The best fall crafts for kids use what the season gives you free: leaves for rubbings and suncatchers, pinecones for owls and hedgehogs, and small pumpkins to paint instead of carve.
A walk around the block in October is a free trip to the craft store. These fall crafts for kids turn a bag of leaves, cones and a pumpkin into an afternoon of making, each with a short how-to that names its supplies.
You will find 44 fall craft ideas for kids grouped by material and age, plus collecting rules, two ways to preserve leaves and safety notes checked against the CPSC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and federal park rules.
Key Takeaways
Leaves, pinecones and small pumpkins cover most autumn crafts for kids.
Toddlers do best with sticky leaf windows, paint in a bag and sticker pumpkins.
Removing leaves, cones or acorns from a national park is prohibited. Collect at home or where rules allow.
Acorns and other small finds are choking hazards for children under 3.
Press leaves in a book or seal them in wax paper (an adult irons) to keep them flat.
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Table of Contents
Fall Crafts for Kids by Age
Quick Answer
The easiest fall crafts for kids start with a walk and a bag of leaves. Toddlers: sticky leaf windows and sticker pumpkins. Preschoolers: leaf rubbings, apple stamps and paper plate owls. Ages 5 to 7: pinecone animals and scarecrows. Ages 8 to 12: pressed leaves, weaving and air-dry clay.
Age
Good first crafts
Adult help needed
1 to 2 years
Sticky leaf window, paint in a bag, sticker-face pumpkin
Full: you prep, your child presses
2 to 3 years
Painted pumpkin, torn paper tree, pinecone roll painting
Close: you handle anything small
3 to 5 years
Leaf rubbings, apple stamping, paper plate owl
Some: you cut the apple
5 to 7 years
Pinecone hedgehog, paper bag scarecrow, leaf animals
Nature Walk Collecting Tips and a Simple Supply Kit
Know where you are: in national parks, federal regulation (36 CFR 2.1) prohibits possessing, removing or disturbing plants or their parts, which covers leaves, pinecones and acorns. A superintendent may designate certain fruits, berries or nuts for hand gathering, so check that park’s rules. The U.S. Forest Service says collecting a reasonable amount of leaf specimens is generally allowed on national forests and grasslands, unless the species is endangered or the area is designated wilderness. State and city parks set their own rules. Your own yard is simplest.
Pick from the ground: take fallen leaves and cones, not living branches.
Mind the small stuff: acorns and seed pods are choking hazards for children under 3. Store them in a lidded container.
Clean up: wash hands after collecting and after crafting. The Forest Service recommends a thorough tick check after playing in leaves.
The kit: paper, paper plates, lunch bags, washable paint, crayons, glue sticks, school glue, yarn, tape, clear contact paper and blunt-tip safety scissors. Wet outside? Try our rainy day activities for kids.
Leaf Crafts: The Easiest Fall Crafts for Kids
Leaf rubbings: lay a leaf vein side up under paper and rub with the side of a peeled crayon.
Leaf prints: brush washable paint on the back of a leaf and press it onto paper.
Leaf crown: tape leaves along a paper strip cut to fit your child’s head.
Leaf suncatcher: seal leaves between two sheets of clear contact paper and hang it in a window.
Leaf animals: glue leaves on paper as bodies and tails, then draw faces and legs with markers.
Painted leaves: decorate pressed leaves with paint marker dots and stripes.
Leaf garland: clip pressed leaves along twine with clothespins.
Leaf collage tree: draw a bare trunk and glue on real leaves as the canopy.
How to Preserve Leaves for Crafts
Two methods keep leaves flat:
Press them: the U.S. Forest Service describes pressing leaves in old books with a weight on top. Once dry, use them for bookmarks and wall hangings.
Seal them in wax paper: Penn State Extension’s 4-H “stained glass leaves” activity sandwiches leaves between two squares of wax paper, with crayon shavings for color. Cover with an old cloth and iron for 30 to 45 seconds, until the layers fuse. All ironing is done by adults.
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Small parts under 3: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) bans small parts in products intended for children under 3 because of the choking hazard. Save acorns, beads, buttons and googly eyes for ages 3 and up.
Older siblings: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that many choking incidents happen when older brothers or sisters give small objects to a younger child. Give big kids a separate table.
Glue guns and irons: CPSC’s art safety guide says to avoid high-temperature glue guns for children through grade 6. Our rule: an adult runs the glue gun and the iron.
Scissors: under 3, tear paper instead. From about 3 to 5, use blunt-tip safety scissors with you close by.
Labels: look for the Art and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) AP seal. AP (Approved Product) means a toxicologist has certified it contains no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children. Never give children in sixth grade or younger a CL seal product.
Hands and snacks: CPSC advises keeping food and drinks out of the art area and washing hands after using art materials.
Leaf rubbings, leaf prints, a leaf crown, apple stamping, a painted pumpkin and a paper plate owl are the easiest places to start. They need only paper, crayons, washable paint, glue and a few outdoor finds, and none needs a glue gun.
What fall crafts can toddlers do?
Toddlers enjoy pressing large leaves onto contact paper taped to a window, squishing paint sealed in a zip bag, covering a small pumpkin in stickers and tearing paper for a tree. Skip acorns and other small pieces, which are choking hazards under 3.
How do you preserve leaves for crafts?
Press them flat between the pages of an old book with a weight on top until dry. Or use the Penn State Extension 4-H method: place leaves between two sheets of wax paper, and have an adult iron through a cloth for 30 to 45 seconds.
Can you take leaves or pinecones from a national park?
No. Federal regulation 36 CFR 2.1 prohibits possessing, removing or disturbing plants or their parts in national parks. A superintendent may allow hand gathering of certain fruits, berries or nuts. National forests generally allow a reasonable amount of leaf collecting. Check local rules first.
What can kids make with pinecones?
Pinecones become owls with felt eyes and wings, hedgehogs with an air-dry clay face, painted cones for a bowl or a garland tied along twine. Toddlers can roll a large pinecone through paint in a box. Let cones dry first.
What are no-carve pumpkin ideas for kids?
Paint a small pumpkin with washable paint, build a face from stickers and washi tape, or make pumpkins from other materials: orange paper strips taped into a ball, a yarn-wrapped cardboard shape, a painted paper plate, scrunched tissue paper or a stuffed orange sock.
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