Hey there, momma! 🍂 When my boys were little, I loved finding simple ways to keep them entertained, especially during fall when everything feels so cozy and creative. 😁
I know how busy it can get—juggling the kids, the house, and everything else life throws your way. That’s why I’m excited to share these easy fall crafts that won’t add to your stress but will still give your little ones something fun and creative to do, using materials you probably already have at home!
These activities aren’t just fun—they’ll also help your preschoolers develop their fine motor skills and creativity. And, trust me, you’ll both have so much fun working on them together!
So, grab those leaves, pinecones, and crayons, and let’s get started. You’re about to make some wonderful fall memories with your little ones!
What You’ll Learn in This Post (Even if You’re a Busy Mom!)
I know you’re a busy momma, juggling a million things at once, but don’t worry—you can always come back to read the rest later. Here’s a quick glance at what you’ll learn in this post about fun and simple fall crafts for your preschooler:
Discover 10+ fun and simple fall craft ideas that are perfect for preschoolers.
These crafts use easy-to-find materials, including nature-inspired elements like leaves, pinecones, and acorns.
Keep your little ones entertained while helping them develop fine motor skills, creativity, and early learning.
Many of these crafts are quick and easy for busy moms, taking less than 30 minutes to complete.
Perfect for indoor or outdoor activities, these fall crafts bring the beauty of the season into your home.
Take your time, and when you’re ready for a break, come back and dive deeper into the details. These crafts will be waiting for you, and trust me, they’ll make your day so much easier and so much more fun for the kids!
Simple Fall Crafts for Preschoolers Using Nature
When my boys were little, I used to love taking them on nature hikes and turning our finds into fun crafts. It was such a great way to get outside and bond while collecting leaves, pinecones, and acorns.
Now, I’m excited to share some of my favorite nature-inspired fall crafts with you, so you can make the most of the season with your little ones too!
Leaf Rubbings
This is a classic fall craft from Art Bar is one that my boys used to love. All you need are leaves, paper, and crayons to create beautiful leaf imprints.
Let your preschooler place the leaves under the paper. Rub the crayon over the top and watch as the patterns and textures of the leaves come to life.
It’s so simple, but preschoolers find it magical. They love seeing the leaf outlines appear on the paper!
Pinecone Bird Feeders
Making pinecone bird feeders is one of my favorite outdoor activities. It’s simple, fun, and lets your preschooler create something for the birds to enjoy.
Start by checking out this post from One Little Project, and then head outside to gather a few pinecones. Then, coat them with peanut butter using a butter knife or spoon.
Once the pinecone is covered, roll it in birdseed until it’s completely coated. Finally, tie a string to the top and hang it in the yard.
This activity lets your little ones enjoy nature while waiting to see which birds visit their feeder. It’s also a great opportunity to talk about different bird species.
Painted Rocks
We always loved collecting rocks on nature hikes, and painted rocks were one of our go-to crafts afterward! But ours were never as amazing as these rocks from Rock Painting Guide!
Your preschooler can paint rocks in any color or design they like, or use their guide for inspiration.
Encourage them to use fall-themed designs like pumpkins, leaves, or even little monsters. Let their imagination take the lead!
Once the rocks are painted, they can display them in the garden, around the house, or even give them as gifts. It’s a great craft, that gives kids a sense of pride in their creations.
Leaf Crowns
Your kids will feel like royalty when they make these leaf crowns from Rhythms of Play. It’s a fun way to use the different types of leaves you gather on your outdoor adventures.
Simply glue the leaves to a paper crown, and let your preschooler wear it with pride. It’s a simple craft that makes them feel special!
Acorn Necklaces
Acorn necklaces are another fun project that can double as a fall accessory. My boys didn’t really get into jewelry, but your kids might like painting the acorns and stringing them into necklaces like they do here on Arty Crafty Kids!
It’s a great way to encourage fine motor skills while letting your little ones create something they can wear. Plus, they’ll have a blast picking out the perfect acorns!
Easy Fall Craft Ideas for Preschoolers Using Household Materials
As a stay-at-home mom, I know that finding extra money for craft supplies isn’t always easy. That’s why I love these easy fall crafts—they use simple, everyday materials like paper plates, tissue paper, and coffee filters, so you don’t have to spend a dime!
Paper Plate Pumpkins
I always appreciated how easy and cheap paper plate pumpkins are to make. Grab a paper plate, some orange paint, and a few scraps of green paper for the stem, and head on over to Made to Be a Momma for inspo!
Let your child paint the plate orange. While the paint dries, cut out the stem and leaves from green construction paper.
Once the plate is dry, help them glue the stem onto the top of the pumpkin. They can also draw on a face if they want to!
Tissue Paper Fall Trees
This fall tree craft a great way to use leftover materials while celebrating the season. Cut out the shape of a tree trunk from brown construction paper.
Let your child tear or scrunch up pieces of red, yellow, and orange tissue paper. They can glue these to the branches of the tree to create colorful fall foliage.
The act of scrunching tissue paper helps develop their fine motor skills. Plus, they’ll love seeing their tree come to life with vibrant colors.
Handprint Fall Wreath
Handprint crafts are always fun, and this fall wreath from Evolving Motherhood makes a cute keepsake. Trace your child’s hand on different colors of construction paper.
Cut out the hand shapes and arrange them in a circle to form a wreath. Let your child glue them together.
You can add a ribbon at the top if you want to hang it as a decoration. It’s an easy way to capture their little handprints and turn them into something special.
Coffee Filter Fall Leaves
Coffee filters are one of those household items that seem to work perfectly for crafts. If you have a few lying around, do what Frugal Fun For Boys did, and grab some markers and let your preschooler color the filters with fall shades.
Once they’re done, lightly spray the filters with water and watch the colors blend together to create beautiful fall leaves. It’s an easy craft that only takes a few minutes but creates something magical.
Fall Leaf Sun Catchers
This one from Fantastic Fun and Learning is one of my favorites because it brings a little bit of the fall season indoors. Using contact paper, have your child arrange colorful leaves and bits of tissue paper on top.
Once they’re done, seal it with another piece of contact paper and hang it in the window. The sunlight shining through makes the colors glow, and it’s a beautiful way to showcase your child’s creativity.
Egg Carton Pumpkin Patch
If you’ve got an old egg carton sitting around, turn it into a cute little pumpkin patch! Cut out the individual cups, paint them orange, and glue them onto a piece of cardboard.
Let your preschooler draw faces on the pumpkins or decorate them however they like. It’s a fun way to recycle while crafting for fall!
Educational Fall Craft Projects for Preschoolers
I’ve always loved finding ways to combine fun with learning, and these autumn crafts do just that. With a little creativity, you can turn ordinary fall activities into opportunities for your preschooler to practice early math, literacy, and fine motor skills—all while having a blast!
Counting Fall Leaves
This simple counting activity turns nature into a learning tool – especially if you take it a step further with Your Modern Family. Have your preschooler gather leaves from the yard, and encourage them to count each one.
They can group the leaves by color or size. You can also write numbers on paper and ask them to match the correct number of leaves to each one.
Counting leaves helps reinforce early math skills. Plus, it keeps them engaged with the outdoors.
Alphabet Acorn Hunt
Turn an ordinary walk into an alphabet adventure with acorns! Label acorns with letters, like Crafting with Kids did, then hide them around the yard or house.
Let your preschooler find the acorns and match them to letters on a sheet of paper. You can also ask them to say the letter aloud or use it in a word.
This activity helps build early literacy skills while adding some excitement. They’ll love running around finding all the hidden acorns!
Shape Sorting with Fall Leaves
Cut out fall-colored construction paper into different shapes. Use simple shapes like triangles, circles, and squares.
Your preschooler can sort the shapes into piles or create collages with them. Or, they can take it one step further and match them up like Montessori Nature did!
It’s a creative way to teach basic geometry while crafting.
Encourage them to experiment with mixing and matching different shapes. They might even create something totally unexpected!
Fall-Themed Number Match Game
This fun fall craft craft involves a little prep but offers a lot of learning! Draw or print out pumpkins, leaves, or acorns with numbers on them and a separate set with dots to match the numbers.
Or you could use clothes pins, like A Country Girl’s Life did.
Your preschooler can practice counting the dots and matching them with the correct number. This is a fun way to reinforce early math skills while enjoying the fall theme.
Fall Color Sorting with Leaves
This is one of my go-to crafts for teaching color recognition. Collect leaves in different fall shades—red, yellow, orange, and brown—and have your preschooler sort them into matching color groups, like Learn as You Play did.
As they sort, you can talk about how the colors change during fall and how each leaf is unique. It’s a simple but effective way to combine learning with outdoor play.
Pumpkin Seed Counting
If you carve pumpkins, save those pumpkin seeds and turn them into an educational activity! Spread the seeds out and encourage your preschooler to count them or arrange them in different groups.
Using cookie cutters, like Fun-A-Day did, is brilliant! Wish I’d have thought of that.
This is a fun way to practice early counting skills while using something that’s already part of your fall celebrations. Plus, your child will love getting hands-on with the seeds!
Fall-Themed Letter Tracing with Leaves
For this fun fall craft, you’ll need large leaves and a marker. Write letters on the leaves and have your preschooler trace over them with their finger or a crayon.
It’s a simple activity that helps with letter recognition and fine motor skills. You can even have them arrange the leaves to spell their name or simple fall words like “leaf” or “fall.”
Or use clothespins for matching, like Pocket of Preschool did!
Quick Fall Crafts for Busy Moms and Preschoolers
As a busy mom, I know how hard it can be to find time for crafts, but these quick and easy ideas will keep your little ones entertained without taking up much of your day. These projects are perfect for those moments when you need something fun and simple that you can set up in no time!
Paper Bag Scarecrows
Paper bag scarecrows are an easy craft when you’re short on time. Start by giving your child a paper lunch bag to decorate, like JDaniel 4’s Mom.
They can draw a face on the bag and add a hat or clothes using scraps of fabric or paper. It’s a quick way to keep them entertained while you manage other tasks.
Once finished, they can display their scarecrow or use it for pretend play. It’s fun, fast, and requires minimal supplies.
Leaf Stamping with Sponges
If you need a quick, mess-free craft, try leaf stamping with sponges. The Best Ideas for Kids has a great tutorial on how to cut a kitchen sponge into the shape of a leaf.
Then, dip it into fall-colored paint, and let your child stamp it onto paper.
This fun fall craft takes just a few minutes to set up and offers a fun, creative way for your child to explore textures and colors. It’s perfect for busy days when you want something easy but still engaging!
Pinecone Turkeys
Turn pinecones into cute little turkeys with this quick craft, like DIY Candy did! Gather some feathers, googly eyes, and glue.
Let your child glue the feathers to the back of the pinecone to create a turkey tail. They can add googly eyes and a beak to the front.
It’s an adorable craft that’s perfect for Thanksgiving. Plus, it takes just a few minutes to set up and keeps them busy for a while.
Toilet Paper Roll Pumpkins
Toilet paper roll pumpkins are great for when you need a fast, mess-free, fun pumpkin craft. Grab an empty toilet paper roll, wrap it in orange tissue paper, and glue on a green paper stem.
Your preschooler can add a face or any other decoration they like. It’s a simple project that only takes a few minutes but gives them something fun to display.
Frugal Fun Boys made some cute ones!
Q-Tip Fall Trees
If you need something that’s fast but still allows for creativity, try this fun fall craft, like the Pinterested Parent. Dip Q-tips in fall-colored paint and let your child dot them onto a tree outline to create fall leaves.
It’s a fun craft that also practices fine motor skills. Plus, it’s easy to set up and clean up, making it a go-to craft for busy days.
Pumpkin Sticker Art
Sometimes, all you need is a few stickers to keep your child busy! Give them some pumpkin stickers and let them create their own fall scenes on paper.
Or, do like Tot Schooling did, and actually give them a pumpkin to decorate!
It’s an effortless craft that’s mess-free and can be done anywhere. Perfect for those days when you’re short on time but still want a creative activity for your preschooler.
Fall Crafts for Kids That Are So Much Fun
Crafting with kids should always be fun—and these fall-themed projects are sure to bring out their creativity and excitement! These easy-to-make kids crafts are perfect for keeping little hands busy while enjoying all the fun that fall has to offer.
Pumpkin Seed Mosaics
Pumpkin seed mosaics are a great way to recycle pumpkin seeds after carving. Have your child paint the seeds in fall colors and glue them onto a piece of cardboard to create a beautiful mosaic.
This one from Blooming Brilliant is gorgeous! Plus, they have a free template.
It’s a great way for your child to explore their creativity while working with different textures. Plus, they’ll love turning something as simple as seeds into art!
Acorn Painting
This craft is perfect for fall art, using all those acorns you collect during fall walks. Let your child paint the acorns with bright colors or fall-themed designs.
They’ll love creating little works of art that can be displayed or used as decorations. It’s a simple, hands-on craft that encourages creativity.
Check out Toddler at Play if you need more guidance!
Handprint Fall Trees
Handprint crafts are always a hit with kids, and this one from Arty Crafty Kids is no exception. Trace your child’s hand on paper and let them decorate it with fall-colored leaves using paint or markers.
It’s not only fun but also makes for a sweet keepsake of your little one’s handprint. Plus, they’ll have a blast making their very own fall tree.
Leaf Animals
With just a few leaves, googly eyes, and glue, your child can turn ordinary leaves into cute animals, like Growing a Jeweled Rose did! They can create owls, hedgehogs, or even their own made-up creatures.
This craft is so much fun because it lets kids use their imagination while working on fall art projects with natural materials. It’s quick, easy, and perfect for fall afternoons.
Pinecone Spiders
For a spooky yet fun twist on fall crafts, try making pinecone spiders. Use pinecones, pipe cleaners for legs, and googly eyes to create cute or creepy spiders.
Kids will have a blast assembling these little critters, and they make great decorations for fall! It’s a lighthearted, cute craft that’s perfect for fall, even if you don’t celebrate Halloween.
Cork Stamped Pumpkins
This pumpkin craft is quick, easy, and so much fun for kids who love to paint. Using an old cork as a stamp, dip it in orange paint and let your child create pumpkin shapes on paper.
They can add green stems and vines with a paintbrush to complete the look. It’s a simple but creative way to enjoy fall crafting without much fuss.
Check out The Pink Ninja to learn how!
FAQs About Fall Crafts for Preschoolers
I know you probably have a few questions before getting started with these fun fall crafts, and I’m here to help! Below are some of the most common questions I get from other moms about crafting with their little ones.
Hopefully, this will make things even easier for you as you dive into these activities!
1. How can fall crafts help preschoolers learn?
Fall crafts are not only a fun activity but can also be educational. Activities like counting fall leaves or the alphabet acorn hunt help kids practice early math and literacy skills. Crafts also help develop fine motor skills, creativity, and color recognition.
2. What materials do I need for fall crafts with preschoolers?
Most fall crafts for kids can be done with basic household items like paper plates, markers, glue, and tissue paper. You can also incorporate natural materials like leaves, acorns, and pinecones, which make for fun and budget-friendly autumn crafts too.
3. Can I do these fall crafts with toddlers too?
Yes, many of these fall crafts can be adapted for younger kids like toddlers. For example, leaf rubbings or painting pumpkins are simple enough for toddlers to enjoy with some help. Just make sure to choose age-appropriate materials and tasks that match their abilities.
4. How can I display my child’s fall crafts at home?
You can proudly display your child’s fall crafts by hanging them on the refrigerator, creating a gallery wall with frames, or making a seasonal display table. Crafts like painted rocks or handprint wreaths make excellent seasonal decor around the house.
5. What’s the best way to store craft supplies for kids?
Keeping craft supplies organized can make crafting easier and less stressful. Try using small bins or baskets to separate materials like paper, paint, and glue. Labeling containers can also help you find what you need quickly.
6. How do I keep my child focused on a craft project?
It’s normal for preschoolers to have short attention spans, so try choosing crafts that fit their interests and skill level. Breaking the project into smaller steps and offering encouragement along the way can help keep them engaged too.
7. How can I make cleanup easier after crafting with kids?
Laying down a plastic tablecloth or old newspaper before starting can help catch any mess. Keep wet wipes or a damp cloth handy for quick cleanups, and encourage your child to help tidy up when the project is done.
8. What if I don’t have outdoor space for nature-inspired crafts?
No worries! You can always gather leaves, pinecones, and acorns during a walk in the park or even use fake leaves and other craft materials from around the house to mimic the nature-inspired themes.
At the End of the Day
When I think back to when my boys were little, some of my favorite memories are of us sitting together, crafting, and watching their imaginations come to life. The best part about these fall crafts isn’t just the fun projects or the adorable keepsakes—it’s the time you get to spend with your little ones, watching them learn and grow.
Whether you try one craft or all of them, the most important thing is that you’re making memories and having fun together. So don’t worry about the mess or whether everything turns out perfectly.
Just enjoy the process, laugh together, and embrace the joy of fall with your kids. 🍂
If you and your little ones enjoyed these fall crafts, I’d love to hear all about it! Share your creations in the comments below or tag me on social media—I can’t wait to see what you’ve made. 🍁
And if you’re looking for even more fun craft ideas for kids, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest for plenty of easy, creative projects to try all year long!