I’ve gathered twenty of the easiest fall nature crafts your kids will enjoy making, all made with leaves and sticks you can collect in one short walk.
Honestly, fall nature crafts are one of the best ways to get kids outside before the cold weather locks everyone indoors. They’re cheap, they’re easy to set up, and they teach kids to notice the little details in the world around them, the color of a leaf, the texture of bark, the shape of a pinecone.
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So before we get started, if you love simple, low-cost activities, you’ll also want to check out these 20 backyard camping activities for more outdoor fun this season.
Now let’s get into the crafts.
1. Leaf Rubbing Art
This is usually the very first fall nature craft a kid ever makes, and for good reason, it works every single time. Place a leaf under a sheet of paper, then rub a crayon over the top so the leaf’s veins and shape appear like magic.
2. Painted Leaf Garland
Paint a handful of leaves in warm fall colors, let them dry flat, then string them onto twine using a needle or a hole punch. Hang the finished garland across a window or mantel.
3. Leaf Animals
Glue a few dry leaves onto paper, then add googly eyes, paper feet, or a tail drawn with a marker to turn each leaf into a little creature. Owls, foxes, and turkeys work especially well with the right-shaped leaf.
4. Leaf Crown
Tape or glue leaves around a strip of paper or cardstock, then size it to fit your child’s head. It’s a simple craft, but kids love wearing their creation around the house for the rest of the day.
5. Leaf Suncatcher
Press flat leaves between two pieces of clear contact paper, trim into a circle, and hang it in a window. As the light shines through, the colors really pop.
6. Leaf Stamping
Coat the back of a leaf in paint and press it onto paper. The raised veins create a detailed stamp that looks far more impressive than the effort it takes.
7. Leaf Mandala
Lay leaves out in a circular, repeating pattern on the grass or a table, working from the center outward. This calm, quiet activity is great for slowing down a busy afternoon.
8. Pressed Leaf Bookmark
Press a small leaf flat for a few days inside a heavy book, then laminate it or cover it with clear tape to make a sturdy bookmark. This is a great quiet activity for older kids who love reading.
9. Leaf Wreath
Glue leaves around a paper plate ring (with the center cut out) to make a mini fall wreath for the front door. Add a bow if you want extra flair.
If you enjoyed that wreath idea, you might also like these 25 simple butterfly crafts for toddlers, which take under ten minutes and use a similar gluing technique.
10. Leaf Print Tote Bag
Using fabric paint and a flat leaf, stamp a pattern onto a plain canvas tote bag. It’s a sweet, useful keepsake that holds up well after washing.
You Should Read These:
Before we move on to the stick crafts, here are a couple more posts your kids might enjoy this season. Take a peek at 30 forest school activities for kids for more simple nature play ideas, or browse 20 DIY fall crafts for kids if you want even more seasonal inspiration.
11. Stick Picture Frame
Glue four sticks together in a square or rectangle shape to make a rustic picture frame. Slide in a fall family photo and you’ve got an easy keepsake.
12. Stick Spider Web
Tie two sticks together in an X shape, then wrap yarn around the points to form a web pattern. Add a paper or pom-pom spider in the middle for a cute fall and Halloween mashup.
13. Stick Stars
Glue three small twigs together in a triangle, then add a second triangle on top to form a star shape. These look lovely hung as ornaments or strung across a wall.
14. Stick Bundles for Counting
Tie small bundles of sticks together with twine in groups of two, five, or ten. This turns a simple stick into a hands-on math tool, and it’s a great quiet activity to pair with 25 easy sensory bin ideas for toddlers.
15. Stick Teepee
Lean several sticks together in a cone shape and tie the top with twine to make a tiny teepee, perfect for a dollhouse or fairy garden scene.
16. Painted Sticks
Wrap painter’s tape around a stick in a stripe pattern, paint the exposed sections, then peel off the tape once dry. The result is a colorful candy cane-style stick that kids are proud to display.
17. Stick Person
Tie two shorter sticks across one longer stick to make arms and legs, then add a yarn face or fabric scraps for clothes. These little stick people make great fall mantel decorations.
Check this out:
If your kids loved building with sticks, they’ll probably enjoy 35 easy popsicle stick crafts for kids too, since the building and gluing skills carry over nicely.
18. Nature Weaving
Tie yarn or twine around a Y-shaped stick to form a loom, then weave in leaves, small flowers, and grass as you go. This one takes patience, so it works well for school-aged kids.
19. Fall Nature Collage
Glue a mix of leaves, small twigs, and seeds onto cardstock to build a free-form fall scene, a tree, a hedgehog, or whatever shape your child imagines. There’s no wrong way to do this one.
20. Stick and Leaf Mobile
Tie a few painted leaves to a horizontal stick with string at different lengths, then hang the whole thing from the ceiling. It moves gently in the breeze and adds a sweet seasonal touch to any bedroom.
If your kids are also into indoor activities for the days it’s too cold or wet outside, you’ll want to bookmark these 30 indoor activities for toddlers for backup.
More Fall Activities to Try With Your Kids
- 20 fall sensory bin ideas
- 15 fall sensory activities for kids
- 20 easy fall crafts to make and sell
- 25 aesthetic paper craft ideas
- printable coloring pages for kids
My Final Thoughts on Fall Nature Crafts
At the end of the day, fall nature crafts are about more than keeping kids busy. They’re a small, simple way to slow down together, step outside, and notice the season changing one leaf at a time.
Whether you try one craft from this list or all twenty, your kids will walk away with something they made themselves, and that always means more than anything store-bought.
For more seasonal craft inspiration, pin your favorites or follow along on Pinterest so you never run out of ideas when the next holiday rolls around.
