Really Easy Autumn Crafts
Feeling a little creative, or just need something to amuse the children for 5 minutes? Try these no nonsense, simple Autumn crafts.
No matter how crafty you are, how old your kids are or how much coaxing they take to go outside when it's warm and cosy inside, Autumn is the perfect time of year to get creative.
Before you switch off, thinking this is one of those articles encouraging you to buy heaps of art supplies and splurge your cash on ribbons and paint palettes,, think again. The great thing about Autumn is that a lot of the supplies you could need to do some arty or crafty activities at home are free. We’re talking about collecting colourful leaves, interestingly shaped twigs, fallen apples, small rocks and pebbles and of course the ultimate Autumnal item: conkers!
Doing some crafts usually does involve a few basic items to make life easy. You don’t need them but they are handy to have in the home. There are lots of craft shops you can visit however we’re a big fan of Poundland as their craft aisle is full of super cheap goodies and you don’t need much.
We’d recommend having some PVA glue, paintbrushes, poster paint, paper, pipe cleaners and felt tips. Also save bits from your recycling that could come in handy, such as egg boxes, kitchen roll tubes and newspapers. Our best tip if your the sort of person who likes minimal mess is to buy a cheap shower curtain and let all craft activities happen on that!
Here are 5 simple, fuss free and low cost ideas to try:
1. EASY LEAF PRINTING
This has got to be one of the easiest and nostalgic autumn art and craft activities out there. Simply collect lots of different leaves on a walk, from big oak leaves to small leaves from shrubs, and when home, carefully paint the side with the most texture with a light coating of paint (or paints if you want multi-coloured leaves!) and then print them onto paper. You can experiment with layering up leave prints and colours on the same sheet of paper and even fold paper in half to make cards for family and friends.
2. CONKER PEOPLE
Conkers are brilliant for craft activities and if you find them when they aren’t too hard or even better, still in their shell from the tree, they are extra easy to use. For this activity, you’ll need to collect some conkers and ideally any other small outdoor items that can be stuck or attached to the conkers to make stick people - such as acorns or small bits of bark or berries you know to be safe to handle. Using toothpicks, attach different shaped conkers (or other items mentioned) to each other to make a head, body, arms and legs. When you’ve made your conker people, they can be used for all sorts of imaginative play!
3. LEAF PICTURES
This is a super easy activity which only requires some leaves, glue (any) and some paper. Collect up different shapes and colours of leaves and arrange them on a flat surface. Draw some simple images on paper, such as faces, where you live, a nature scene or an animal, and then use the leaves to decorate the images or cut them up and stick down bits of them a bit like a mosaic. This is an activity that can be done by all the family and make sure to hang up your masterpieces when done and dry!
4. PINE CONE ART
Pine cones are such brilliant craft items and there are heaps of ways to use them in the home during the Autumn and Winter seasons. Here, we’re going to keep things super simple and suggest that you hand over the pine cones with a few simple art supplies (whatever you have) to your kids and let them get creative. They can paint the pine cones, use pipe cleaners as arms or legs (or a scarf even!), add on eyes with paper or stickers, and be as colourful or as monochrome as your kids fancy. If you have and are happy to use glitter, we’d always recommend doing this bit outside!
5. STICK PEOPLE FAMILY
Collecting twigs on a walk and popping them in a bag for later is always a really good shout, so that you have something for a rainy day craft activity at no cost to you. There are lots of fun ways to use twigs and making a family using different shaped twigs, cutting and breaking bits up and laying them down on paper, is a nice way to spend some time as a family. Kids who like tech might enjoy making a stop motion animation using the twigs to show how they go from bag to make people, or even make a moving scene where figures interact!
Even More Autumn Activities
If you’d like to try something different, we've also collected some great Autumn inspired craft activities from around the internet for you to try out too. Click the links below and enjoy exploring.
from Kids Craft Room
from Red Ted Art
from Rhythms of Play
from KC Edventures
from Messy Little Monster
from Look! We’re Learning
from Projects with Kids
from Hand-On Teaching Ideas
from The Joy of Sharing
from Easy Peasy and Fun
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