These cute and simple fall crafts for kids and parents include ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving and all through the harvest season. No expensive supplies or advanced techniques needed!
27 Easy Fall Crafts for Kids and Parents
Updated on Jul. 18, 2024
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Autumn Pine Bouquet
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Watercolor Monsters
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Creepy Cottage Pumpkin
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Acorn Faces
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Pleated Paper Bat
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Faux Leaf Turkey Craft
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Potato Jack-O-Lantern Stamps
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Straw Bale Monsters
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Clay Pumpkins
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Popsicle Stick Spider Webs
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Foil Leaf Impressions
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Witches’ Magic Wands
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Cotton Ball Ghosts
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Playful Pine Cone Wreath
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Rake and Leaves Paper Craft
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Oreo-Rice Krispie Turkeys
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Silly Paper Bat
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Thankful Turkeys
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Jack-O-Lantern Collage
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Playful Turkey Wreath
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Turkey Pretzel Sticks
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Leaf Wreath Sun Catchers
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Leaf Painting
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Apple Stamp Pumpkins
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Painted Pumpkin
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Harvest Crowns
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Pumpkin Lantern
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Autumn Pine Bouquet
Pine cones found in the yard or purchased at the craft store make beautiful “flowers”! To make a bouquet like this one by @misssanateaches paint the pine cones with acrylic paint, then drill a hole in the bottom of each pine cone, and use a wood skewer or wire stem for the flower stems. Finish with a bow, or put them in a pretty vase.
Watercolor Monsters
These painted monsters by @hellokristendickson are simply adorable! Here’s how to make them yourself. Add a dollop of watercolor paint on a piece of paper, then (this is the fun part) use a straw to blow air at the liquid. Blowing will spread out the color into an abstract monster shape. Bring the little guys to life with googly eyes.
Creepy Cottage Pumpkin
This miniature pumpkin cottage can be used year after year because it’s made using a foam pumpkin. Cut a large hole in the foam pumpkin, and paint the interior to create a dark sky background. Then, arrange a miniature Halloween scene inside. For this example we used a ceramic cottage, a bench and faux moss.
Acorn Faces
Autumn foliage provides all sorts of craft opportunities. Have your kids collect acorns on a nature walk (or you can buy faux acorns), and then paint cute faces on them as shown here by @darlingmama_. Finding the acorns is half the fun! Display the acorn cuties in a jar when you’re finished.
Pleated Paper Bat
This cute little bat by @lulu__make is a great fall craft that your child can easily make without many supplies or prep work. Fold cardstock paper in pleats to make the wings, then use a cardboard circle for the face. Felt, foam or paper can be used for the ears, teeth and nose. Let your child get creative with the colors and facial expressions.
Faux Leaf Turkey Craft
Here’s how to make this playful turkey craft by @katiesproul. Cut three different size cardboard circles, then have your little one color in the smallest circle using a brown marker or crayon. Glue layers of leaves all over the largest circle to create the tail. Attach all the circles together and add some googly eyes, feet and a beak.
Potato Jack-O-Lantern Stamps
Raid your fridge to make jack-o-lantern stamps! Cut a potato in half, then carve the jack-o-lantern face into each half of the potato. Kids can even help with the carving using a short wooden skewer. Dip in orange paint to stamp out your masterpiece, like this example from @slingin_mama.
Straw Bale Monsters
Does your porch or yard need a little extra scare factor this Halloween? Transform straw bales into spooky (yet cute!) outdoor Halloween decorations with a few items from the hardware store. Use spray paint to paint the bales and foam sheets to make the faces. The possibilities are endless! Seen here, foam piping is used for the spider legs and Frankenstein’s neck bolts; and a few strips of cheesecloth is all it takes to make a mummy.
Clay Pumpkins
These beautiful clay pumpkins by @youngschoolartwithmr.g were made using Crayola Model Magic Clay. Once you form the pumpkin shapes, kids will love embellishing them with beans, beads, gems and buttons.
Popsicle Stick Spider Webs
These popsicle stick and yarn spider webs are cute as can be! Plus, your little ones will get the opportunity to practice their fine motor skills, as they weave the yarn around the popsicle stick form. Check out the full instructions at Buggy and Buddy.
Foil Leaf Impressions
Here’s another nature craft by @nature.arts.crafts that takes minimal effort, but produces beautiful results. Grab some fallen leaves from the yard, and arrange them facing down on the table. Place a piece of tin foil on top of the leaves. Then, using your fingertips, press on the foil to make an impression of the leaves. You’ll be amazed by the intricate details!
Witches’ Magic Wands
Everyone loves a chocolate-covered pretzel! Get the kids involved and turn these into a magical treat for Halloween. Grown-ups can dip the pretzel rods and kids can go all out sprinkling sugar, edible glitter and other decorations on top.
Cotton Ball Ghosts
All you need to make a cute ghost craft by @zahrahplus5, is card stock paper, cotton balls and glue. Cut the paper into ghost shapes, then let your little ones go crazy gluing on cotton balls. You can stretch out the cotton for a fluffier effect. Use paper and a black marker for the eyes, or glue on googly eyes to finish.
Playful Pine Cone Wreath
Think outside the box for your autumn decor by using nontraditional colors. Make this spunky pine cone wreath by painting the edges of pine cones with vibrant yellow, pink, blue and orange—the brighter the better! Once dry, use a hot glue gun to stick the pine cones to a wire wreath frame. Get the full details from Sarah Hearts.
Rake and Leaves Paper Craft
Who knew raking leaves could be so much fun? This rake and leaves craft by @kc.kindergarten (original inspiration from @another_day_in_prek) is fun for younger kids because they’ll love ripping up the paper! Tear pieces of paper to create the leaves and glue them all over the page. Then create a rake with strips of paper, bending the rake tongs for a 3-D effect.
Oreo-Rice Krispie Turkeys
Rice Krispie balls are transformed into turkeys with a few simple ingredients! Split an Oreo cookie in half, then use melted chocolate to attach all the elements. Candy corns make the tail feathers, use a malt ball for the head and white sprinkles for the eyes.
Silly Paper Bat
To make this paper bat, use a recycled toilet paper or paper towel roll as the base. Wrap the roll in black construction paper and secure with tape or glue. Fold the top together for ears, cut out and attach construction paper wings, then add googly eyes to complete the monstrous look. Make several and string them together for a playful Halloween garland.
Thankful Turkeys
These cute turkeys are not only fun to make, but they’ll help your kids practice gratitude this season. Write what you’re thankful for on colorful construction paper cut in feather shapes, or you can trace your little one’s hand to make a whole turkey tail. Glue the messages onto the turkey along with googly eyes and a beak.
Jack-O-Lantern Collage
Have some old magazines lying around? You and your kids can use them to make this jack-o-lantern collage by @learncraftgrow. Simply cut orange, green and black sections out of the magazine pages (any shape will do). Sketch a pumpkin outline on white card stock paper, and then fill it in by gluing on all the magazine pieces.
Playful Turkey Wreath
Kids will love helping you make this adorable turkey wreath by @sweethome.indiana. Wrap a foam wreath in brown tulle, then tie on more tulle pieces to make the colorful feathers (double-knot for a secure hold). Cut the turkey body and details out of foam or felt, and you’re done!
Turkey Pretzel Sticks
For these delicious turkey treats, dip pretzel rods in melted chocolate or peanut butter. Use candy eyeballs for the eyes and candy corn for the feathers and nose. These are great to bring out with the other desserts after dinner, you might even see some adults passing up the pumpkin pie once they see these yummy turkeys!
Leaf Wreath Sun Catchers
These fall leaf sun catchers by @leahdamon are simple yet stunning. Use double-stick tape (or clear contact paper) to attach your leaves in a circular pattern to the window. Then watch as the sun shines through to illuminate the gorgeous colors, veins and details!
Leaf Painting
For this painting project, trade in boring paper for beautiful foliage. Find large leaves that have recently fallen and are not too brittle. Then paint abstract designs on the leaves with white paint or paint pens. Apply a layer of clear decoupage on the top of the finished artwork to help preserve it.
Apple Stamp Pumpkins
Here’s a fall craft by @little.sunshine.mom that you can probably make with supplies you already have on hand. Cut an apple in half lengthwise, dip the halves in orange paint and stamp onto paper. Add some googly eyes, paper stems and twisty vines and you’ll have the cutest pumpkins in the patch!
Painted Pumpkin
When it comes to painting pumpkins, anything goes! This shimmery abstract pumpkin by @jessan_creations shows that you don’t have to stick to a traditional color palette. Give your kids a paintbrush and let them go wild. You’ll have fun too, expressing your creativity and creating beautiful fall decor for your home.
Harvest Crowns
Your kids will love creating and wearing festive fall crowns for this year’s Thanksgiving feast. Make the crown base out of construction paper, then glue on faux leaves or real fallen leaves from the yard. Head over to Made Everyday for the directions.
Pumpkin Lantern
To make your own pumpkin lantern like this one, cut orange tissue paper into small squares. Then use a paintbrush to cover the entire jar with a thin layer of Mod Podge. Attach the tissue paper squares in an overlapping pattern to cover the whole jar. Seal the tissue with another layer of Mod Podge. Finish by wrapping a green pipe cleaner around the top of the jar to create the pumpkin vine.
