gradually shifts from the hot summer to autumn, there are many chances to feel the change of seasons through nature and living creatures.

This is a must-read for teachers at daycare centers and kindergartens who are thinking, “We want to incorporate crafts that let children feel autumn!”

Here are some recommended craft ideas for September.

We’ve gathered a wide range of ideas—from those that incorporate familiar autumn elements for children such as fallen leaves and acorns, to ones that use unique techniques that stimulate the five senses.

With a bit of adaptation, these activities can be enjoyed by children from infants to the oldest kindergarteners, so please make good use of them.

Since we emphasize project ideas that make the most of children’s free imagination, we use the term “制作 (seisaku: creation/production)” rather than “製作 (seisaku: craft/production)” in the text.

[September] Autumn crafts! Ideas you can use in childcare (101–110)

Colorful acorns made with flower paper

A cute acorn decoration made by crumpling flower paper! Acorns are usually brown, but it’s fun to make them colorful instead of sticking to the original color.

Crumple flower paper and put it into a clear plastic bag, then shape it like an acorn.

Cut construction paper into the shape of the acorn’s cap and attach it to the piece you made, then add eyes and a mouth to finish.

Enjoy making acorns with all kinds of expressions—smiling, angry, worried, and more!

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yuri

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A bug made only of masking tape

Let’s use masking tape to create cute bagworms.

Make tree branches and animals out of construction paper, then attach them to the wall so it looks like they’re hanging from the branches.

Give the animals’ bodies rounded brown shapes.

Then randomly stick on torn pieces of masking tape over them to create a bagworm-like look.

Make your favorite animals and decorate the wall with all kinds of bagworms.

It’s also nice to add items that evoke the start of winter, like scarves or knit hats.

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tsukada moe

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Grapes made by rolling up and dyeing

Here’s an introduction to making grapes dyed with paint.

First, make a grape-shaped base out of drawing paper.

Roll up some kitchen paper to look like individual grape berries, and stick them onto the base.

Then drip paint over them to add color, and finish by attaching the stem and leaves.

It’s best to thin the paint with plenty of water and prepare a few colors.

After rolling the kitchen paper, use glue to attach it to the base.

Try making some lovely grapes in soft, pastel colors!

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sasashina

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Baked sweet potatoes made from old newspapers and origami

Let’s make roasted sweet potatoes using old newspapers and origami! Here’s how: crumple up newspaper into the shape of a roasted sweet potato, then stick wrinkled origami paper on top.

When wrinkling the origami, be careful not to tear it.

The crumpling helps develop children’s fine motor skills.

It might be fun to make roasted sweet potatoes in different sizes.

Also, if you let the children use their imagination when attaching the origami, the result will likely be a set of unique, individual pieces.

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miyabi

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A dragonfly made by dabbing paint with hands and sticking on stickers.

This is an autumn-themed dragonfly craft where you color by patting paint on with your palms.

Apply paint to your palms and add color all over by gripping and rolling a toilet paper tube.

Next, take the pre-cut dragonfly wing pieces and decorate them with your favorite stickers.

Then attach the wings and eye pieces to the painted body parts, and your cute dragonfly is complete! If you’re displaying them in a classroom, it’s also fun to thread a string through the tube and hang them so the dragonflies look like they’re flying.

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yuri

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[September] Fall crafts! Ideas you can use in childcare (111–120)

Grapes made by crumpling origami paper

Here’s an idea for making grapes by crumpling origami paper that’s fun to create, too.

You’ll need purple and light purple origami paper, plus a plastic bag.

Choose a small, clear bag.

Once you have the materials, crumple each sheet of origami paper into a ball.

The texture feels nice, so I think you’ll enjoy the process.

After you’ve finished crumpling them all, put them into the plastic bag, then cut the bag into an inverted triangle shape to finish.

It clearly looks like grapes and has a cute charm to it.

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yamamoto

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Autumn leaves with a single-faced cardboard stamp

This is an autumn leaves wall decoration made using single-face corrugated cardboard with the wavy ridged side exposed.

Dab paint onto the ridged side of the single-face cardboard and stamp it onto construction paper or kraft paper.

Prepare the cardboard in an easy-to-stamp shape—such as making it into a loop—so children can hold it comfortably.

Once the stamping is done, let the paint dry thoroughly, cut out leaf shapes, and attach them to a backing sheet to finish.

The cardboard’s striped pattern looks just like leaf veins, resulting in a wonderfully charming piece!

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yuri

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