As the trees turn gold, amber and red, autumn hands us a free craft cupboard right outside the door. Once the leaves start to fall, they’re the perfect starting point for some fun, seasonal projects with the kids — and most of these ideas need little more than what you already have at home.
These leaf craft ideas are ideal for rainy days and need just a few craft essentials. The colour and shape of the leaves are the star of the show in every idea here, so keep an eye out for the brightest reds, ambers and golds to bring your projects to life.
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Fun Leaf Craft Ideas
Leaf Painting
Image: Simple Fun For Kids
Leaf painting is as simple as it sounds, and it’s perfect for even the youngest toddler. Simple Fun For Kids shows just how easy it is for little hands. Let the kids loose with a few colours and see what patterns and designs they come up with.
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Hammered Leaf Prints
Image: Build Make Create Bake
With just a hammer, some leaves and paper, you can create a really striking piece of artwork. The hammering releases the natural dye from the leaves onto the paper below.
Make a colourful collage of leaf prints, or use the technique to create handmade cards to send to friends and family. Build Make Create Bake has a clear step-by-step that makes us want to go out and gather leaves right now.
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Leaf Rubbing
Image: Mama Papa Bubba
One of the most familiar leaf crafts is leaf rubbing. All you need are leaves, crayons and paper. Different leaves have different textures, which make interesting patterns on their own or layered together, like in this lovely version from Mama.Papa.Bubba.
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Leaf Characters
Image: My Owl Barn
We love these adorable painted leaf owls from My Owl Barn. Create your own little family of owls using different shaped leaves and a mix of paint and markers.
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Leaf Prints
Image: Kleas
Leaf prints are a classic art activity that leaves plenty of room for creative flair. Bright colours and varying leaf shapes make a real impact, just like this one from Kleas.
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Leaf Paper Lanterns
Image: Red Ted Art
These lanterns are fun to make and lovely for brightening up darker autumn evenings. All you need are leaves, greaseproof paper, some cardboard for structure, and glue or a stapler. Red Ted Art’s top tip is to use plenty of smaller leaves rather than large ones.
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Leaf Silhouettes
Image: Artsy Momma
We’ve seen what painting with leaves can do — now let’s look at painting around them to create a silhouette. Artsy Momma shows how, using fingerprint painting to build a background around leaf outlines. The result is gorgeous.
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Leaf Animals
Top left: Krokotak; top right: iCreativeIdeas; bottom left and right: Crafty Morning
The colours, shapes and textures of leaves can become anything from a butterfly’s wings to a lion’s mane, or be layered to look like feathers or fish scales. We love these leaf animal ideas.
Clockwise from top left: Krokotak’s hedgehog, made with dried leaves, is a great rainy-day activity. iCreativeIdeas uses a variety of different sized and coloured leaves to build a fantastic underwater scene. Even young toddlers will enjoy making a friendly lion, like this one from Crafty Morning, who also created this leaf turkey — a great way to put autumn colours to use.
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Leaf Bowl
Image: To Simply Inspire
What a fun idea! Check out what To Simply Inspire created using leaves, glue and a balloon — this would make lovely seasonal decor.
For another colourful, fun and easy alternative, try this button bowl.
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Leaf Canvas Prints
Image: HGTV
Use leaves and foliage of different shapes and sizes to create your own wall art with this technique from HGTV. Vary the colours, spray strength and layout to build a whole series of canvas prints.
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Glass Leaf Lanterns
Image: Spark & Chemistry
Spark & Chemistry has a great step-by-step for these gorgeous glass jar lanterns, which use the natural colours of the leaves, some twine and candlelight to create a warm glow.
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Leafy Pumpkins
Image: The Sweet Escape
Looking for something a little different to do with your pumpkins? Try this decorated version from The Sweet Escape. We love the contrast between the white-painted pumpkin and the autumn leaves.
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Have your say! Which of these leaf craft ideas is your favourite? Leave a comment below and let us know — we’d love to hear from you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age are these leaf crafts suitable for?
Most of these ideas suit a wide range of ages. Leaf painting and rubbing are gentle enough for toddlers and preschoolers, while hammered prints, canvas art and glass lanterns are better handled with an adult helping, especially with hammers, spray or glass.
Do I need special craft supplies?
No — most of these projects use things you probably already have at home: paper, crayons, paint, glue and a few leaves gathered on a walk. A handful of ideas call for extras like a hammer, a balloon, greaseproof paper or a mason jar.
What’s the best way to collect good leaves for crafting?
Look for a mix of colours, shapes and sizes on a dry day, as slightly dried leaves are often easier to work with for pressing and printing. Freshly fallen leaves in good condition tend to give the clearest, brightest results.
Can these crafts be done indoors on a rainy day?
Yes — that’s exactly what they’re designed for. Gather your leaves in advance (even a short dash outside will do), then bring everything indoors to craft at the kitchen table.
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Save These Ideas for Later
Loved these leaf craft ideas? Bookmark this page or share it with a friend so you’ve got a ready list of rainy-day activities the next time the kids need something creative to do with all those fallen leaves.
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