Little Ones Learning: Fall Arts and Crafts

There are so many fun fall-themed arts and crafts that I actually had trouble narrowing down my list!  Take a look at some of the crafts I've compiled, and see what works best for you and your little one.  There are ideas for all ages and varying degrees of effort. :)

Baggy painting

I saw this one from Toddler Approved and had to give it a try.  Painting in a baggy is such a good idea, especially for toddlers!  This is great for painting fall-themed pictures, like leaves or acorns, but it can be used for lots of different themes or for no theme at all!  It's simple and mess-free, but still allows for exploration and artistic expression.  Love it!  

Here are the materials we used:

To prep, I cut out a few different types of leaves from card stock   I also traced the outline in permanent black marker and drew some veins.  

Then, I put a few drops of each color paint in the zip lock bag with the paper leaf and made sure to zip it closed tight.

The kids smashed and spread the paint around the bag, painting their leaves.  It was a little hard for the toddlers to get it to all the edges, so Grace and I helped a little.

Here are the finished products.  I love how colorful they turned out,and they make fun fall decorations!

Fall tree crafts

On one of my recent trips to the Dollar Tree, I found this bag of little foam leaf stickers.

Grace and I decided to use them to make some fun fall tree pictures.    

For this one, she used brown paint to create a tree, and then stuck the leaves onto her tree.

We had so many leaf stickers left that she wanted to make another one.  For this one, I drew a scene with two trees, and she colored it and added the leaves.

I think they both turned out pretty cute!


 Here are some other fun fall crafts that we haven't tried yet:

Leaf rubbings from Land of Once Upon a Time

A classic that I've done many times as a teacher and mother is leaf rubbing.  This is so simple but turns out so pretty.  I also love that it shows the details of the leaf, which can lead to some scientific discussion about the veins.  

How cute are these yarn trees from 3 Dinosaurs?  Such a simple idea and best for kids ages 3 and older.

Fall tree cork painting from Formula Mom

Fall Maracas from Blog Me Mom

This fall maraca is simple and is great for toddlers and preschoolers who love to explore sound.

Autumn Leaf Suncatchers

These awesome sun catchers could be made in the shape of leaves or acorns too!

Leaf glitter from Parents

I think this one might be my favorite!  Leaf glitter?! That just sounds awesome, and it looks less messy than actual glitter.  Fantastic.

Leaf people from Playing With Words 365   

This great little craft was created by Katie at Playing with Words 365 to go along with the book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert.  She gives some great ideas for speech development to go with the activity.

I hope you found some inspiration for a fall craft with your little one!  Check back later for some fall-themed foods.

- Jessica