Classic Fall Crafts for Children

For some reason, around fall each year people start decorating their homes. First for Halloween, then for Thanksgiving and shortly thereafter for the holiday season. Enlisting your children to help with creating decorations for your home is not only a great way for them to spend time, but the things they make will be keepsakes that can be used year after year.

The classic hand print wreath is an excellent fall craft for children. This craft can be made using your choice of several different crafting mediums. Felt is excellent, because it is durable and colored foam sheets work well for the same reason. Either of these materials is an excellent choice if you are looking to have your child's craft last from year to year. If you are just looking for a quick craft, construction paper can also be used for the hands of the wreath. To make this craft you will have your child make a stencil of their hand by tracing it on a piece of cardboard. Then they will use the hand stencil to create a bunch of hands in different colors on your chosen crafting medium. They will then cut out all the hands and glue them in a circle with the fingers facing out. When the wreath is dry you can use string to create a loop to attach for hanging the wreath.

Another classic fall craft for children is the Indian corn fashioned from construction paper and tissue paper. Of course, to make this craft more durable and increase its longevity you can opt to use foam in place of the construction paper. To get this craft started you will want to first create two patterns, one will be shaped like a leaf and the other an ear of corn. The children will use these patterns to create two leaves and one ear of corn out of green and yellow foam. They will glue each leaf opposite the other fanning out on an angle at the bottom of the corn. After they have attached the leaves, they will wad up two inch by two inch sections of colored tissue paper and glue them to to the corn stalk until it is completely covered. To finalize this craft you will attach a piece of looped string or ribbon for hanging.

Having your children collect leaves and create crafts from leaf rubbings is another classic fall craft. For a Thanksgiving craft, have your children create note cards from their leaf rubbings for your guest. Inside the card they can list why they are thankful for that guest. You can then place the finished product at the place setting of your guest so they get it as they are sitting down to enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner. Making leaf rubbings is very simple. Collect leaves with your children. Then on a covered work space have them use finger paints or poster paints to paint the leaf of their choice on the veined side of the leaf. While they are painting their leaves you can fold paper or card stock in to halves. When their leaf is covered with paint, they place it paint side down carefully on the front of the card. Make sure they press the leaf down firmly so the impression of the leaf is created, but remind them to take their time so they don't smear it.

Fall is a great time of year to craft with your children. All the festivities, holidays and the beauty of the season inspire a wealth of crafting ideas. Fall crafts can be relatively inexpensive. Most of the time they can be made from things that you have lying around your home. When the crafting is done your kids will really feel proud that their work is decorating your home for all your guest to see.