Four Fun Fall Crafts for Your Family
Fall is my favorite time of year. It’s a much-needed break from the Texas heat and a good time to kick off holiday crafts. Really, nothing says fun like little ones who are habitually careless with permanent paint and glue. That’s living on the edge, mommy style!
Here are four fun fall crafts (plus a bonus centerpiece idea!) for you and your family to try today.
1. Candy Corn Men
My daughter loves candy corn. When she’s older, she will probably wonder why she ever wasted the calories on it. In the meantime, I’ll use this craft to encourage her out-of-control sweet tooth.
Materials and Tools
- White cardstock or poster board
- Orange and yellow cardstock
- Googly eyes
- Cotton balls
- Pompom, small paper triangle, or actual candy corn for a nose (optional)
- Candy corn template
- Scissors
- Glue
- Tape
- Pencil
- Marker
Directions
- Trace or draw the candy corn shape as a whole on the white cardstock/poster board and cut.
- Cut out the middle and bottom stripes from the template.
- Trace the middle stripe on the orange cardstock and cut.
- Trace the bottom stripe on the yellow cardstock and cut.
- Paste stripes to the white candy-corn cutout.
- Cut two strips each of yellow and orange cardstock for the legs and arms. (We cut across the bottom for 8” x 1” strips.)
- Crinkle up the arms and legs accordion style and attach to the back with tape. (This makes repositioning the appendages easier. To contrast the candy corn stripes, we used yellow for the arms and orange for the legs.)
- Glue on cotton balls for the hands and feet.
- Embellish the face as desired. (I put my guy’s face on the orange stripe. My kids put theirs on the white. We used pompoms for the noses, but candy corns are even better.)
Feel free to make candy corn women, too. We’re equal-opportunity crafters in this house. I just can’t bring myself to spend more time on a candy corn woman’s appearance than my own. Yet, I did just that with the candy corn guy. Feel free to vary the project however you like. My candy corn owl is a hoot. Meaningful Mama introduced me to these cute men, so check out her site for more fall crafts.
2. Easy Fall Leaves
My son told my daughter, “I’m not coloring, Sissy! I’m markering.” This is definitely one of those fall crafts for those who prefer “markering.”
Materials and Tools
- Coffee filters
- Washable markers
- Leaf template (i.e., cookie cutter, actual leaf, or online printable)
- Spray bottle of water
- Any nonporous surface (e.g., cookie sheet, plastic tray, plastic wrap, and plate)
Directions
- “Marker,” color, or scribble on the coffee filter.
- Place the filter on your nonporous surface.
- Spray with water until completely (but not overly) wet and allow to dry. (My kids want to douse it!)
- Draw or trace the leaves onto the filters.
- Cut and display.
These leaves look awesome anywhere light can shine through them. This craft also makes those who think they’re too grown-up for crayons feel empowered.
3. Toilet Paper Roll Bats
Unlike some fall crafts, these bats didn’t end up in the landfill. My son and I are so batty for these bats that we keep adding to the colony.
Materials and Tools
- Toilet paper roll (A paper towel or wrapping paper roll can be used as well.)
- Black paint or black construction paper
- White paper
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Wing template (optional)
Directions
- Paint the outside of the toilet paper roll black and allow to dry. (A blow dryer can speed up the process. Wrapping the tube with construction paper and gluing it down is less messy. My kiddos prefer mess.)
- Draw and cut out wings. (Templates can be found online if you’d rather trace.)
- From the white paper, cut out two small triangles for the bat’s fangs.
- Once dry, flatten the tube longways.
- To make the ears, fold in the top on both sides and crease. Repeat on the other end for the feet. (In other words, close the holes.)
- Glue on the wings, fangs, and eyes.
With a hole punch and string, the bat can hang from a light fixture. Make a group of them to hang across a mantel. Fill them with treats to give to friends. However, for the love of all that’s sanitary, use a paper towel or wrapping paper roll instead.
4. Milk Jug Ghosts
Fall crafts really don’t get any easier than this. To keep the kids busy for a while, be sure to have several jugs on hand.
Materials and Tools
- Black Sharpie
- Washable marker
- Milk jug or water jug, clean and dry (We removed the stickers, too, but not necessary.)
- Scissors
- Battery-operated tealight, string of clear lights, or glowstick
- Masking tape
Directions
- Draw the outline of the ghost’s face with a washable marker first. (This way, you can wipe it off if you mess up.)
- Fill in your outline with a Sharpie.
- Cut a hole in the back for the kiddos.
- Adhere tape around the sharp edges to prevent possible boo-boos.
- Add a safe lighting element inside the jug.
Voila, instant ghost! Make a row of them for your porch or walkway to display on Halloween night. They look spooktacular.
Bonus: Succulent-topped Pumpkins
Create an easy centerpiece or unique gift that will last for 1-3 months. Make sure no one touches the hot-glue gun or adhesive while it's hot!
Materials and Tools
- pumpkin (preferably with a flat top)
- moss
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- assorted small succulents (real cuttings or artificial plants)
- gardening shears
Directions
- Trim the stem of the pumpkin if it is too long.
- Fluff up the moss, and then glue it in sections onto the top of the pumpkin (no need to cut into the pumpkin).
- Trim succulent stems to about 1/4" long using the gardening shears. Glue in sections to the moss. Note: if you're using real succulents, glue them down by the lower leaves, not the stem. The stems may form roots into the moss, allowing you to remove and plant the succulents when you are done with the centerpiece.
- Enjoy or share your creation! Discard when the pumpkin becomes soft.
Hopefully, these fun fall crafts get you as excited about fall as we are. I like watching my kids do things that are outside the box. One year, my son made Frankenstein’s monster with one eye and a spiky hairdo. To avoid stifling his creativity, I do my own craft. This keeps me from having him do things “my way” or “the right way” (whatever that is). I’m glad I found a way to get the control freak in me to mind her own business. Happy crafting, y’all!