When the weather starts to get cool and the
leaves start falling, get your kids into creative and fun activities to
celebrate the season. Try one of these simple and inexpensive fall
crafts for kids to keep them entertained and engaged this year. Use
materials and colors found in nature to enjoy all that autumn has to
offer.
Acorn Jewelry
When the leaves start falling, so do the acorns. Let your children enjoy autumn with these fun acorn jewelry pieces. They're simple to make and require few materials. What you'll need:- Acorns
- Markers
- Scissors
- String
- Glue
- Brown, yellow, red and black wool
- Collect several small acorns for a bracelet, or one large acorn for a necklace. They should still have their tops, as this part will serve as the acorn's "hat".
- Carefully remove the acorn caps.
- Glue wool to the top of the exposed acorn in the color of the child's hair.
- Glue the cap of the acorn back on, over the wool hair.
- Use markers to draw faces on the acorns.
- Tie a string around the top of the acorn's cap, once it has fully dried. Repeat several times on a shorter string for a bracelet, or wear one large acorn as a necklace.
Apple Paint
Before throwing out those apples that have turned a little too brown
to eat, consider using them for crafts. Apple slices can easily be
turned into stamps for autumn crafts. What you'll need:
- Apples
- Craft paint in your children's' favorite colors
- Construction paper
- Plastic bowls
- Have an adult slice the apples in half.
- Pour the paint into separate bowls.
- Dip the apple halves into the bowls, with the inside of the apple facing down into the paint.
- Press the apples onto the construction paper like a stamp.
- Let the kids create their own pictures using the different colors.
Door Signs
Greet guests at the door with this cute and welcoming autumn sign that is perfect for hanging. Let your kids get creative with paint, foam and glitter, and save money by skipping expensive boutique décor in favor of a homemade decoration. What you'll need:- A small wooden panel, about one foot long and six inches high, available at craft stores
- Craft foam sheets in autumn colors like orange, yellow, red and brown
- Craft paint in orange or yellow
- Glue
- String
- Leaves
- Have your kids paint the wooden panel in a lighter shade of yellow or orange. This will provide a backdrop for darker colored words.
- Place leaves found in your yard or neighborhood on the sheets of craft foam and trace their outline. Cut out the leaf shapes.
- Glue the leaves to a string, end to end.
- Paint a phrase on the wooden panel like "Fall", "Harvest" or "Autumn".
- Glue the top of the string of leaves to the wooden panel, so the leaves hang down beneath it.
- Glue another string to the top of the wooden panel, so it can be hung.
- Hang your autumn sign on your front door, backdoor or anywhere you'd like to decorate for the season.
Autumn Photo Frame
Make a space to preserve fun fall memories with this adorable leaf frame. Your kids can try their hand at drawing their own leaves, or let nature do the work by tracing. What you'll need:- Unfinished frames in your desired size, available at craft stores
- Craft foam in autumn leaf colors like green, yellow and orange
- Glitter paint in gold
- Glue
- A black marker
- Begin by painting the frame with gold glitter if your child would like a dramatic autumn frame, or leave unfinished for a more casual look.
- Trace or draw leaves onto the craft foam, then cut out.
- Draw veins on the leaves with the black marker. Add gold glitter to the leaves for a slight sparkle.
- Glue the leaves to the frame once the glitter has dried.
- Use the marker to write the year, title of a special event or fall phrase on the frame just below the photo.
- Place your favorite autumn photo in your new frame.
Leaf Pillows
Make these cute fall pillows for your kids' room, or even decorate common living areas, patio furniture or chairs. Easy and reusable, autumn throw pillows are a great way to show your enthusiasm for the changing of the seasons. What you'll need:- Yellow, green, brown and orange felt sheets
- Pillow stuffing, available at craft stores
- A black marker
- Hot glue gun
- Let your kids draw leaf shapes onto one sheet of felt per color.
- Hold together the tracing with another sheet of the same color, and cut along the lines, creating two identical leaf shapes per color. Using different leaf shapes for each color will make the pillows even more unique.
- Use the black marker to draw veins on each leaf.
- Use the hot glue gun to attach one side of the leaf to its identical, same colored shape, which was cut out at the same time. Leave several inches unglued, creating a small hole to insert the stuffing.
- Use the pillow stuffing to fill the leaf pillow, then glue shut the remaining open edges.