From making leaf monster puppets to leaf crowns to woodland creatures made with leaves, you're sure to have a blast with those piles of leaves in your yard.
You might also like to take a look at some of our other lists of themed crafts and activities:
Leaf Crafts and Activities from Messy Little Monster
Fall Leaves Sensory Bottle
Babies and toddlers love sensory bottles. This is such a calming activity for little ones. Turn the bottle and watch the leaves slowly fall through the glittery liquid. This Fall Leaves Sensory Bottle is beautiful and mesmerising! It's a terrific tool to use when your little one is upset; it helps them slow down to regulate their emotional distress.
Andy Goldsworthy Art
Part of our famous artist series, this Andy Goldsworthy Art for Kids is great for any time of year but can be incredibly fun in the fall when you can find leaves in stunning reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. Using items from nature helps kids connect with the outdoors while exploring their creative side. Of course, you could also try this with faux leaves if you want to create a long-lasting piece of art to hang on the wall.
Fall Leaf Fingerprint Counting
Practice counting and number recognition for numbers 1-9 with our super fun Fall Leaf Fingerprint Counting. It's so simple: kids dip their finger in paint and apply the correct number of leaves to the tree. We combined the colours for ours, but you could also have separate plates for red, orange, and yellow paint and decorate them that way.
Leaf Hedgehog Craft
Aren't hedgehogs just adorable? Our Leaf Hedgehog Craft looks so cute with leafy spines. You can layer any leaves you like. Pointy maple leaves would be lots of fun, too. You can also use this as a simple colouring sheet for a quiet time activity.
Leaf Suncatcher
Collect some gorgeous fall leaves to make a nature-inspired Autumn Leaf Suncatcher. This craft is easy enough for toddlers and preschoolers and will make an excellent addition to your autumn decor this season. The leaves look beautiful, hanging in the window with the light streaming through.
Leaf Puppets
After reading the 'Leaf Man' by Lois Ehlert, make our silly and fun Leaf Puppets to play with. We made quite a few leaf men using leaves, popsicle sticks, chalk paint pens, and googly eyes. The maple leaves are perfect for that! We used other leaves to make adorable owl leaf puppets. Run the leaves through a laminator to make them last longer after they're painted (but before you put on the googly eyes). It will make them more durable for play, but this step is optional. If you don't have a laminator, it's still a fun leaf activity for fall!
Monster Leaf Puppets
Speaking of leaf puppets, you'll also want to make these Monster Leaf Puppets as Halloween approaches. Go crazy with the eyes, paint, and feathers. Perhaps you can draw some teeth on them to make them look a little scarier. Experiment and have fun!
Clay Leaf Bowl
We love making keepsakes for each season, and this Clay Leaf Bowl will make a gorgeous one. It's also a terrific DIY gift for someone with a fall birthday! Using air-dry clay simplifies this project since you don't have to put it in the oven to dry it out. Just leave it out for 24 hours, and it's all set.
Acorn Leaf Art
Use our leaf printables, an acorn, and some paint to make your own Acorn Leaf Art. Little ones just love this process art technique. Add a few squirts of paint in fall colors to the paper in the tray along with some acorns to roll around, and begin tilting the tray. As the acorns roll, they create strips of color here and there to make a unique pattern. It's the perfect background for your printable leaf.
Painted Autumn Leaf Monsters
Here's a messier version of the leaf monsters above. Our Painted Leaf Monsters weren't laminated. We used fingerpaints to cover them in colour and then added lots of googly eyes to each one. This is a super simple craft for your toddlers!
Pointillism Leaf Art
Inspired by Georges Seurat we got to work on this beautiful pointillism leaf art! It is perfect for all ages and even has the template included. Use watercolours, markers or even fingerprint!
Leaf Sensory Bin
Have fun playing with leaves in this Leaf Sensory Bin filled with leaves (real or fake), coloured rice and our leaf printables.
Fun Leaf Crafts and Activities for Fall
Here are even more fantastically fun leaf crafts and activities that'll encourage you to get out and enjoy all the beauty that the season has to offer.
Puffy Painted Leaves
Find large leaves to serve as a canvas for these Puffy Painted Leaves by The Best Ideas for Kids. Use puffy paints to create dot designs that really pop. Hearts and rainbows look so cute! Preserve the leaves by laminating them or applying contact paper to them if you want to keep them for a while.
Autumn Leaf Bubble Foam Sensory Bin
This super fun Autumn Bubble Foam Sensory Bin from Happy Toddler Playtime is a terrific way for toddlers and preschoolers to explore the colours of fall and the shapes of leaves. Use bubble solution, dish soap, or bubble bath to create lots of fun foam for your kiddo to scoop and pour along with all the beautiful leaves. Use faux leaves or real ones! The fake leaves will hold up better for playtime, though.
Leaf Sorting Activity
Go on a nature walk to gather leaves and bring them indoors for sorting. This Preschool Leaf Sorting Activity by Teaching 2 and 3-Year-Olds is such a fun way for kids to practice their colours. The activity incorporates science, colour recognition, math, and so much more. It's perfect for doing at home or school.
Leaf Lacing Cards
Practice fine motor skills with these lovely Leaf Lacing Cards from Living Life and Learning. You can never get too much lacing practice. It's a fantastic activity to learn skills that are important for sewing later.
Coffee Filter Fall Leaves
If you live in a warmer area, it seems like it takes forever for those leaves to turn colours and begin to fall. If you'd like to see some lovely fall leaves before then, make your own! Use the fall leaves template, paint, water, and some coffee filters to create these Coffee Filter Fall Leaves by Mombrite. They'll look pretty taped to your windows until the real leaves begin to change.
Fall Leaf Prints with Markers
You've probably made crayon leaf rubbings, but have you ever tried making Fall Leaf Prints with Markers? This activity by 123 Homeschool 4 Me is a fun take on a classic activity. The result is bright, bold leaf prints that would look fantastic on canvas or cut out to make a beautiful banner. This is a great activity for early fall when the leaves are still fresh, as dried leaves won't work because they can't withstand the markers and the rolling pin.
Leaf Suncatcher
Learn how to make a Colorful Leaf Suncatcher with this tutorial from Teaching 2 and 3-Year-Olds using contact paper and tissue paper squares inside a leaf template. You'll smile every time you see the sunlight streaming in through those beautiful colours.
Oobleck and Leaves
Do your kids love getting messy? This Oobleck and Leaves activity from Happy Toddler Playtime is the perfect activity for kids who enjoy digging their hands into messy, sticky fun. Making Oobleck is as simple as mixing cornstarch and water, so it's probably an activity that you have everything for right now.
Autumnal Suncatcher Using Leaves
Save the best leaves from your leaf collection to make a stunning Autumnal Suncatcher by The Gingerbread House. It's such a lovely way to preserve some of your child's finds from your nature walk. The leaves will change a little over time, but it will make a nice window decoration through the autumn season.
Fall Leaf Scavenger Hunt
Go outdoors and enjoy the beauty of the colours of fall with this engaging Fall Leaf Scavenger Hunt by 123 Homeschool 4 Me. It's a wonderful activity for preschoolers and elementary-aged kids and can be used at home or in the classroom. Kids can observe the shapes and colours of the leaves on the ground or the trees and mark off their findings on their scavenger hunt printables.
Leaf Crown
What kid wouldn't love being king or queen for a day with a beautiful Leaf Crown? Red Ted Art shows you how to make one step-by-step with both picture and video tutorials. You'll need to help your little ones make the crown, but older kids will be able to make them independently. Kids of all ages will love choosing the perfect leaves for their crown, though.
Leaf Faces
Use items collected from nature to make all sorts of interesting Leaf Faces! This fun activity by Picklebums is sure to get lots of laughs as your kids think of all kinds of silly faces to make. Use leaves, acorns, sticks, pine cones, seeds, and other great nature finds to decorate the faces.
Fall Leaf Finger Puppets
Save those toilet paper tubes to make these sweet and silly Leaf Finger Puppets from Crafts by Amanda. You could even cut each tube in half for smaller fingers and tape them back together so that you'll have enough for lots of leaf puppets. Embellish your leaf men with pipe cleaner arms, rocks, buttons, and of course, googly eyes.
Fall Leaf Chalk Pastel Art
How stunning is this Fall Leaf Chalk Pastel Art by Projects with Kids? The fall colours just pop right off the black background. Kids will be proud to display these in your home this autumn. Chalk pastels can be messy, but it's a cinch to clean up if you keep some paper towels handy.
Woodland Leaf Craft
There are so many fun ways to play with leaves. Take a look at this Woodland Leaf Craft by Thimble and Twig. You'll find a fox made out of leaves, an owl and a bird made out of items from nature, and so much more. What sort of woodland creature would you like to make?
Pin this list of leaf crafts and activities, so you'll have lots of ways to celebrate this beautiful season with the kids.
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