Autumn Crafts

Children love to paint apple trees and here is a fun, messy way to do it! The only problem with this hand-painting craft is that you have to wait for the green part of the tree to dry before adding the finger-print apples!

Once the leaves start to change colour, it's the perfect time to create some natural art such as this lovely autumn leaf butterfly. The great thing about this craft is that you don't need to buy anything at all!

This placemat in autumn colours makes a fun seasonal table decoration which the kids will enjoy weaving. Weaving is a very calming craft for children, and once they understand the process they will enjoy creating different patterns with this simple technique.

Make a spectacular display to celebrate the arrival of autumn with this autumn tree craft. This obviously works well as a group or class project.

Go wild with some bright autumn colours to create this autumn tree painting, and capture your child's hands in time!

These Autumn window pictures look so pretty displayed in the classroom or home at Fall, and are a popular craft with children of all ages.

This interesting technique relies on art tissue paper, which "bleeds" when water is added and produces a lovely mingled effect. Children enjoy watching the colours bleed into each other and the finished result is a perfect leaf for autumn.

Sam collaged an autumn tree but you can of course adapt the colours of tissue paper in this craft to make a lovely blossom tree for spring, a summer tree full of foliage, or perhaps an apple tree.

Conkers are such a part of the British autumn that we thought we'd find a slightly different use for our conker collection! Younger children will enjoy the randomness of this painting activity, and rolling the conkers around is fun!

These felt leaves are a simple way to teach children basic embroidery stitches as they get to see a quick result. We have stuck to basic backstitch as we are just starting out but you can be more ambitious if you like and experiment with other stitches.

These pretty glittery fruits will make a welcome display when autumn comes, and could even be hung on the Christmas tree!

These stunning leaves can be adapted for any season - and depending on the age of the children you can cut out the leaves for them or leave the whole project up to them.

Here's a quick an easy craft idea for a leaf brooch that children can make themselves or with minimal supervision, perfect for Autumn. For Canada Day, make the leaf brooch with red felt only and use our template, below.

Here's a fun project for those interesting leaves and twigs that you've collected on an autumn walk! Unfortunately our photo isn't the best - but we hope you can use your imagination and make your own leaf people to photograph!

Autumn is a fantastic time to take leaf rubbings and this craft is a lovely way to use them. Maybe it could be used to record a special walk or you could make a whole family of leaf fairies over the autumn period!

Marbling is always an intriguing activity for kids and the results can be truly spectacular, especially when displayed in the window like our marbled autumn leaf suncatcher! You might want to remind younger children that less is more when it comes to mixing the colours!

Sam turned a shaving foam painting (instructions here) in a fabulous autumn tree by waiting for the original painting to dry and then adding a trunk and brunches with dark brown paint. Obviously the same technique could be used in many ways!

This is a simple technique which involves a paper plate (one of our favourite crafting ingredients!) and lots of colourful paint. You will need some patience while the "tree" dries!

This fun paper plate toadstool craft is useful for autumn - or a fairy theme, perhaps! Paper plate crafts are always good for your youngest children, and this one is quick and easy.

This lovely craft idea can be undertaken in one go as a project on the seasons - or in four parts over the year as each season arrives. However you choose to do it, the canvases make an eye-catching display.

These little toadstools - which the kids can make using craft cupboard supplies - look so realistic that you may mistake them for the real thing! Remind your child that the real toadstools must be avoided, though - they are very poisonous!

Make these cute toadstool labels with the kids and use them for their own names, to label seeds you are planting in the garden (in which case you will need to laminate the toadstools carefully) or perhaps to label objects and places around the house and garden.

Here's a fun craft to do with the bits and pieces you collect on a nature walk, particularly on an autumn walk after a windy day when you might find leaves and conkers and twigs. Our photo isn't great but the twig fairy was lovely!

Sam had a lot of fun creating the mottled watercolour paper that we used for this leaf bunting, watching how the colours mixed together. Make sure you put down plenty of plastic sheeting before you start this craft!

Why not weave an autumn loom to show off the treasures you collect on your walks during the season? We've also seen them referred to as "fairy looms" and they look fantastic on display in the garden.