Summary of activities you can use in childcare in September: autumn-themed play such as crafts and fingerplay.

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.

September is when you start to feel autumn little by little through changes in nature and the weather.

Many teachers at nurseries and kindergartens may be thinking about enjoying autumn-specific activities with children that feel a bit different from summer.

So this time, we’re introducing activity ideas recommended for September.

We’ve gathered a wide range of ideas, including craft activities featuring autumn nature and motifs, songs, finger plays, picture books, and indoor games!

We’re also introducing activities related to the moon-viewing festival and Respect for the Aged Day, so find activities that suit your setting and incorporate them into your September childcare.

Enjoy the season of autumn together with the children as you experience it.

Summary of activities for childcare in September: autumn-themed activities such as crafts and finger plays (41–50)

The smeared moon and the footprint-shaped rabbit

This is a cute craft idea that uses a paper plate as the moon and children’s footprints as rabbits.

First, take the children’s footprints on black construction paper and draw the rabbits’ ears and faces.

After wiping their feet clean, have them make the moon using yellow paint.

Encourage them to spread the paint over the surface with their hands or fingers.

If you put the plate and paint in a sealable bag, you can keep things mess-free.

Once the moon is finished, glue it onto the background and add pampas grass and rice dumplings to complete the scene.

It’s also a great idea for an autumn wall decoration.

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sasashina

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Summary of activities for childcare in September: autumn-themed activities such as crafts and fingerplays (51–60).

Colorful 3D dragonfly

If you want to decorate your wall art in a vibrant way, three-dimensional shapes are a must.

This “Colorful 3D Dragonfly” is one of the simpler pieces among 3D wall art.

The highlight of this work is, above all, how easy it is to create a three-dimensional structure using straws.

Forming 3D shapes with paper can be quite challenging, but in this piece, the only three-dimensional elements are made from straws, making it easier even for those who aren’t very dexterous.

Give it a try!

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Ryo

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Acorns made with sticker pasting

The themes of wall art vary greatly depending on who it’s made for.

In that sense, this “Acorn Made with Stickers” is a piece that children will enjoy.

The key to this work is, above all, the cuteness of the acorns.

The main point is how to shape the acorns to look cute, and for this part, I think the ability to stylize (deform) is important.

Using a reference photo is fine, but if you place the facial features with a stronger sense of three-dimensionality in mind, the result will be even cuter—so please keep that in mind.

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Ryo

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Cosmos flowers colored with a sponge dauber

Here’s an idea for making cosmos flowers using a tampo (a dabber) that lets you have fun painting by dabbing to bring out color.

Stuff cotton into gauze, secure it with a rubber band, dip it into watercolor paint thinned with water, and then dab it onto paper.

The strength of your dabs changes the intensity of the color, which is part of the fun.

Cut the colored construction paper into long, thin strips, layer them in a radial pattern, and glue them down.

Stick a yellow piece of origami paper or a round sticker in the center, and your cosmos is complete.

Try making cosmos in lots of different colors!

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utatane

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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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Autumn leaves with newspaper stamping

Beautifully colored autumn leaves.

Let’s try expressing those subtle shades by making stamps out of newspaper.

Cut the newspaper into a suitable size and crumple it to make your stamp.

A nice thing about newspaper stamps is that you can easily adjust them to fit children’s hands and make them easy to press.

On white drawing paper, mix two or three colors of paint and dab the stamp randomly.

Once you’ve stamped the entire sheet, cut it into leaf shapes.

You can add little insect-nibbled holes, string them together like a garland, and try all sorts of creative ideas.

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utatane

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Autumn wreath

With the arrival of autumn, how about making a wreath filled with fall motifs? Cut cardboard, thick paper, or a paper plate into a ring, then attach acorns, pinecones, fallen leaves, and other autumn-inspired pieces.

For leaf shapes, use the half-fold technique: draw a template on origami or wrapping paper folded in half and cut along the line to create a clean, symmetrical shape.

After getting into the autumn spirit by crafting your wreath, why not head to a park to collect real fallen leaves and acorns?

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yuri

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