Wondering what to do with all of the Autumn leaves you’ve collected? Here are some of our favorite creative Fall craft ideas for kids!
Updated October 2024
Are you as inspired by Autumn nature as we are?
Our favorite thing to do with our kids this time of year is to go on nature walks. As we walk, we gather up each beautiful and colorful leaf we come across, marveling over patterns and colors.
We often come home with a stack of colorful leaves in our hands and usually a pocket full of acorns and other treasures, too.
But what to do with all of those nature items? You don’t want them to go to waste.
Here are some of our favorite Fall craft ideas, perfect for all of those leaves, acorns, and pinecones. Use them for crafts, art inspiration, and fall decoration.
12 Creative Fall Craft Ideas
1. Paint Leaf Rubbings
Create an Autumnal watercolor resist painting. Simply make leaf rubbings with crayons or oil pastels, then paint over with watercolor paints.
2. Make a Fall Craft Nature Diorama
Paint your nature items to give them a pop of color, and then assemble them in a box or box lid for a fun and creative nature diorama!
3. Try Observational Drawing with Fall Leaves
Spend some time observing the leaves you’ve gathered, and then draw what you see. We love drawing with a Sharpie marker or black crayon, and then adding watercolors.
4. Decorate Your Wall with Leaves
Use a blank wall as your canvas. You can create a leaf mandala or make a kraft paper tree trunk and decorate it with colorful leaves. Or use the leaves to make a garland to hang up!
5. Make Leaf Art with Pastels
Make beautiful autumn leaf art for the wall with chalk pastels. Let nature be your inspiration; try this autumn leaf art activity with the kids or yourself.
6. Paint Acorns and Pinecones
Acorns and pinecones gathered on your nature walks are even more fun when painted a bright or metallic color and sprinkled with glitter!
7. Make Leaf Prints
Collect a variety of leaves on a nature walk, paint the backs of them and print them onto plain paper. You can use Autumnal colors, or bright ones like these!
8. Make an Autumn Stained-Glass Window
Turn your front door or window into a beautiful autumn leaves stained-glass with contact paper and leaves! This is a fun craft that brings seasonal color indoors.
9. Make a Batch of Fall Playdough
Make some autumnal colored playdough, scented with cinnamon, and use your nature finds like pinecones and acorns as poke-ins.
10. Make Zentangle Leaves
Make Zentangle leaves using metallic Sharpie markers on colorful fall leaves. This beautiful Autumn art activity is perfect for kids and adults alike.
11. DIY Fall Craft Scratch Art Paper
Did you know that you can make your own scratch art paper? It’s super simple and fun! And you can be inspired by Autumnal colors to make this beautiful scratch art!
12. Set up a Fall Sensory Bin
Keep it simple: toss the acorns, pinecones, and leaves your find on your nature walk into your sensory bin with some water, bowls and scoops. Your kids will come up with lots of nature soups!
What are your favorite things to do with Fall leaves? Do you think you’ll try one of our fun and easy ideas?
More Fall Craft Ideas for Kids
- How to Preserve Fall Leaves and Create Mandala Leaf Art
- 10 Fall Sensory Play Activities for Kids (+ Taste Safe Too!)
- 30 Creative September Activities for Kids (A Month of Fun Ideas!)
- 12 Simple Fall Garland Ideas for Kids
- 10 Autumn Crafts with Leaves for Kids
- 15 Fall Children’s Books for Your Family
Want even more Fall fun?
Check out our Autumn Creativity Pack!
This 34-page printable eBook is full of Autumn-themed art activities, drawing prompts, creative play ideas, and more!
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