Fun Fall Art Projects for Kids

Changing leaves, pumpkins and apple cider are all cozy remnants of Fall. There are many fun ways to reinforce the concept of Fall with your kids through art projects at home.

Below are four ideas, each of which are simple to prepare for, but packed with tons of fun and learning for your kids. These activities are great for toddlers and up—Of course, you are the best judge of what is appropriate for your kids. Each activity will also help strengthen fine motor skills—later helping your kids as they learn to do things like cut with scissors and write. Your kids will have fun exploring, learning and creating all at the same time!

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Activity #1: Apple PrintsI love to eat apples, especially in the Fall when it’s apple season. Did you know that they also make great stamps for art projects too?

For this project…Cut an apple in half, take out the seeds, get some paint and then your kids can have fun making stamping apples!

My son enjoyed it and your kids probably will too!

You can also cut out some stems and let your child glue them on. That’s it—SO simple, but so much fun for little ones!!

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Activity #2: Window Finger-Painting with a Ziploc

I have seen this activity all over Pinterest and finally got around to trying it with my son.

You will need some finger-paint {I choose Fall colors, since that’s the theme}, a gallon size Ziploc bag and some masking tape.

Add the finger-paint to the Ziploc bag and seal it tightly. Then tape the bag securely to a window or sliding glass door at your child’s level.

Let your kids explore!

They can even practice writing letters or drawing shapes…

Or use different tools like a roller. Another simple, yet super fun activity for kids. It’s one of my son’s new favorite activities!

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Activity # 3: Autumn-Scented Play Dough

Play Dough—Most kids enjoy this squishy dough, and this fun recipe will fill your home with festive Fall scents. There is an Apple-Cinnamon version and a Pumpkin-Spice version.

==>> CLICK HERE for the recipe!

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Activity #4: Colored Pasta Trees

Once of the prettiest things about Fall is watching all the leaves change colors. This craft is a great way to enforce that concept with your children. It uses colored pasta to represent leaves.

Start by using construction paper to make tree. Glue the cut-out to another sheet of construction paper.

Then you will need some colored pasta.  CLICK HERE for directions on how to make colored pasta. You can use any shape of pasta, and I chose fall leaf colors for this project.

Now your kids can have fun gluing down pasta {leaves}!

My son’s finished tree!

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I hope you enjoy doing these Fall-Inspired art projects with your kids, as much as I did with my son!

(C) 2013 Pocketful of Motherhood

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{DIY} Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

Cooler Fall weather can mean drier skin, so what better time for a sugar scrub! This Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub is perfect for this time of the season. Your skin will love this simple-to-make, cozy-scented scrub . My hands were SO soft and smelled wonderful after I used it!

You will need…

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 Cup Safflower Oil

 Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then add the safflower oil.

The mixture should be crumbly, yet moist. If you want a wetter consistency, add a little more oil.

Package the mixture in a jar with a tight seal. Mason jars work well.

Be as creative as you like and add some final decorative touches. Put it by your kitchen or bathroom sink, and use it any time your hands need some pampering.

It’s a fun gift too!

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Looking for more sugar scrub ideas? Check-out the Sugar Scrubs Page!!

(C) 2013 Pocketful of Motherhood

{DIY} Autumn Scented Play Dough

My preschool teaching days introduced me to the world of homemade play dough and I’m glad they did. It’s inexpensive, easy to make and lasts longer than the store bought stuff when made right. Like many kids, my 2-year old is a fan of the soft-squishy-colorful dough. So with the beginning of fall just underway, I thought it would be fun to make a batch of some autumn scented play dough. Kool-Aid play dough is my go-to homemade play dough recipe, but I used a slightly different recipe this time since I wanted to create specific fall-like scents.

The result…

Apple-Cinnamon Play Dough and Pumpkin-Spice Play Dough {don’t they sound festive?!}

I recently saw a play dough recipe where someone used their Kitchen Aid to mix the dough. I fully embrace any opportunity to use my Kitchen Aid, so I tried it and it worked great. No need to worry though…if you don’t have one, a sturdy wooden spoon and a little stirring will do the trick.

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Homemade Play Dough

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups flour

½ cup salt

1 tablespoon cream of tarter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

¾ cup water

Directions: Place the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl; Use a Kitchen Aid or something comparable if you have one. Heat the water in the microwave until it starts to boil; about 1 ½ – 2 minutes. Add the water and vegetable oil to the dry mixture. Turn on the mixer to a low speed and let it mix until well combined. If you don’t have a mixer, you can stir everything by hand with a wooden spoon. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour until reaching a dough-like consistency. Take it out of the bowl and knead it on a clean countertop for a minute so that it’s nice and soft. Store the play dough in an airtight container when it’s not being used. It will keep for several months and you can increase the shelf- life by storing it in the fridge.

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Apple-Cinnamon Play Dough: Add several drops of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to the mixture while it’s mixing.

Pumpkin-Spice Play Dough: Add several drops of orange food coloring and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice to the mixture while it’s mixing. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you can make your own. Just combine equal parts of cinnamon, allspice, ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg.

{PRINT RECIPE}

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Your kids will love this stuff and it will make your home smell just like Fall!!

(C) 2013 Pocketful of Motherhood, All Rights Reserved