Fall Crafts and Activities for Kids

Fall is just around the corner! As the weather cools and the sun sets a little earlier each day, it’s a great time to settle in with a new project that celebrates the season. With so many exciting themes to choose from, kids will get a kick out of these easy fall crafts that feature your favorite autumn icons (minus the pumpkin spice). From finger puppets, to fun window displays, to leafy lanterns, you’ll find something to entertain and delight everyone in our great big fall craft round up.

1. Felt leaf finger puppets

How cute is this fall craft? Simply cut out some leaf shapes, get out the hot glue gun and you’ve got adorable little fall leaf friends. You kids will have fun putting them together (you might need to help with the glue gun), and when they are done they can put on a little finger puppet show about the changing seasons and leaves. Head over to Crafts by Amanda for all the details.

2. Pressed leaves

Mothering offers up an excellent idea for making a homemade leaf press with your tots, and we think it’s pretty darn lovely. It’s a simple project that requires just a few basics. Between making the press, gathering the leaves and crafting with the pressed leaves, this project will keep the kids plenty busy for a long time.

3. Scientific rainbow art

Mama Rachelle of TinkerLab shares a fun idea for examining how fall and winter raindrops will affect tissue paper artwork. A great project for rainy days that are typically spent inside, you’ll need some bleeding tissue paper pieces, regular paper and glue on hand to recreate your own rain-blurred autumn rainbow. Once your rainbow is constructed and dried, simply set it outside and let the raindrops do their work. Check out the full post for beautiful pictures and a handful of other fun ideas for weather-related activities.

4. Whimsical fall fairies

When the leaves are falling from the trees it’s easy to image that they are little fairies blowing in the wind. This sweet fall craft for preschoolers will fill your space with fluttering fall fairies. You’ll find the details at How Wee Learn.

5. Apple print wreath

Check out the lovely apple print wreath fall craft featured on Craftberry Bush. We’re total suckers for apple printing, so we were excited to see this colorful fall decoration. To make your own, dip a halved apple into paint and begin printing away. That’s it! After your prints are completely dry, cut them out and glue them onto a paper plate ring. Easy as pie.

6. Leafy window display

We can’t get enough of the wonderful autumn window display included on the Inner Child Fun blog. To get started on this colorful craft, you’ll need construction paper for your tree’s base and coffee filters for the leaves. Paint your coffee filters with watercolors, cut them into leafy shapes and begin adding your fall foliage to the window with double-sided tape. It’s a great project for small hands and one that will bring fun, vibrant colors into your home for the season!

7. Handprint acorn lacing 

Handprints are a great way to capture your child’s growth over time. This easy fall craft handprint project would be perfect to do year after year. Keep all the handprints and decorate your house each year with a collection showing the growth of your little ones. Kid’s Craft Room will give you all the details you’ll need for this project.

8. Fall crown

The beautiful nature crowns by Rain or Shine Mama are sure to make your little one feel like royalty for a day. To make your own crown as a fall craft, you’ll want to have a stapler, scissors and card stock handy, along with some fall goodies such as golden leaves and feathers. Check out the tutorial for the full scoop, and to see plenty of beautiful photos.

9. Acorn owlies

Turn those fallen backyard acorns into fuzzy new friends, like the adorable teensy owls included on Koel Magazine. Perfect for small hands, this easy fall craft requires only glue, scissors, felt and acorns. But who says that the owls get to have all of the fun? The options are absolutely endless when it comes to the different animals your kiddos can make with these upcycled acorns — and they’d certainly make nice pocket pals!

10. Paper sunflowers

All of your garden’s flowers may be coming to an end for the year, but these sunshine-y beauties will last you all year long. Featured on One Little Project, these cool sunflowers are made with craft paper, buttons and straws. Be sure to check out the full tutorial for excellent walk-through photos and helpful tips when you sit down to make this fall craft for preschoolers. Such a fantastic bright bouquet that’ll surely keep you feeling warm and cheery as the weather grows colder.

11. Fall leaf wreath

The "fall walk" wreaths included on Simply Designing give little ones the chance to show off all of their colorful fall treasures in one place. To make your own autumn wreath, just head outdoors on a nature walk to see what your surroundings have in store for you. After you’ve collected all of your nature booty, begin gluing on your leaves, nuts and other miscellaneous findings until your wreath is brimming with fall foliage. (Be sure to check out the tutorial for a bonus quick and easy autumn snack idea!)

12. Leafy lantern

We love this gorgeous leafy lantern featured on Red Ted Art. Created using autumn leaves from your backyard, grease-proof paper, cheese boxes and glue, this lantern is a fantastic project for younger children — and it’s one that your family can continue to use in years to come.

13. Upcycled apples

Mama King of 4 Crazy Kings offers up a fun idea for making cool recycled apples out of plastic lids. She explains that this craft is a good one for preschoolers and kindergartners and hints that these lovely fruits might look quite nice as part of an apple tree display. (We agree!) To make the upcycled apples, you’ll want to have apple seeds, plastic lids, tissue paper, glue, a hole punch, a paintbrush and, last but not least, pipe cleaners for the stems. Be sure to visit the site for the complete walk-through and to see great pictures of all of the steps.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published a few years ago, and updated in 2023. Jen Betterley and Vicky McDonald contributed to this article.