Fun and Easy Fall Preschool Art Activities

Enjoy these fun art projects for early childhood this autumn with your children or students.

Leaf Prints
Take advantage of autumn's falling leaves with this leaf print activity. Gather a basketful of leaves with your students. Encourage them to find different leaves of different shapes. The preschoolers will enjoy the scavenger hunt for different sizes, types, and shapes of leaves.

Give each child a large piece of thick art paper. Pour a small amount of non-toxic washable paint onto different paper plates. Colors should be fall colors like reds, orange, browns, and yellows. Use a plastic knife to spread the paint thinly on the plates. Give each child a plate. As the art project progresses, switch colors between students.

Have the children press the leaves flat into the paint. When one side of the leaf is covered in paint, have them press the leaf onto the paper. Encourage the students to cover the page with different leaves of different colors, shapes, and sizes. If necessary, provide several sheets of art paper for the students. Sometimes little ones will fill up several sheets with their colorful art prints.

When they finish and the paint has dried, decorate your home or bulletin board with their creative artwork. You can also experiment with other fall items, like apples or small pumpkins (sliced in half).

An Autumn Family Tree
The Autumn Family tree is a quick and easy project that is a great filler during the school day. Draw different types of leaves onto art paper in fall colors. Cut at least five or six leaves per child. Give each child a large piece of white or cream paper and a brown crayon or marker. Have them draw a tree with branches onto the paper. If drawing a tree is beyond the skill of your students, then you can also prep the trees ahead of time and have the students color the tree.

Once they have finished their tree, ask them how many people are in their family. Do not be surprised if a favorite pet or their imaginary friend ends up in their family. Give them one leaf per family member and have them draw a picture of their family member. Have an assistant help you write the names of the family members onto each leaf.

Use glue sticks to glue the leaves onto the tree. Children three and up should be able to glue their own leaves onto the tree with only a little bit of help. Write the child's name on the bottom of the tree. Encourage the children to show off their family trees to their family or display them all on your bulletin board.