Once again, it’s time to help zip up jackets and pull on boots, because the weather is cooling and the leaves are changing colors. Yes, the seasons are changing and it’s time to teach the season of fall through nature walks, trips to the farm, fall family celebrations, and, of course, favorite fall crafts. It’s a good idea to have a collection of fall crafts to compliment and enrich the learning experience. Crafts can decorate the classroom making the season visible to students, or become part of a learning center where students are retelling and practicing vocabulary. They can also be a shared experience between students and parents during a fall celebration. Check out these four fall crafts to engage your students during the fall learning season.
Fun Fall Crafts for Kids
Colorful Leaves Craft
Decorate the classroom with colorful leaves. They will make the season visibly come alive to the students through display on a fall bulletin board, or placement on the branches of a classroom tree.
Materials Needed
- 2-3 Diffused Leaves for each child
- Red, yellow, brown, and green markers
- Spray bottle with water
Directions
- Read books about fall and take a nature walk looking at the beautiful colors
- . Have students find and choose a favorite leaf from outside to help pick colors for their leaf.
- Prepare tubs with fall color markers for children to use.
- Give each student 1 to 3 diffused leaves and have students write their name on the back.
- Instruct students to color their leaves with the fall color markers
- Mist diffused leaves with spray bottle and watch the leaf become a beautiful pattern of fall colors.
- Allow the leaves to dry for a couple hours and then use to decorate the classroom.
Crafty Scarecrow Magnets
Crafty scarecrows are a great activity to do in October after visiting the farm, or at a fall celebration where parents can help. These cute magnets will be a great fall addition to the refrigerator and serve as a continuous reminder to students about their experiences and lessons.
Materials Needed
- 6 inch by 4-inch piece of cardstock for each child
- 6 Jumbo Craft Sticks for each child
- Pen
- 1 Glue Stick for each child
- Fall colored markers to share
- 2 Wiggly Eyes for each child
- 1 Felt Triangle for each child
- Felt Flower for each child
- Yellow construction paper
- Magnet for each scarecrow
- 1 hot glue gun
Directions
- Put all materials (except markers and glue sticks) in a small sandwich bag for each child. Place markers in tubs for students to pick through and find the colors they wish to use.
- From each bag, take out 5 of the craft sticks and with a pen draw a horizontal line across the width 2 inches from the end of each stick. Lining up the sticks side by side along the long edges should result in one straight line being visible. Place the sticks back into the student bag with the one remaining unmarked stick.
- Hand out bags to the students and inform them they will be making craft stick scarecrows today. It is best if the teacher models step-by-step how to make the craft stick.
- Model the process of gluing the 5 marked sticks vertically onto the center of the cardstock, matching the lines as mentioned above.
- Once students have glued the 5 craft sticks onto the cardstock, demonstrate how to glue the last stick on top of the other five sticks such that the long axis of the stick lines up with the marked line.
- Once students have finished assembling the sticks, have students color the last craft stick and the 2-inch section of sticks with their favorite colors. This will be the scarecrow’s hat. For extra creativity, students can add a felt flower, buckles, or other embellishments to the hat to give it some pop.
- Demonstrate how to glue on two eyes about 1 inch below the hat and a felt triangle nose below that. Allow the students to complete this step.
- Students then can draw a smile on their scarecrow and apply ripped pieces of yellow construction paper to give their scarecrow some straw hair.
- Last the teacher can complete the project by using hot glue to secure a magnet to the back to make a scarecrow magnet.
Felt Farm Animals Craft
There are lots of fun things teachers can do with these felt farm animals! Place these fun felt farm animals in a learning center with a felt board. Students can use them to retell their trip to the farm, or some of their classroom books, such as The Little Red Hen, and Hickory Dickory Dock.
Materials Needed
- Different colored pieces of felt
- Farm animal templates (pig, horse, cow, chicken, cat, duck, dog, mouse, hen)
- Scissors
- Small Wiggly eyes
- Plastic bags
- 1 bottle of Elmer’s Glue for each child or to share between partners
Directions
- Using a farm animal drawing or template, cut out farm animals and place each in its own plastic bags. Make enough animals so that students can make up to three.
- Have examples of all animals you made for students to see.
- Organize other materials into tubs for students to pick from.
- Instruct students to pick 2 animals they would like to make.
- Help students glue felt pieces together if needed so and decorate.
- Put the animals in the felt board center where students can share the felt animals with each other to retell trips to the farm, and their favorite stories.
Fall Pumpkins Craft
Fall pumpkins are another great activity to decorate the classroom or students homes. It is a great activity to do before or after visiting the pumpkin patch at the farm.
Materials Needed
- Orange Tissue Paper
- Brown Construction paper
- Paper Plate for each child
- Glue Stick for each child
- Scissors or paper cutter
Directions
- Cut the orange tissue paper into 1 ½ inch by 1 ½ inch squares with scissors or a paper cutter. Cut as many needed to cover entire paper plate for each child.
- Cut one 3 inch by 1 ½ inch rectangle out of the brown construction paper for each child.
- Prepare tubs with the orange squares set out for students to use to while they are working.
- Give each student a paper plate and glue stick and instruct students to write their name on the back of paper plate.
- Instruct students paste squares onto plate, covering the entire surface.
- Finally, give each student one brown rectangle to glue to the top of his or her pumpkin to make a stem.
Students love getting creative during the great learning season of fall. Fall crafts will make the season come alive for your students. They will make your class visible, help your students retell stories, and can be sentimental lifetime gifts. What ways do you get your students and families involved in creative learning?