Fall Arts + Crafts: Fun Projects for Children

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!! IT'S AUTUMN!!! IT'S FALL!!!

I'm so excited to share this RoundUP!

I've been saving these ideas just for today!

These are all photos of fall fun that I've captured on my Author-Illustrator school visits around the country. 

~~Yes. Please pin as many as you'd like!~~

This first idea may well be my favorite and hence earns the lead-off batter position. Sculpture for young hands. I LUV LUV LUV creating a base for your sculpture from an 'upcycled' jar's lid. Some modeling compound or plaster of paris within the base/lid and let the fun begin! The walk in the woods tree trucks are glorious varigated pipe cleaners. The tree tops are simply silk leaves and scotched taped into place. What young child doesn't adore a project where they are in charge of scotch tape? Feathers add just the right touch for detail and nuance. 

Having young children explore projects in three dimensions affords such unique discoveries while conquering any challenges. Concordia University in Oak Park/River Forest has a brand new child development building and these beauties were housed in a showcase for all to see. I spoke there last month at their annual back-to-school conference. They provided a gen-u-ine rainbow for me. KUDOS! 

Now let's continue looking at trees + leaves. Anything collaborative + creative earns extra stars in my book.  

These next drawings have enhancements for the leaves. They looked stunning massed together on a Florida bulletin board. How sweet are the trick-or-treating details? Look closely, they're oh-so-clever. The first set have tissue paper leaves and on down below the Wisconsin drawing uses torn construction paper for the embellishments. 

Little Red Wagon and Torn Construction Paper Leaves Adorn Fall Crayon Drawing

The toddler projects above use the torn construction paper for the trunk and then paint is applied for the foliage fun. It's so much fun for me (as a former Art teacher) to see the exact inverse of materials used to portray the same concept..... at different stages of development. 

In the future I have an article that includes these beauties. It's the 'same' idea as the toddler work above, but this time in the hands of more sophisticated preschoolers. LUV the addition of the little pre-cut foamie leaves amid the painting. 

Wait till you see these sophisticated kindergarten fall landscapes. They were on display during my Tampa visit a year ago. I have already shared they here before, but their beauty serves as inspiration FOR. ALL. TIME. How brilliant. A lesson on symmetry and fall colors all rolled into one. Yes. The paper is folded to achieve such incredible results. Think 'blotto' and think sophisticated simplicity!  

Symmetric "Blotto" Painting for Fall by Kindergarten Students 

Bulletin Board of Observational Fall Paintings of Leaves

Super simple. Super gorgeous on a bulletin board. Construction paper 'mosaics' for fall foliage. SWEET! 

Fall Trees on the Bulletin Board 

From open-ended media exploration on coffee filters by wee-wittle hands (lovingly cut into leaf forms by appreciative adults) to these crayon resist drawings created in kindergarten. The colors of fall offer so much to examine. 

Handprints become Leaves on Collaborative Bulletin Board for Fall 

FALL MANDALA: I played with the first dozen glorious maple leaves to grace my walk -- just the other day. My amazing rocks for punctuation. Take a walk and gather up materials to explore as patterns. Geometry. Tesselations from nature! 

SHIFT GEARS: Scarecrows. LUV me some FALL scarecrow projects! 

How adorable are these? Some children just want to 'flood' their work when given flotsom and jetsom of goodies to choose for embellishment. I am so appreciative that these teachers allowed the kiddos to have all the fun they wanted! BUTTONS! LITTLE LEAVES! Can you really have enough of either? This was a lesson in adhesion to be sure! 

INDIAN CORN PAINTING EXPLORATIONS AMID THE FASHION FORWARD SCARECROWS. 

If the leaves are changing then its time to get thee to the pumpkin patch! 

These next little jack-o-lantern 'craftivities' were created on bases of small paper plates. All the tissue papers of fall get glued next. Then adornment with simple shapes for the features make these a success for every child in the Buckeye room. Each is unique! Same basic materials, individual exploration. 

Here they are happily displayed together on the same preschool bulletin board. 

GLITTER!!! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GLITTER? 

In the future I have some additional ideas that I observe. 

Click the pic below to go to some additional ideas and a sweet bulletin board. 

WOW! That was fun. 

Are you inspired? 

Would you help me + get pin-spired?

This RoundUP may be my most time-intense yet. 

[No. I'm not going to tell you how many hours are involved. 

You'd wonder how I have time to do laundry. LOL!

My friends know that laundry is my last remaining bit of domesticity.]

These RoundUPs are labors of LUV. 

It would be a huge help if you'd pin your favorites. 

Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

I crossed the 60,000 Pinterest Followers yesterday!

-- Debbie -- 

Welcome to my world. 



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for digital download of my original children's songs. 
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Other brilliant articles that haven't made my Top10 list: 
Pete the Cat Ideas from PreK + K classrooms
Apple Projects and Bulletin Boards 
Camping as a Theme in Preschool 
Back to School Bulletin Boards
Pocket Full of Kinders

Linked at Teacher 2 Teacher Fall LinkUP