Great Fall Crafts To Do With Kids Of All Ages

The cooler temperatures and beautiful colours of autumn make it the perfect time to do some crafting with the little ones. But not all projects appeal to the masses. Here are some great fall crafts to do with your kids that are categorized by age group so that you can find fun, engaging activities for preschoolers as well as kids, young and old. —Jennifer Cox

Ages 2-3

fingerpainted fall foliage. On a small canvas use 2-3 pieces of painter’s tape vertically to create “tree trunks” (you can add a few slightly thinner pieces of tape as branches). Then, let your child fingerpaint the entire canvas with vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and greens. Once it has dried, remove the painter’s tape.

tissue paper wreath. Cut out a cardboard circle with a smaller circle in the middle (so it resembles a doughnut). Cut fall-coloured tissue paper into small squares. Invite your little one to squish the tissue paper squares into tiny balls, and then give them a small puddle of school glue to dip the paper balls in and stick to the cardboard wreath.

apple stamping. If you went apple picking and have a few fruits to spare, cut them in half and use them as stamps. Have your child dip the apple halves into paint and stamp them onto oversized pieces of paper.

Ages 3-5

leaf rubs. Go on a nature walk and try to collect as many differently sized leaves as possible. Bring your findings home and place a piece of white paper on top. Peel the paper off your crayons (this is a great way to repurpose larger broken pieces of crayons) and, using the side of the crayon, rub over the leaves. You can turn your rubbings into pictures or greeting cards.

leaf people. Gather up a range of leaves in different shapes and sizes and then use them to create whimsical leaf people. Longer leaves can be limbs like arms and legs, and the rounder ones are perfect for heads and torsos. Glue them onto construction paper. Make a whole family!

q-tip fall tree. Q-Tips can be lots of fun to use as paint brushes. You or your child can paint a big brown trunk on paper, and then your little one can use a Q-tip and a variety of fall colours to create the leaves by dabbing them on the paint and then the paper.

Ages 5-7

nature scavenger hunt. Make a detailed list of things your child can look for outside, whether it’s a yellow leaf, an acorn, or a blue jay. Switch up the lists for multiple kids so they can each go searching for their own treasures. See who can find everything on their list first!

wood scarecrows. Buy a pack of wooden mixing spoons at the dollar store and a few accessories such as a bag of raffia and googly eyes. Decorate the tops of the spoons to look like scarecrows. Make them extra colourful with paint or markers. Then put on a fun fall-themed puppet show with your creations.

paper bag tree. Open up a small brown paper bag and stand it up on a tabletop. Cut three or four slits from the top of the bag downward, stopping about halfway. Twist the strips of brown paper on the top of the bag tightly and shape them to look like jagged branches. Cut out small colourful fall leaves from construction paper and glue them onto the tree branches. Use this piece of art as a fall or Thanksgiving centrepiece.