As the leaves turn red, brown and gold outside and the weather takes on a distinctly seasonal chill, it’s time to welcome in autumn and embrace all that is lovely about these most colourful months of the year. Picnics and ice cream are distant memories of summer, while hot drinks beside the fire, cosy woollen knits and hearty casseroles and soups are the order of the day.

Here are some seasonal arts and crafts activities and ideas that could help create some enjoyable creative afternoon sessions over the next few weeks. You can hopefully run them with just your staff using Care Vision’s shift planning tools for maximum efficiency and enjoyment.

Pumpkins galore

Whether your residents would enjoy carving spooky Jack o’ lanterns for Hallowee’n or hollowing out a pumpkin or squash to make a rustic holder for an autumnal flower arrangement, pumpkins are at their best at this time of year. They offer great inspiration for crafts of all kinds with their versatile shape and vibrant orange colour. Even better, the insides can be saved and used to make pumpkin pies, casseroles and other tasty meals and desserts. If pumpkins are thin on the ground, use them for inspiration instead and make your own versions out of paper plates and orange paint or follow a pattern to knit, crochet or sew a cuddly pumpkin or squash.

Nuts, berries, seeds and more

Harvest festival is also upon us. Gather or source nuts, berries, seedheads and autumn leaves to make table centre pieces, napkin rings (glue autumn foliage etc to rings cut from the carboard insides of toilet rolls) or candle holders You could have fun making woodland creatures from pine cones with seeds, berries and twigs added to make arms, legs and faces. If you and your residents are feeling ambitious, you could perhaps try your hands at basket weaving or making corn dollies. Press leaves between some heavy books for a few weeks and use them to make greetings cards in a second craft session later in the month.

Indoor gardening

Summer may be over in the garden, but that doesn’t mean horticultural activities need to stop. Bring the green-fingered fun indoors by growing herbs in a tea cup or ceramic flowerpot. Leave them in a sunny position, such as a window sill, to enjoy home-grown herbs in your care home meals. You could also help your residents get ahead with their Christmas present planning by planting blubs such as hyacinths, amaryllis, narcissus and cyclamen. Plant the bulbs in compost in a ceramic bowl or hyacinth glass. Water and place somewhere dark and cool for ten to 12 weeks to give the bulbs the best chance of starting to sprout and bloom in time for Christmas.

Autumn painting

Artists among your residents will enjoy taking inspiration from the vibrant autumn colours outside their windows. Set up an autumn painting or sketching session, either in your own grounds or somewhere local that welcomes groups to paint and draw. You might like to combine an art session with some poetry readings based on the seasons, or have some autumnal music playing in the background. Even something more tactile, such as bark or leaf rubbings can provide something quick, easy and different to enjoy on a quiet autumn afternoon. Another simple painting activity is to add finger-painted blobs of colour to a picture of a tree and its bare branches. This could then be hung in pride of place in your care home to celebrate the colours of the season.

Cooking for the season

An abundance of fruits vegetables, seeds and herbs offers plenty of options for some fun autumn cooking sessions in your care home. Choose from warming autumn stews, risottos and soups or indulge yourselves with delicious sweet pies, cakes, traybakes and crumbles using apples, blackberries, plums and pumpkins. You might even want to help your residents and chefs get ahead of Christmas with the cooking too. Stir-up Sunday, traditionally the last Sunday in November, is a day when many UK families enjoy gathering to make the Christmas pudding together. This is a lovely tradition to introduce into your care home too. It’s made even better when you sit down for Christmas lunch in December, knowing that you are eating the puddings that you made together earlier in the autumn.