Super Simple Leaf Craft for Kids
This is fun Fall art project to enjoy with your little at home or at school with students.
This activity can help build child’s creativity. It also get kids moving and squeezes some time outside – especially if you live where temperatures are dropping each day this time of year!
As always, when working through activities and crafts use your own discretion based on the age of the child.
MATERIALS
- Brown lunch sack bag or plastic sandwich bag
- Glue(liquid)
- Googly eyes
- Scissors
- Black marker
SKILLS
- Following directions
- Using a glue bottle
- Promoting creativity
- Learning about the season of autumn
1. Begin the activity by discussing the seasons.
Obviously, if you live in warmer climates explain how many states experience colder months as the seasons shift from one to another.
Show pictures of changes the occur outside i.e how the leaves change colors and fall off the trees during the season of autumn.
For older children, ask them what they know and can tell you.
Another book idea may be the pop-up book, “Leaves: An Autumn Pop -Up Book”, written by Yoojin Kim for younger kids.
If working with older children and teaching about leaves, you can read the book, “Awesome Autumn”, written by Bruce Goldstone.
* Reading any book that sparks discussion of autumn is beneficial.
Especially for younger ones, picture books provide visual understanding of the changes that occur in outside environments when the seasons change.
However, you could simply do the craft portion of this activity without the book intro.
4. Now for the fun part!
Hand your child the small paper/ plastic bag and go outside.
Walk around with your child and tell him/her to start collecting really unique, special, or interesting looking leaves.
*If doing this at school, the students could just independently run around the school playground area collecting leaves.
5. Once a good amount of leaves have been collected, head inside. Have your child lay out the leaves.
6. This would be a great time to talk about what your child observed while searching for leaves.
How do the leaves look? How are they the same or different?
How far you take this discussion depends on the age of the child.
7. Now its time to create a leaf character!
Discuss how the collected leaves will be used for the body, arms, hand, legs, feet, etc.
At this point you may need to guide some ideas & promote imagination by moving and shifting leaves around to look like a character.
8.Once it looks as though a character is created have your child start gluing the leaves down.
*SIDENOTE – If gluing at home, it is easier to have the adult use a hot glue gun to help the leaves stay in place.
If doing at school, kids should use liquid glue.
Once finished, place a text book on top of the picture to help leaves flatten and stay in place.
9.The final step is to glue on some googly eyes and a smiley face.
If inclined or working with older children, have the child create a background for the leaf character.
Children could also create more than one leaf character.
Enhance this activity at home or in the classroom by heading to my Etsy shop for a Fall Scavenger Hunt printable!
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