7 Fall Art Projects For Kids That Parents Can Enjoy Too

There’s something about fall that practically begs you to get creative. The crisp air, the changing leaves, the pumpkins on every doorstep. It’s the perfect backdrop for slowing down and making something together. And the best part? Fall art doesn’t have to be complicated or messy to be meaningful.

Whether you’re a homeschool parent looking to fill an afternoon or a teacher planning a seasonal lesson, these fall art projects are simple enough for little hands but rich enough to actually teach something. So grab your supplies (and maybe a cup of something warm), because here are 7 fall art projects your kids will love, and you might just enjoy them too.

1. Fall Handprint Tree

Get in the fall spirit with an easy handprint tree craft. Whether you’re trying this craft in the classroom or at home, it teaches kids symmetry, encourages creativity, and helps develop fine motor skills. Best of all, it’s a fun keepsake that captures little hands while celebrating the beauty of the autumn season.

First, gather these supplies: 

• Autumn-colored tissue paper
• Brown construction paper
• White cardstock
• Glue
• Water
• Small container
• Paintbrush
• Scissors

Next, follow these steps to make this easy fall art project: 

1. Trace your child’s hand on the brown construction paper and cut it out.
2. Glue the cutout to the cardstock, and you have a tree stump.
3. For the leaves, rip or cut the tissue paper into small pieces. 
4. Mix the glue and water, then paint the top of the tree stump before placing the leaves.
5. Place the leaves on the top of the tree stump and on the “ground” so that they look as if they’ve fallen, and paint over them once more with the glue and water mixture. 

Now you have a keepsake to hang in your home for the fall time, and a child who has practiced motor skills and creative thinking. 

2. Draw What You See

Fall is a feast for the eyes, which makes it the perfect season to teach kids the art of observation. “Draw what you see” is exactly what it sounds like: instead of drawing from imagination, your child looks closely at a real object and tries to capture it on paper. It’s one of the simplest ways to build the foundational skills every great artist relies on.

Head outside for a walk and have your child collect a few fall treasures, such as an acorn, a pinecone, a colorful leaf, or a small gourd. Then set them up at the table with paper and a pencil and let them study their subject before they start. Encourage them to notice the little details: How many points does that leaf have? Is the acorn perfectly round or a little lopsided? What shapes do you see hiding inside the pinecone?

This fall art project for kids teaches them to slow down and really look, which is a skill that carries over into so much more than art. You can even have them take out a piece of paper and sketch what they see to practice their drawing skills. 

If your child or student needs some extra guidance, the Great Artist Program (GAP) offers multiple free follow-along drawing guides on YouTube. Choose an animal-focused tutorial and teach kids line, shape, and proportion along the way.

3. Literature-Inspired Art

Fall is cozy reading season, so why not turn a favorite book into an art project? Pairing literature with art is a powerful way to deepen your child’s creativity while strengthening reading comprehension. After finishing a seasonal story, invite your child to illustrate their favorite scene, design a new book cover, or draw a character as they picture it.

Think of autumn classics like Leaf Man, The Leaf Thief, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, or any story that captures the spirit of the season. As your child creates, they’re not just drawing; they’re processing the story, making creative decisions, and connecting visually with what they read.

For a more guided approach, the Great Artist Program offers an Art + Literature package that pairs classic stories with meaningful art projects. The downloadable PDF includes 20 easy-to-teach lesson plans, guided drawings, book suggestions, and teaching tips for parents, making it easy to bring reading and art together with minimal planning on your part.

4. Painted Leaves

Sometimes the best art supplies are the ones you find on the ground. Painted leaves are a beautiful, low-prep project that turns an ordinary fall walk into a gallery-worthy craft. This fall art project helps kids explore color, texture, and composition while connecting them to the natural world right outside their door.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A handful of fresh, sturdy leaves (maple and oak work great)
• Acrylic or washable paint
• Paintbrushes
• A paper towel or newspaper to protect your surface

Once you’ve collected your leaves, let your child go wild. They can paint realistic autumn gradients that blend red into orange into yellow, cover a leaf in tiny patterns and dots, or even paint little faces and animals. Talk about the veins and shape of each leaf as they work, and how no two are exactly alike.

When they dry, these painted leaves make gorgeous decorations for the table, a window, or a homemade fall garland. It’s a simple reminder that art really is everywhere, if we take the time to look for it.

5. Painted Pumpkins

No fall art lineup would be complete without pumpkins. Painting them is a mess-friendlier alternative to carving (no sharp tools required), and it gives kids a fun 3D canvas to experiment with. This project is wonderful for developing creative decision-making skills, since a round pumpkin behaves very differently from a flat sheet of paper.

Grab the following items for this easy fall art project: 

• A few small pumpkins (real or the craft-store foam kind, both work)
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• Any extras you have on hand, like glitter, googly eyes, or markers

Then let your child’s imagination take the lead. They might turn their pumpkin into a friendly monster, a favorite animal, a galaxy of swirling colors, or a classic patterned design.

Encourage them to think about how the pumpkin’s shape affects their design and how the colors work together. It’s a hands-on lesson in composition disguised as pure fun, and the finished pumpkins double as the perfect seasonal decor for your porch or table.

6. Animal Drawings

Fall is when the natural world gets busy, with squirrels gathering acorns, birds migrating south, and woodland creatures preparing for the colder months. That makes it a great time to introduce animal drawings. Drawing animals helps young artists practice shape, symmetry, proportion, and texture, all while learning a little about the world around them.

Pick a few fall-friendly animals to focus on, like the acorn-obsessed squirrel from The Leaf Thief, a fox, a deer, or an owl. Have your child start by breaking the animal down into simple shapes (a circle for the head, an oval for the body) before adding the details like fur, feathers, and expression. This “build it from shapes” approach makes even tricky subjects feel doable for little artists. 

If you’d like some structure, the Great Artist Program’s Animals Around the World curriculum for kindergarteners offers guided instruction that helps kids build foundational skills like color blending, symmetry, and texture while exploring different habitats and creatures. It even features a classic fall animal, the North American Owl! It’s an easy-to-follow option, whether you want to sit down and create alongside your child or let the lessons guide them while you tackle a few things around the house.

7. Leaf Rubbings

We’ll end with a fall art project classic that never gets old: leaf rubbings. This simple process reveals the hidden structure of a leaf in a way that feels almost magical to kids. It’s art and science rolled into one, quietly training the eye to notice the intricate patterns that nature packs into every single leaf.

Here are the supplies you’ll need:

• A few flat, sturdy leaves with visible veins
• Thin paper (printer paper works well)
• Crayons with the wrappers peeled off
• A flat, hard surface

Follow these steps to create fun leaf rubbings with your child: 

1. Have your child place a leaf vein-side up under the paper.
2. Gently rub the side of a crayon over the top.
3. Slowly, the leaf’s shape and veins will appear.
4. Try different colored crayons, layer multiple leaves into a composition, or compare rubbings from different trees to see how much they vary.

For an extra challenge, older kids can arrange their rubbings into a field-guide-style page, labeling each leaf and noting where they found it. It’s a beautiful way to close out a fall art session with something that feels both artistic and a little scientific.

Make Fall Art Projects Easy and Enjoyable

Fall art doesn’t have to be elaborate or perfectly Pinterest-worthy to matter. With a few simple supplies and a willingness to get a little glue on your hands, you can create meaningful moments that build your child’s confidence, creativity, and skills, and give you both something to enjoy together as the leaves fall.

If you’re looking for more structure and support year-round, an online art curriculum like GAP’s homeschool art classes can make art feel easy and consistent, with guided lessons and step-by-step instruction so you don’t have to plan everything yourself. Try a free art lesson to see if it’s a good fit for your family, and keep the creativity going long after the fall leaves have dropped.