5 Autumn Craft Ideas for Preschoolers

Check out these five adorable autumn crafts for preschoolers. Use them with your seasonal weekly themed units or try them out for your class Halloween party or harvest celebration. These activities are easy, cute, and perfect for fall!

Make a cute and creepy Halloween spider using a pine cone and a few craft supplies.

Here’s what you will need:

• ✅ Pine cone
• ✅ Pipe cleaners (brown or black)
• ✅ Googly eyes
• ✅ Glue
• ✅ Scissors

Here’s what to do:

1. Cut 4 brown or black pipe cleaners in half. You should have 8 equal pieces.
2. Bend each of the 8 pipe cleaner pieces into the shape of “spider legs.”
3. Glue the pipe cleaner “spider legs” onto either side of the pine cone, 4 on each side.
4. Finally, glue a pair of googly eyes onto your Halloween spider.
5. Place the cute and creepy critters all around your classroom for some spooky Halloween décor!

This friendly scarecrow will be a festive companion for your classroom harvest party.

Here’s what you will need:

• ✅ Paper plate
• ✅ Construction paper (brown, red, orange, and yellow)
• ✅ Black marker
• ✅ Googly eyes
• ✅ Natural raffia
• ✅ Yarn (black, brown, red, orange, or yellow)
• ✅ Artificial maple leaves
• ✅ Glue
• ✅ Scissors

Here’s what to do:

1. Cut out a large triangle from a piece of red, orange, or yellow construction paper.
2. Then cut out a long rectangular “strap” and glue it onto the triangle hat.
3. Add a few maple leaves with a dab of glue.
4. Next, cut out a small triangle from a piece of orange construction paper and 2 small circles from a piece of red construction paper.
5. Glue the shapes onto the paper plate for a “nose” and “cheeks.”
6. Now glue a pair of googly eyes onto the paper plate.
7. Complete the scarecrow’s face by drawing a “smile” with a black marker.
8. Glue a little natural raffia “hair” to the top and sides of the paper plate. Then glue the hat in place on top of the hair.
9. Cut a small string of yarn, tie it into a bowtie, and glue it to the base of the paper plate.
10. Cut another string of yarn, glue it to the point of the hat, and use it to hang up your friendly scarecrow for some seasonal décor!

Save those empty toilet paper rolls and use them to make sweet and spooky baby bats for Halloween!

Here’s what you will need:

• ✅ Empty toilet paper roll
• ✅ Craft paint (black or brown) and paintbrush
• ✅ Construction paper (black or brown)
• ✅ Pipe cleaners (brown or black)
• ✅ Scissors
• ✅ Glue
• ✅ Googly eyes
• ✅ Single hole punch
• ✅ Marker (black or silver)

Here’s what to do:

1. Paint the cardboard roll black or brown, depending on what color bat you’d like to make. Set aside to dry.
2. Draw some bat wings onto black or brown construction paper and cut them out. You can find a bat wing template online to make this step easier.
3. Glue the bat wings onto the cardboard roll.
4. Cut out tiny triangle “bat ears” from construction paper and glue them onto one end of the cardboard roll.
5. Glue googly eyes onto the cardboard roll and use a black or silver marker to draw a mouth.
6. Punch two holes in the bottom of the cardboard roll to make room for the legs.
7. Cut a black or brown pipe cleaner in half. Twist each half of the pipe cleaner into the holes to make “bat legs.”
8. Snip off the last inch or so of the pipe cleaner “legs” to make “feet.” Twist the one-inch segment of pipe cleaner around the bottom of each leg. Bend the middle part of the foot to make a hook from which to hang the baby bat. Hang the baby bats around your learning center for some spooky seasonal fun!

Create a cozy atmosphere in your home or classroom with these adorable mason jar leaf lanterns.

Here’s what you will need:

• ✅ Mason jar
• ✅ Mod Podge
• ✅ Paint brush
• ✅ Leaves (real or artificial)
• ✅ Flameless, battery-operated tea candles

Here’s what to do:

1. Paint a base layer of Mod Podge over the entire outside of the mason jar.
2. Place real or artificial fall leaves all over the outside of the jar. Press down on the leaves to get them to stick to the glue as much as possible. Don’t worry if the edges don’t stick well; focus on the center of each leaf. Allow the first layer of glue to dry completely.
3. Add a second layer of glue over the top of the leaves. This time, make sure the edges of the leaves stick to the jar completely. Allow the glue to dry, then add a tea candle and watch your autumn leaves mason jar glow!

This super easy and attractive Indian corn craft is perfect for little ones to make in honor of a harvest celebration or Thanksgiving!

Here’s what you will need:

• ✅ Pipe cleaners (brown or tan)
• ✅ Plastic pony beads (red, orange, yellow, white, brown, and purple)

Here’s what to do:

1. Take 4 pipe cleaners, line them up, and twist them together in the middle.
2. Space out each pipe cleaner so all of them together make the shape of a star.
3. Thread pony beads onto each pipe cleaner, leaving about an inch or so of space at the end.
4. Carefully bend all the pipe cleaners in the same direction and gather the open ends together.
5. Finally, twist the tops of the pipe cleaners together to form the “corn husks.” Leave a little bit of each pipe cleaner free and fan them out. String together all of the Indian corns into a garland or place them into a bowl for a seasonal tabletop decoration.