Autumn Crafts for Preschoolers

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There is something wonderful about autumn and all the lovely Autumn Crafts for Preschoolers – these compliment our collection of Apple Crafts for Preschoolers – both lovely for celebrating Harvest Festivals or Fall.

Oh how we love AUTUMN!!! Here is a brilliant set of Autumn Crafts for Preschoolers. Crafting with Tots and Preschoolers in Fall is a wonderful experience. They adore the process and we love the results. Hope you like this great mix or nature crafts and art projects for preschoolers to enjoy this Fall!
These Fall Preschool Crafts were first published in Sept 2016 and updated and republished for your convenience!

Perschoolers are so wonderfully enthusiastic about exploring nature and discovering the world. My kids loved nothing better (and still do to be honest), than going on a walk, donning their nature bags and seeing what they could find. We would know all the best spots to find conkers (chestnuts), acorns and pinecones. We would delight in the firey red leaves.

Autumn is simply wonderful and a great time to get crafty! If your kids are a little older already, check out our more comprehensive Autumn Crafts for Kids list for more ideas and information.

What is the best age for Autumn crafting with little ones?

As some background to the crafts selected – I made ALL of these crafts with my two (!) kids before they started school – they would have been between 2-4yrs old.

Now, some activities, they could totally manage by themselves, others they may have needed a little help with. I also did a number of these activities (e.g. the snowy owls) with my kids’ reception class (4-5yrs olds), so know that they do work in bigger groups too.

But remember – Preschoolers are still young, they need the opportunity to do and explore by themselves, but also get a little help here and there in order to learn and feel successful. Some of the other activities we also did at Toddler group – so with 2-3yrs olds and the same principle applies!

I have tried to group our Fall Preschooler Crafts a  little for you – make it easier to browse and find the ideas you fancy having a go at!

We begin with nature craft (using “whatever you can find”) and then move on to specific nature items (e.g. Pinecones or Leaves) and finally have a section on autumn inspired crafts for preschoolers – so not necessarily USING nature, but making things from nature. We particularly enjoyed our Four Seasons Art exploration .. so do check those out at the bottom of the page! ENJOY!!!!

Nature Autumn Crafts for Preschoolers

I love nature craft with kids. Nothing quite like exploring the seasons via your nature finds.

crafts with sticks
Fun with stick men! Just add glue, fabric scraps and googly eyes!
  • Autumn Mobile  – the best thing about these autumn mobiles, is that they really are “unique” to your local environment. In fact, you can make these all year round and see what “different” things you can find at different times of the year. A fun way to work with sticks, pinecones, fall leaves and whatever you can find!
  • Fall leaves bearded gnomes – well I used “fabric leaves” for this super cute Fall Popsicle Stick Gnome craft, but I think your preschooler would have a blast using REAL leaves too!
  • More Stick Men – when my kids were little we adored making these charming stick men. So easy and perfect to go with Julia Donaldson’s Stickman book! All you need is some fabric scraps, a little glue and some googly eyes!
  • Simple Autumn Sensory Box – it doesn’t get easier than this – perfect for the very young. This is also a fun way to look at different fall colours – be sure to include red, orange and yellow in the sensory box items that you can find.
  • Fairy House TeePee  – we actually have made several of these over the years.. like the Autumn mobile above, we love how varied these can get

Pinecone Crafts for Preschoolers

Pinecones are super wonderful – they are ever so tactile and great to craft with! One of my favourite nature items to use for fall crafting.

Snowy Owl Crafts
Snowy owls are oh so tactile, great for fine motor skills and look adorable!
  • Pine cone Snowy Owl – again – a super duper easy craft even for small children. This is a great sensory craft too – contrasting the prickliness of of pinecones, with the softness of cotton wool.
  • Pine cone Bird Feeders – another great and easy craft and great for a feathered friends as well
  • Pine cone Christmas Tree (ornament) – my kids love making these (almost as much as the snowy owls above) and they look so cute too. Hang them into your tree as an ornament or use them as play accessories, in any “small wolrd play”
easy pinecone hedgehogs
Combine pinecones and salt dough for these adorable pinecone hedgehogs
  • Pinecone Hedgehogs – another great little cutre DIY for autumn. Love how fun, easy and cheap these are to make.

Acorn Crafts for Preschoolers

Acorns (and horse chestnuts) have many a childhood memory for me.. We were always collecting them for fall crafts at this time of year

acorn people
Acorn animals and people are a real throw back to my early childhood!

Chestnut Crafts for Preschoolers

As mentioned, I have strong memories of collecting chestnuts – or conkers as we know them in the UK – Buckeyes in the US. Love the shiny tactileness of this Autumn nature find.

Conker snakes are another firm favourite of mine! Tactile, cute AND you can use them as counting snakes!
  • Counting Chestnut Snake – these are great for counting and threading practice. Just LOVE to make these every year. Even onces the chestnuts have tried a little and lost their shinyness, they are still fun to play with.
  • Chestnut Spider – super cute and must see!
  • Chestnut Streamer Toy  – a totally underrated Autumn DIY. These are super fun to play with in the park
  • Playdough chestnut creatures – I love these, as they are an easier variation to teh toothpick creatures that we used to make and are oh so colourful.

Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

You can’t have Autumn crafts for preschoolers, without some fabulous LEAF Crafts! Fall leaves are simply wonderful to work with!

fall leaves made into lanterns
Fall leaves make beautiful (and easy) paper lanterns!
  • Leaf Lanterns – again an all time favourite of ours that is surprisingly easy to make and looks so effective. To be honest, they are so pretty, that I think kids of all ages can enjoy these!
  • Leaf Collages – classic craft for young kids at this time of year – the easiest way to enjoy fall leaf crafts!
  • Leaf Faces  – similarly, making leaf faces is fun and quirky – my kids actually came up with this idea themselves
  • Woodland People – super sweet and fun!
  • Love these Paper Plate Whirligigs – you can use paper leaves like we have, or REAL leaves!
  • Our newspaper leaf garland also makes a fun fall craft for kids. It is a great way to explore leaf shapes and colors, as well as have a go at watercolors!
  • Another idea would be a simple wreath – the principle is easy – a paper plate with a hole cut in the middle – then glue on small leaves from your nature walk. If you want, you can preserve the leaves a little first! A little bit of mod podge goes a long way!

Themed Autumn Crafts for Preschoolers

Apple Crafts for Preschool

How to make a pinch pot apple
Pinch pots are wonderful for finger strength development and make adorable gifts too!
  • Yarn Apple Garland Craft – love these yarn wrapping idea – you can use some yarn, wool or twine. Great for fine motor skills and the results are gorgeous.
  • Super Easy Apple Pinch Pots – great for slighly more dextorous preschoolers, the kids will love this Autumn craft! We have a wonderful pumpkin craft version of this too! The pumpkin pinch pot would be perfect for Thanksgiving or even Halloween.
  • Apple printing gift wrap paper – apple printing is a must in every childhood

Our Top Pupmkin Crafts for Kindergarten and preschool

Pumpkins make wonderful fall decor, and of course must feature in any collection of fall craft ideas for toddlers and kids of all ages. Here are some favourites on Red Ted Art! Older kids will enjoy these too!

String Art Paper Plate Pumpkin
Paper Plate Pumpkins are a fun way to decorate for Fall!
  • Here is a wonderful take on the “traditional” paper plate pumpkins – turn them into some wonderful yarn string art suitable for toddlers and preschoolers. A great fine motor skills project, will lovely results!
  • These little yarn pumpkins are so cute and easy to make. Aren’t all our crafts. Ha! Well they are.. as we love “cute” and we love “easy”. Love that these yarn pumpkins are “reversible. Use them as fall garland decor throught September, October and November, then switch them round briefly for Halloween.. so fun!
  • Pumpkin Pinch Pot are another firm favourite in our house. We love making pinch pots from air drying clay – and easy activity to get you used to using clay. These look particularly great filled with some yummy candy corn treats or or maybe some nature finds? Though i know mine will always use them as treat holders!
  • We have also made an adorable pumpkin wreath using apple stamps. This could be a great fall decoration for younger kids (just leave out the Jack O’Lantern faces).

More Owl Crafts for Preschoolers

  • Pom Pom Owl & Books – another DIY that my daughter came up with!
  • Doodle Owls – quick and easy, no mess. Make as many as you want. Great as little Autumn gift boxes too.
  • Pumpkin Seed TP Roll Owls – takes me back to MY childhood. Great “Fall Harvest Project” too
  • Stone Owls – create your own “blank stone canvas” for kids to decorate

More Autumn preschool crafts

Cutest scarecrow craft ever!

Four seasons art activities for Preschoolers

A great way to explore the four seasons…

4 seasons craft
Bubble wrap printing, finger prints and if you want handprint trees to make this fabulous set of fun fall crafts!
  • 4 Seasons Bubble Wrap Printing – we explored all the season’s trees – and of course it includes a fall tree craft too!
  • Another fall art project would be to make these Nature Autumn Trees (Four Seasons exploration)
  • Tissue & Contact Paper Season exploration – great way to work with colours and tissue paper and make some lovely window suncatchers for fall!

Autumn Coloring Pages/ Printables

We do love to colour in our house.. here are some of our favourite coloring pages!

Wonderful free fall coloring pages!

I hope you enjoyed this list of Fall Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers. You may also like these Apple Crafts for Toddlers:

Apple Crafts for Preschoolers
Wonderful apple crafts for kindergarten and preschoolers
Oh how we love AUTUMN!!! Here is a brilliant set of Autumn Crafts for Preschoolers. Crafting with Tots and Preschoolers in Fall is a wonderful experience. They adore the process and we love the results. Hope you like this great mix or nature crafts and art projects for preschoolers to enjoy this Fall!