From fallen leaves to conkers and sticks, autumn walks always turn up some brilliant free craft materials — and pine cones are one of the best. They’re free, they’re everywhere once the weather turns, and they turn into all sorts of cute characters and decorations with just a bit of glue, paint and imagination.
Next time you’re out for a walk, get the kids collecting pine cones in a bag. Then settle in for a cosy craft afternoon with one (or all!) of these 12 perfectly simple pine cone crafts kids can treasure.
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#1. Pine Cone Bumblebee
We love this fun little craft, which doubles up as a toy once it’s finished — perfect for younger children, and a lovely activity for a toddler party too.
Simply paint the pine cone in yellow and black stripes, add on some eyes, antennae and wings, and secure it to a stick. Ready to buzz!
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#2. Pine Cone Robin
This is another easy one for toddlers to try, as it just involves sticking some simple craft materials onto a single pine cone. Add a loop of ribbon or thread and it makes a lovely little Christmas tree decoration.
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#3. Pine Cone Christmas Trees
These pine cone Christmas trees are so cute, and so easy to make. Just paint your pine cones green, then decorate as you like — you could even make a whole little forest of them for the mantelpiece.
You might also like: 15 Christmas Crafts for Kids
#4. Pine Cone Tree Decorations
Looking for a decoration you can reuse all year round? Simply change the colour of the pine cone depending on the season.
This craft involves bleaching the pine cones first, so a parent or adult will need to help with that step. After that, it’s just a matter of tying on some pretty coloured ribbon.
#5. Pine Cone Turkey
Pine cones make great Thanksgiving crafts. This pine cone turkey is another simple one for little hands, using a pine cone plus felt, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, feathers and glue.
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#6. Pine Cone Turkey with Leaves
Send the kids out to collect some leaves from the garden for this one. All you need are pine cones, real or plastic leaves, glue, googly eyes, and some orange and red foam paper or felt — and you’ve got yourself a cute little Thanksgiving turkey.
These would also make lovely place settings for the Thanksgiving table.
#7. Pine Cone Elves
These pine cone elves are a great way to use up any smaller pine cones you’ve gathered. Just add wooden beads for heads, pipe cleaners for arms and legs, and pieces of felt to dress your elves.
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#8. Pine Cone Doorhanger Decoration
This lovely festive doorhanger is one for the older kids to help with. It involves tying decorative ribbon in different lengths to create a swag effect with the pine cones.
Why not make a few as gifts for family and friends?
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#9. Pine Cone Garland
Bring the outdoors inside this autumn with a pine cone garland. You’ll need some natural-style rope, pine cones, accent ribbon and a glue gun.
The trick is spacing the pine cones evenly — after that, the finishing touches are only limited by your imagination.
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#10. Woolly Pine Cone Trees
This colourful pine cone craft works especially well if you have some larger pine cones to hand.
You’ll need a few different colours of wool, some tacky glue, a used spool of thread and some glitter spray if you’d like a bit of sparkle. Change the wool colours to match the season.
#11. Pine Cone Owls
If your kids love birds, this one’s for them. These owls are simple to make and just need some large, open pine cones, white craft stuffing (or cotton wool), brown felt, googly eyes and a glue gun.
You may also enjoy: 20 Homemade Christmas Decorations for Kids to Make & 10 Owl Crafts for Kids
#12. Pine Cone Animals
Staying with the animal theme — why not make a whole barnyard? These little pine cone animals are a lovely way to combine crafting with playdough or modelling clay.
All you need are some small to medium pine cones, playdough or clay, and a book of animal pictures for inspiration. Let the kids get creative and see what they come up with.
FAQs
Where can I find pine cones for crafts?
Look under pine and conifer trees in parks, woodland and gardens, especially in autumn when cones naturally fall. A short walk is usually all it takes to gather a good bagful.
Do I need to clean pine cones before using them?
It’s a good idea to give collected pine cones a rinse and let them dry out fully, or pop them in a low oven for a short time (with an adult handling this step) to dry them out and remove any tiny insects before crafting.
What craft supplies work best with pine cones?
Craft paint, googly eyes, felt, pipe cleaners, ribbon and a glue gun are the most useful basics. Most of these crafts only need a handful of simple supplies you probably already have at home.
Are pine cone crafts suitable for toddlers?
Many of the ideas above, like the pine cone robin or bumblebee, are simple enough for toddlers with a bit of help. Crafts involving a glue gun or bleach are better suited to older children with adult support.
More Craft Ideas You’ll Love
If you enjoyed these pine cone crafts, you might also like our roundups of Christmas crafts for kids, autumn activities for kids, and easy pipe cleaner crafts — all packed with simple, budget-friendly ideas for a rainy afternoon.
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