Try any of these autumn nature crafts for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and kids of all ages at home or in the classroom! (First published September 26, 2015; this post is updated and republished to improve the content.)
Here’s a list of fall nature crafts for kids and adults! Autumn is one of the best times of the year to make nature crafts with natural treasures and supplies found in the great outdoors. There are always unique natural items such as acorns, fall leaves, pinecones, walnuts, and other nuts and seeds that children (and adults) can use to make nature arts and crafts of all kinds.
This makes autumn a great time of year to enjoy nature crafts and outdoor learning activities with children at home and in the classroom. This list of fall nature crafts and art ideas is by the type of natural material used to make the autumn nature crafts or the animal that the craft is made into.
First published in the fall of 2015, this list of autumn nature crafts is updated every year and now includes much more than the top ten fall nature craft ideas it began with. Scroll down to see each nature craft project idea. You may also enjoy this list of Fall Art Projects for Kids.
Related: Nature Crafts and Nature Art Activities Made with Natural Materials
Adorable Autumn Nature Crafts For Kids and Adults
Crafting with nature’s treasures in the fall, also known as autumn, brings a special charm to creative endeavors. During this season, several natural materials, including colorful leaves, acorns, pinecones, and dried seed pods, become readily available.
These autumnal elements can be transformed into crafts, from wreaths and centerpieces to leaf-pressed artwork and decorative garlands. The rich, warm colors of fall leaves, ranging from deep reds and oranges to golden yellows, provide a stunning palette for artistic projects.
Crafting with these seasonal treasures allows for unique and festive decor. It can also help children and adults deepen their connection to the changing environment, as the falling leaves and cooler temperatures signal the transition into the cozy and contemplative fall season.
Use the natural materials you find to make any of the fun fall crafts for kids from the list below. We have divided this collection of fall craft ideas into categories with the natural fall material used to make each nature craft idea. It is followed by a list of cute autumn animal crafts commonly made in the fall that you can make with natural materials.
Some crafts fit into more than one category below. An example would be a Turkey made out of leaves or owls made out of pinecones. Click on the creator of autumn nature craft to see the instructions for each fall nature craft project.
Related: 11 Ways to Celebrate the Fall Autumnal Equinox
Related: Fall Nature Table
Fall Nature Crafts for Kids from Toddlers to Teens
We have placed this round-up of fall crafts for kids into categories based on the primary type of natural material that is used to make the nature craft followed by a few fall animal crafts made with nature’s treasures.
This lovely collection of fall nature crafts is also listed in alphabetical order to make it easy to find the type of fall nature craft that you would like to make. In other words, Acorn Crafts are listed first followed by Apple Crafts, Helicopter Seed Crafts, Autumn Leaf Crafts, etc. Happy fall crafting!
Acorn Crafts for Kids and Adults
Acorns and acorn caps are a fun natural material for fall crafts and can often be found on the ground near oak trees by the thousands in the autumn. Nature crafts made with acorns and acorn caps always turn out great.
Before using acorns to make crafts, make sure that you clean them and bake them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours. Then try any of the fun ways to craft with acorns from the list of easy craft ideas below.
- DIY Acorn Peg Dolls | Rhythms of Play
- Rustic Acorn Marble Ornaments | Rhythms of Play
- Felted Pom Pom Acorns | Adventure in a Box
- Acorn Frame | Crafts by Amanda
- Stick and Acorn Men | The Magic Onions
- Acorn Wreath for Kids | Craftulate
- Fall Wreath with Acorns | Tried & True
- Acorn Garland | The Magic Onions
- How to Paint Acorns for Fall | Mod Podge Rocks
- Acorn Wall Hanging | Table and Hearth
- Floating acorn candles | The Gunny Sack
- Acorn Squirrel Craft | Little Stuff
- Squirrel Acorn Craft | Toys in the Dryer
- Acorn Marble Necklaces | Rhythms of Play (Photo below)
Apple Crafts Made with Nature
Apple crafts are fun to make for back-to-school and autumn harvest. Most of these autumn nature crafts use real apples, while the last two require natural materials to make crafts that look like apples. You may also like this Apple Button Tree Craft for Kids. For more apple arts and apple craft ideas, have a look at this round-up of fall art projects for kids.
- Apple Hedgehog Crafts | Rhythms of Play
- Dehydrated Apple Art | Brainy Beginnings
- Leaf, Nut, and Apple Wind Catcher Mobile | Fun Family Crafts
- How to Craft a Clove Apple Pomander | Crafting a Green World
- Pinecone Apples | Fireflies & Mudpies
- Oak Apple Nature Craft | Rhythms of Play (Photo Below)
Helicopter Seed Crafts
These helicopter seed crafts are amazing. Helicopter seeds spin and swirl to the ground when they are dropped and are commonly found on sycamore, ash, and maple trees. The helicopter seed nature craft ideas found below are gorgeous and simple ways to use natural materials to create fall crafts.
- Helicopter Seed Craft – Wall Hanging | Zing Zing Tree
- Autumn Woodland Treasures Sculpture | Filth Wizardry (Photo below)
Related: 10 Ways to Have Fun Outside with Fall Leaves
Leaf Art: Autumn Leaf Art Ideas
There are so many fun autumn leaf arts and crafts you can try in the fall made with real fall leaves that we had to separate them into fall leaf art (on the list below) and autumn leaf crafts (in the next section).
- Autumn Leaf Mandala | Rhythms of Play
- Watercolor and Fall Leaf Art | Rhythms of Play
- Invitation to Create Fall Leaves Art | Rhythms of Play
- Art Embossed Fall Leaves Crafts | Mother Natured
- Leaf Prints | from Edventures with Kids
- Fall Leaf Fish in the Sea Nature Craft Art | Rhythms of Play
- Fall Leaf Baby Craft on Watercolor | Rhythms of Play (Photo below)
Leaf Crafts: Nature Crafts to Make with Fall Leaves
Fall Leaf crafts abound in the fall and make wonderful autumn nature crafts. There are so many amazing things you can make with autumn leaves. Check out the amazing collection of fall nature crafts using autumn leaves below!
- Collect, Press, and Preserve Fall Leaves | Rhythms of Play
- Fall Leaf Crowns and Tiaras | Rhythms of Play
- Leaf Lantern Craft | Rhythms of Play
- Heart Leaf Lanterns | Rhythms of Play
- Superhero and Animal Fall Leaf Masks | BabyCCino
- Leaf Fairies | Mother Natured
- Real Fall Leaf Garland | Swoodson Says
- Fabulous Fall Leaf Craft Collage | Happy Hooligans
- Easy Autumn Tree Craft with Fall Leaves | Crafts on Sea
- Fall Leaf Finger Puppets | Crafts by Amanda
- Painted Leaf Monsters | Messy Little Monster
- Nature Portraits | Adventure in a Box
- Thankful Tree with Preserved Fall Gratitude Leaves | Rhythms of Play
- Fall Leaf Sewing with DIY Lacing Cards (Beginning Sewing Project for Kids) | Rhythms of Play (Photo Below)
Fall Leaf Lacing Beginning Sewing Project for Kids
Pinecone Crafts
Crafts made with pinecones are fun to make as the temperatures begin to drop along with the pinecones. They make excellent fall nature craft materials for the autumn and winter months.
Like acorns, it is best to clean and bake pinecones found in nature before making crafts with them. Clean pinecones and bake them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours. Next, choose a few fun pinecone craft ideas on the list below!
- Autumn Pinecone Fairies | The Magic Onions
- Pinecone Spiders Halloween Craft for Kids | Fireflies & Mudpies
- Cute Pinecone Fall Tree | The Pinterested Parent
- Pinecone Owls | Crafts by Amanda
- Cute Pinecone Pets | Blue Bear Wood
- Pinecone Bats | Fireflies and Mudpies
- Easy Pinecone Turkeys | Easy Peasy and Fun
- Pinecone Wreath Craft | A Piece of Rainbow
- How to Make a Pinecone Garland | The Magic Onions
- Colorful Pinecone Fairies | Red Ted Art
- Pinecone Roses | Creative Green Living
- Rosebud Pinecone Card | Rhythms of Play
- Rhinestone Pinecone Nature Craft | Rhythms of Play
Pumpkin Carving and No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas
Because Halloween occurs in the fall, most everyone makes a few pumpkin crafts and does some pumpkin carving or no-carve pumpkin decorating. We have found some fun original fall nature craft ideas using pumpkins, including pumpkin carving and decorating ideas and a simple pumpkin carving hack to make pumpkin carving easy!
- Best Ever Pumpkin Carving Tip | Happy Hooligans
- Over 700 Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils | Spaceships and Laserbeams
- Faux No Carve Jack O’ Lantern | Non-Toy Gifts
- Melted Crayon Pumpkin Craft | Color Made Happy
- Googly-Eyed Pupkin | She Wears Many Hats
- Spider Web Pumpkin | Woman’s Day
- Squeeze Paint Pumpkin Art | Hello, Wonderful!
- Photo Pumpkin | Sugar and Charm
- Chalkboard Pumpkins | Sunny Day Family
- Little House in a Pumpkin | Adventure in a Box (Photo Below)
Related: Outdoor Learning Activities and Nature Activities for Kids
Walnut Shell Crafts
Use walnut shells for crafts! Try any of these cute ideas to make walnut crafts with your children at home or in the classroom. But first, learn how to crack a walnut open into perfect halves you can use for walnut shell nature crafts HERE–>How to Crack Walnuts for Crafts.
- Racing Walnut Mice | Red Ted Art
- Walnut Shell Turtles | No Time for Flashcards
- Easy Walnut Shell Animals | BabyCCino
Another fun idea is to use a walnut shell to create a manger for baby Jesus. Check out our walnut shell manger ornament to learn how (photo below). Or, try this easy walnut shell craft in this easy nativity scene tutorial.
Fall Wreaths made from Natural Materials
There are several unique ways to craft a fall wreath with natural materials such as leaves, acorns, pinecones, etc. Learn how to make an acorn wreath with the list of Acorn Craft ideas above, a pinecone wreath listed in Pinecone Crafts, and a few more easy fall wreath ideas below.
- Fall Wreath with Acorns | Tried & True
- Easy Fall Wreath with Autumn Leaves | What We Do All Day
- Fall Wreath for Kids | Mommy’s Bundle
- Make an Autumn Wreath | The Magic Onions (Photo Below)
Related: Shell Daisy Nature Craft
Awesome Autumn Animals: Cute Fall Animal Crafts Made with Natural Materials
This collection of fall animal crafts is filled with cute autumn animal crafts that can be made with natural materials and a few other creative craft supplies.
Autumn Owl Craft Ideas
Fall owl crafts are cute nature crafts for kids. Below are a few cute fall owls you can make with natural materials.
- Bark Owl Craft | Fireflies & Mudpies
- Pinecone Owls | Fireflies & Mudpies
- Owl Pinecone Craft | Meaningful Mama
- Walnut Owls | Red Ted Art
- Stone and Shell Owl Craft | Rhythms of Play (Photo below)
Autumn Turkey Fall Nature Crafts
Because Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US and Canada in the Fall, it is fun to make turkey nature crafts! Try the turkey fall nature crafts below and add some nature crafts to your DIY Thanksgiving home decor!
- Pinecone Turkeys | A Pumpkin and a Princess
- Turkey Leaf Nature Crafts | Rhythms of Play
- Pumpkin Turkeys | The Chaos and the Clutter
- Turkey Leaf Lanterns | Rhythms of Play (photo below)
The Best Fall Nature Crafts for Kids and Teens
We hope you enjoyed this extraordinary collection of fall nature crafts for kids of all ages. Autumn is one of the best times of year to make nature crafts. So many unique natural treasures are waiting to be found in the autumn and made into something beautiful.
Go fall foraging for a few of nature’s treasures you can use to make autumn nature crafts. Encourage the kids to get outside on a nature hunt to collect some natural materials for fall nature crafts today!
You may also like this fantastic collection of Nature Crafts and Art Activities, and Nature Activities. Click on the links to learn more!
For even more fall fun, don’t forget to check out our autumn bucket list filled with fall activities for kids and adults!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Fall Art and Craft Ideas for Kids and Teens
- Autumn Tree Collage for Kids
- How to Sew a Button Apple Tree
- Button Apple Tree Craft
- Fall Leaf Watercolor Art
- The Best Fall Art Projects for Kids and Teens
More Fun Fall Activities
- Fall Bucket List of Fun Fall Activities for Kids
- How to Make a Fall Nature Table
- Sensory Card Nature Scavenger Hunt
- 11 Ways to Celebrate the Fall Autumnal Equinox
- Nature-Inspired Sensory Bottles
- 20 Thanksgiving Traditions and Fun Things to Do on Thanksgiving
So many adorable ideas! Wondering if there will be enough time this fall to try them all, lol!
Thanks. There is no need to do them all 🙂 Just pick your favorites and do one at a time. You can always do more next year.
I love the idea of Helping kids bring nature inside the home. These crafts are amazing!
Thank you, Jenitha! I’m so glad you liked this collection of nature crafts for children and adults!
Hello, can I use and translate your content on my site and publish it on my site with a source from your site?
No, Sharifi, you can not translate my content and publish it. That would be a violation of Copywrite laws.