Need some cute and crafty ideas for the kids to make this fall? With school starting again, the weather changing, and some of our favorite holidays coming up, we get really excited this time of year, namely for crafting! Autumn lends itself to some of the cutest kids crafts around, with leaves and pumpkins and turkeys, plus fun colors and textures. Get creative with these 34 fall favorites for children, complete with pretty step by step photo tutorials and instructions. Your children are sure to enjoy making all of these, so grab your shopping list for supplies. We made 4 of these fun crafts last weekend and can’t wait to try a few more. The corn cob painting was so much fun, though, we may just have to do that one again!
34 Fun Fall Crafts for Kids
1. Paint Space Leaves
Painting has never been this much fun! Painting leaves is a very simple and fun autumn project. Leaves have a fascinating form and texture so they make for an interesting canvas. This craft is really super cool and if you want to learn this together with your kids, better head on over to Adventure In A Box. They have the complete set of tutorial with pictures so you can get started easily.
2. Beautiful Pinecone Mobiles for Kids to Make
I love a craft that turns something free off the ground into actual decor, and these pom pom pinecones do exactly that. Glue a short piece of gold twine to the base of each pinecone first so you have something to hang it from later, then just stuff mini pom poms into all the gaps between the scales. Mini pom poms matter here since regular-sized ones are too big to wedge in, and if you pack them tight enough they hold each other in place without any extra glue. Hang a few from bare branches and they read as a real mobile, or skip the twine and use them as ornaments instead. Kids Craft Room has the full how-to.
3. Pinecone Turkey Craft for Kids
I am honestly a little chuffed at how cute these turned out for something this simple. Glue colorful craft feathers into the back of a pinecone, add googly eyes and a small paper beak and wattle to the front, and you have a whole flock of turkeys in about the time it takes to gather pinecones on a walk. Mine ended up all over the house until my cat decided they were toys, so keep that in mind if you have a curious pet too. Dream a Little Bigger has the full tutorial.
4. Fun Corn Cob Craft Painting for Kids
This is such a fun Corn Craft Ideas to add to your Thanksgiving Crafts! Corn Crafts are perfect around Thanksgiving time. Whether you are working on a farm theme or looking for Fall art projects, this Corn Cob Craft is perfect. This great fall activity is fun for kids and adults. Plus, you only need a couple items, corn, paint, and paper. Corn on the Cob painting will give your children an experience with texture painting and it makes a perfect hands-on activity.
5. Acorn Painting Craft
Check out this Acorn Painting Craft from Home Stories A to Z. This unique spin on it is perfect for fall and brings a little nature into play. I absolutely loved this idea! They are just beautiful. I have some bagful ones I am going to paint. How fun to have some interesting acorns to decorate with. I just love when simple little projects turn out just right and just offers some quality time with the kids too.
6. Caramel Apple Popsicle Craft
This popsicle craft is just perfect for moms like me that aren’t the super crafty type. The kids will love this craft and you’ll enjoy doing something fun with the kids! My favorite part about this craft is that it uses sprinkles instead of glitter. So much easier on clean-up. Check out these cute caramel apple popsicle sticks from The Classy Chapter.
7. Contact Paper Sticky Wall Haunted House
This was our first sticky wall activity and my kids played with it for a solid hour, which almost never happens with a craft this cheap. Tape a sheet of contact paper to the wall sticky side out, cut a haunted house shape and a moon out of construction paper to anchor it, then let the kids loose with star stickers, foam shapes and any small plastic Halloween toys you have lying around. There’s no wrong way to fill it in, and every kid ends up arranging it differently. When they’re done, everything peels back off and you just tape up a fresh sheet for next time. I Heart Arts n Crafts has the full rundown.
8. Leaf People Craft
This time of year, as the leaves start to fall, it’s fun to create a cute leaf people fall craft for kids! Gather a bunch of autumn leaves and make this fun and easy craft with your kids or at school. Or you can go for a walk around the park or your neighborhood and gather colorful leaves of all shapes and sizes to make some adorable leaf people. It is so easy and simple to make – just follow along with the tutorial from My Mommy Style.
9. Popsicle Stick Fox – Kid Craft
There are loads of fantastic nature-themed projects for you and your kids to craft. Take a look at this wonderful and creative tutorial from Glued To My Crafts Blog. This may be my favorite popsicle stick craft ever. Make some friendly woodland creatures with just a few simple supplies and a creative spirit!
10. Handprint Acorns
This one turns into the cutest little card once it’s folded shut. Trace your kid’s handprint onto folded light brown cardstock with the thumb along the fold, cut it out so it opens like a card, then glue on a brown cardstock acorn top with diagonal marker lines, googly eyes, and pink dabbed-on cheeks. It makes an unexpectedly sweet fall card for a grandparent or a teacher, not just a craft that ends up in a drawer. The Best Ideas for Kids has the full tutorial.
20. Pine Cone Bird Feeder
Bird feeders do not get much simpler than this, and my kids can do almost the entire thing themselves. Tie a string to a pinecone first so you have something to hang it by later, then cover the whole cone in peanut butter with a butter knife or the back of a spoon. Roll the sticky cone through a dish of birdseed until it is coated and press the seeds in so they actually stick. Use plain, unscented pinecones and go easy on flavored peanut butter, since the point is feeding birds, not confusing them. Hang it at least ten feet up if you have cats around, and Kids Activities Blog has the full how-to.
27. Colorful Tin Can Owl Craft
I never look at an empty tin can the same way anymore, not since I started turning them into these owls. Paint a clean can, glue on felt or paper for the wings and face, add big googly eyes, and hang it outside or use it as a little planter once it’s done. They hold up fine outdoors, so a whole row of them makes a real garden feature instead of a one-and-done craft. Full tutorial and video are on DIY Joy.
28. Craft Stick Scarecrow
This scarecrow swaps the classic ice-cream-cone base for a handful of craft sticks, which makes it an easy one to build with basic supplies you probably already have. Glue five or six sticks side by side for the face, then add googly eyes, a little orange felt triangle for the nose and two buttons for cheeks. The straw hat is just two more craft sticks glued into a cross shape, wrapped with a strip of ribbon and tucked with a bit of raffia for hair and a fall leaf for decoration. Kate designed this one for kids six and up, so it’s simple enough for little hands to glue together without much help. Glue a strong magnet to the back when it’s finished and it doubles as a fridge magnet for the rest of the season. The Craft Train has the full how-to.
33. Homemade Gummy Fall Candy
Store-bought gummy candy has nothing on the homemade version once you know how easy it actually is. Bloom gelatin in juice, warm it just enough to dissolve, then pour it into silicone molds and let it set in the fridge for a few hours. Fall-shaped molds turn this into a genuinely seasonal treat instead of just gummy bears, and the kids get just as much out of unmolding them as they do eating them. Skip To My Lou has the full recipe.
34. Candy Corn Banner Kids Craft
Halloween decorating gets expensive fast, so I like projects that use what is basically free already sitting in the kitchen cabinet. Paint two sizes of paper plates orange and yellow, just make sure they are not the wax-coated kind or the paint will not stick. Each plate cuts down into about eight candy corn triangles, and a little white paint on the tips gives them that classic candy corn look if you want it. Punch a hole in each piece and string them together with twine for an instant banner that is sturdy enough to hang over a mantel or across a doorway. The Gracious Wife walks you through the whole thing.
