Fall brings beautiful backdrops, delicious foods and drinks, and some much cooler weather that leads us to retreat indoors. Fun fall crafts for kids can be a simple way to keep them entertained, but if you're anything like me, your day-to-day schedule is quite busy and you don't always have the time to peruse your local craft store (or even help your kids put the crafts together).
Turn to this list of easy fall crafts for kids that you can let them do on their own. These autumn-themed activities only require supplies that you likely have around the house or in your backyard! Get ready to fall in love with some much-needed quiet time while your preschool and elementary-aged kids get creative.
1. Toilet Paper Tube Monsters
What kid doesn't love a toilet paper or paper towel tube? These common household items seem to be kryptonite to kids. They cannot resist playing with these objects, which makes this one of the most perfect fall crafts! Toilet paper monsters are a fun and easy craft that parents can prep ahead and then let their kids put together on their own.
Materials
- Toilet paper tubes or halved paper towel tubes
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue stick or glue points
- Funny face stickers
- Markers
Instructions
- Cut out sections of construction paper to cover the surface of your tube.
- Adhere the construction paper to the tubes using your glue stick or glue points.
- Let your kids apply the stickers as they see fit!
If you don't have time to buy the sticker packs, another option is to cut out eyeballs, bat wings, cheeks, mouths, and teeth from the construction paper you have lying around and then let your kids attach them using your preferred adhesive! Don't forget a few markers so that they can add extra features too.
2. Woodland Creatures
This is a great indoor and outdoor activity. To do this craft, your kids must first venture outdoors to gather sticks, acorns, rocks, leaves, pine cones, and whatever other items they can find. These will serve as the majority of the supplies for making their woodland creatures!
Materials
- Outdoor materials: sticks, acorns, small rocks, leaves, pine cones, etc.
- Crayola Air Dry Clay
- Glue stick or glue points
- Googly eyes
- Sharpies
Instructions
The creation of the woodland creatures is entirely up to your child! They can craft small animals, people, or even mini cottages with the outdoor items they've collected. All they need to know is that they will use small balls of air-dry clay to attach the various materials together.
Once assembled, they can attach their googly eyes and draw faces and accents on their woodland creatures or buildings using their Sharpies. Finally, allow the clay to dry for 24 hours, and then they can play with their crafts!
3. Nature Imprints
This is another easy craft that uses air-dry clay and natural materials! Once dry, these can serve as adorable garden accents year-round.
Materials
- Outdoor materials: sticks, acorns, small rocks, leaves, pine cones, etc.
- Crayola Air Dry Clay
- Rolling pin
Instructions
- Send your kids outdoors to collect various nature materials.
- Roll out your clay into the shape of a flat stone using your rolling pins.
- Have your kids lay out their natural materials on top of the clay. Remind them not to press down until they like their design.
- Have them gently press larger materials with their hands and use rolling pins to press their leaves into the clay.
- Remove the materials to reveal their masterpiece!
- Once finished, allow it to dry overnight.
If you don't have air-dry clay on hand, you can also use oven-bake clay to achieve the same result. Just bake the clay following the instructions on the package.
4. Handprint Turkey
Fall handprint crafts are a classic activity to usher in fall — and preschool-aged kids seem to love having their hands traced. If you figure out why, please let me know!
Materials
- Construction paper (in an array of colors)
- Child safety scissors
- Glue stick or glue points
- Googly eyes
- Markers
Instructions
For this project, you will need to help your child with steps one through three.
- Trace your child's hands on various colored sheets of construction paper multiple times (aim for four or five hand cutouts).
- Draw two circles of varying sizes on brown or black construction paper (this will be the turkey's body and head).
- Draw a small triangle on orange paper to be the turkey's beak.
- Have your child cut out their hand shapes, two circles, and a triangle.
- Now all they need to do is glue them together. Start by overlaying a small portion of the smaller circle on top of the larger circle, similar to a Venn diagram shape. Then, flip it over and layer the hand cutouts around your turkey's body in a circular shape, gluing each of them individually.
- Finally, flip the turkey back over and have them glue on the googly eyes and beak and their turkey is ready to start trottin'!
5. Unbe-leaf-able Faces
One of the best parts of the autumn season is the colorful falling leaves that grace people's yards! These can make magnificent materials for this unique fall craft for kids.
Materials
- Lots of fall leaves
- Sharpies
- Hole punches (in various shapes if possible)
Instructions
This activity can be done in a variety of ways. Option one involves your kids simply drawing funny faces on the leaves. However, if you have the time to snag some fun hole punches and if your kids can find larger leaves, you can also have them craft fun nature masks!
Punch out holes in the leaves for the eyes, nose, and mouth, and draw fun accents like whiskers, mustaches, eyebrows, and more.
5. Holiday Masks
Speaking of masks, another option is to use paper and writing instruments that you have around the house. This can be a great alternative for people like myself who live in an area that has few trees, and sadly, no real color change with the switching of the seasons.
Materials
- Printable Halloween masks
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
- Child safety scissors
- Hole punch
- Two long sections of ribbon (per mask)
Instructions
- Print out your masks.
- Let your kids decorate to their heart's content!
- Cut out the masks.
- Punch holes on the far left and far right sides.
- Tie a piece of ribbon to each side of the mask, using the holes as their anchor.
Cutting out the eyes of the mask can be tricky because you don't want to crease your child's creation. An easy solution is to use your hole punch to cut out a small hole for your scissors so that no bending of the paper is necessary!
7. Fall Trees
Fall trees are another fun craft for kids that use nature's bounty! Simply send your kids outside to gather the greatest leaves they can find and then you're ready to get started.
Materials
- Lots of fall leaves
- Paper
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
- Glue Stick or glue points
Instructions
- Help your kids draw the trunk of a tree on their paper.
- Then, have your kids glue their leaves all around the top of the tree to create their canopy.
- Let them color in the tree trunk and draw their landscape.
8. Pumpkin Painting
Carving pumpkins is a classic fall activity, but it unfortunately limits their shelf life. Painting pumpkins is an awesome alternative that allows them to stay fresh all season long.
Materials
- Pumpkins
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Cups for paint and water
- Newspaper or butcher paper
Instructions
- Lay down newspaper or butcher paper to protect your kid's painting surface.
- Let your kids get creative painting!
If you plan to display your pumpkins on your porch after the painting is done, make sure not to paint them teal unless you want to be a part of the Teal Pumpkin Project. This initiative helps kids with food allergies participate in Halloween festivities. When a teal pumpkin is placed on a porch, it signifies that non-food treats will be passed out at that home. Participation is easy, so consider it this holiday!
9. Thanksgiving Placemats
This is a fun fall craft for kids to do right before the Thanksgiving holiday. Best of all, you likely have all the materials you need sitting right in your craft drawer!
Materials
- Butcher paper or construction paper
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
- Stickers
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Cups for paint and water
Instructions
This is another simple activity because your kids have full creative license on what goes on their mats! They can fill the sheets with gratitude or Friendsgiving phrases, they can draw fall scenes with pumpkins, leaves, and scarecrows, or they can make another fall handprint craft using paint! Let them get creative and then use their placemats all season long.
10. Pine Cone Painting
Similar to pumpkin painting, if you live in an area with pine cones, this can be a fun fall craft for kids that can improve their dexterity. The goal is to have them paint each of the cone scales a different color.
Materials
- Pine cones
- Paint
- Small paint brushes
- Cups for paint and water
- Newspaper or butcher paper
Instructions
- Lay down newspaper or butcher paper to protect your kid's painting surface.
- Let your kids get creative painting!
Fall Crafts for Kids Can Be Easy & Fun for Everyone
This season, you can help your kids show off their artistic side, but avoid stressing yourself out with complex crafts. There are so many easy options that use materials that you already have lying around. Try to think outside of the box so that your kids can have some fun and you can get a mini breather!
