Autumn often ushers in cooler weather, fiery colors and time spent indoors. It can also be a wonderful season for some cozy family time spent learning and being creative together.
When you find yourself inside on a brisk day with some free time, spend it teaching your children about your favorite aspects of fall with some artistic yet easy projects you can all enjoy. Check out these autumn crafts, which are simple enough for the littles but attractive enough to incorporate into your fall home décor.
1. “Stained Glass” Leaves
Adorn your windows with these gorgeous autumn sun catchers that are so simple to create. Kids stick bits of tissue paper onto leaf-shaped contact paper cutouts with striking results.
Some crafts your kids make become more precious as time goes by. Such is the case with these autumn tree paintings, as the trunk is your child’s hand print. Painting the leaves with cotton swabs helps improve fine motor skills, as well.
You can turn this entertaining craft project into a mini science lesson about the importance of trees, preserving natural resources and recycling. The trunk of this tree is made by twisting and cutting a brown paper sack, and requires glued-on construction paper leaves.
Everybody has their favorite Thanksgiving dish, but pumpkin pie is hard to beat. Let your kids make their own by gluing orange tissue paper onto a paper plate wedge. Stapled-on construction paper becomes a crust and cotton balls create a healthy dollop of whipped cream in this hands-on craft.
Combining art and sensory activities is a brilliant way to engage and educate young children. Shaving cream and tempera paint give these construction paper leaves their marbled look and make for some squishy creative fun.
Keep kiddos occupied while you prepare your family’s Thanksgiving feast with this festive Tom Turkey puppet. For smaller children, you can cut out the shapes in advance and let them do the gluing. Bigger kids can start from scratch. Send them on a hunt for “feathers” in the back yard.
Preschoolers can practice their scissor skills cutting the simple straight lines required to make this 3-D jack-o-lantern. Once they’ve put it together (littles may need some help with this step), they can draw on any face they choose.
Make sure there are plenty of nature walks on your autumn bucket list. While you’re enjoying the scenery, gather armfuls of twigs and take some photos. When you get home, make these charmingly rustic picture frames to preserve your memories of the day.
Teach kids about early American history by making this lovely Indian corn art project. As they dab on colorful kernels, talk about how Native Americans taught colonists to cultivate the crop.
Tricia Goss is a Texas-based writer and editor with nearly two decades of experience. She is passionate about helping readers improve their skills, gain knowledge and attain more happiness in life. When she’s not working, Tricia enjoys traveling with her husband and their dog, especially to visit their five grandchildren.
