7 Fun Activities to Celebrate Fall

Fall is the perfect time for a nature walk with your child. Depending on where you live, it’s not too hot nor too cold. A nature walk is a great activity for collecting colorful autumn leaves to use for fun fall crafts and games. While walking, look for leaves of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Collecting different types of fallen leaves will help add variety to the crafts you choose. Try to choose freshly fallen leaves — those that are not dry or torn — so that they last longer.

Before you start crafting, consider preserving your leaves to help them last longer (and keep their color). Simply press leaves by placing them in a folded piece of paper (make sure they’re not overlapping)Then, place the folded paper between the pages of a heavy book — and top with another one! Leave for a couple of days, and then your leaves will be extra ready to go. A little patience will help your crafting go extra smoothly! (While you wait, get inspired by Daniel Tiger’s reminder to take care of each other by volunteering to rake a neighbor’s yard.)

Now, let’s get started!

Nothing says fall like the perfect pumpkin! A few handfuls of autumn leaves, a glue stick, and a paper plate are all you need to make your leaf pumpkin come to life. Cut the paper plate into a pumpkin shape and then glue colorful leaves to cover it. When your craft is complete, hang it on the fridge or give it to a loved one! Feeling extra crafty? Try making art with different items from nature that you collected along with leaves.

Make a beautiful (and easy-to-make) bookmark with your child inspired by autumn colors. Cardboard or a cereal box works well as the base for your bookmark. Cut a rectangle and then glue on the leaves in any pattern your child likes. Cover the bookmark in packing tape to keep the leaves from falling off. Punch a hole in the top and tie some string to add a special touch. Once it’s done, your child will have a colorful and personal bookmark they can use while you’re reading books that celebrate fall together. Your child might want to make more than one bookmark to share with family or friends!

This simple craft creates frame-worthy art! All you need are some autumn leaves, any kid-friendly paint such as finger paint, and white paper. Take a freshly fallen leaf and gently paint the back with some slightly watered-down paint. (Adding a few drops of water to the paint and mixing it in makes the paint a bit thinner and easier to slide the brush against the leaf.) When the leaf is painted, softly turn it over and press the painted side on your paper. Remove the leaf to reveal your leaf print. Try different patterns or choose leaves of different sizes to add variety. Try painting with different items from nature that you may have collected along with the leaves.

Creating a color wheel wreath is a great way to display your colorful fall leaves. Create the base by cutting out the center of a large paper plate. (Don’t have a plate on hand? Cut a piece of cardboard into a circle and cut out the center, leaving a rim that’s a couple of inches thick.) Once you have the base, tie a string that’s long enough to allow your wreath to hang. Then, you and your child can glue leaves of all colors, shapes, and sizes to the wreath until the whole thing is covered. When you’re done, you’ll have a beautiful piece of art!

A classic leaf rubbing craft is simple, fun, and a great activity to do as a family. Place one leaf under a piece of paper and gently rub it with the side of a crayon. Remove each leaf before placing a new one. Your child might want to use autumn-inspired colors, but they don’t have to. Encourage them to be creative with their colors to give their artwork a personal touch. For older kids, colored pencils can be a good option. (Just remember to be gentle and use the pencil point’s side!)

Give your leaves a new home — on a new tree! Create the base of your tree by drawing a tree trunk with branches on a piece of paper, or cut out the shape of a tree using brown construction paper. If you create a cut-out or choose a print-out, glue it on a piece of paper with room at the top and sides to add lots of leaves. Once your tree is ready, glue as many leaves as you want all over the branches. Try leaves of different shapes, colors, and sizes to add variety. Once the glue is dry, display your awesome autumn art! You can also explore more about leaves by making a book about trees.

This entertaining project is perfect to display during Thanksgiving gatherings and throughout the fall season. A toilet paper or paper towel roll makes the perfect body for your turkey. (If using a paper towel roll, cut it in half – and use the second half to make another turkey!) Glue googly eyes on one side or draw eyes directly on the roll. For the beak, cut out a triangle and color it yellow, then glue it under the eyes. (Yellow construction paper works, too!) Once you create the turkey’s face, it’s time to use those colorful leaves! Glue them to the back of your roll, so they fan out behind it. You now have your feathers, and your fall turkey is complete. If you have extra rolls, you can craft a whole turkey family or decorate for Thanksgiving by making thankful turkeys too!

Find more fun family fall activities.