Days at home can be a little crazy with little people. Of course, if you have one toddler, or more, at your feet, you know this!
Quick crafts are a favorite in our house (especially with me). These are quick and easy fall or autumn crafts for kids of the preschool and toddler age, so for little ones aged 2, 3 and 4 years old.
These simple fall arts and crafts are also ideal for young kids in their first years of elementary school. (Because simple is always good!)
None of these autumn crafts require lengthy set up or have multiple steps. Some do have a bit of paint or glue is fine – but quick is the name of the game!
If drying time is involved, that’s your cue to go make a cup of tea; the actual doing part is quick and easy.
We’ve grouped everything by theme so you can grab exactly what you need, whether that’s quick fall crafts for kids heavy on leaves, or something turkey-shaped for closer to Thanksgiving.
If you are looking to prioritise minimal clean-up – these mess-free fall crafts should absolutely be your next stop!
Quick Toddler-Friendly Pumpkin Crafts
Nothing says fall quite like a pumpkin, and toddlers never seem to tire of painting, stamping, or printing their way through a whole patch of them.
Simple Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft
A paper plate, orange paint, and a few cut-out shapes are all this one needs — simple enough for a two-year-old to get stuck into.
If yours are a little older, hand them the scissors and let them cut the pieces themselves.
Try the paper plate pumpkin craft.
A quick fall craft to capture your little one’s prints and mark the season.
Marble Painting Pumpkin
Print out and place the free pumpkin template in a shallow tray, drop marbles in paint then tilt the tray into different directions to move them around.
Little ones find this absolutely fascinating! A simple and fun toddler fall craft and a great mess=free painting technique.
Get the marble painting template
Pumpkin Stamping
Mini pumpkins dipped in paint work as ready-made stamps — no carving, no scooping, just dip, press.
A simple autumn craft for toddlers that love to play and create!
Tape-Resist Painted Pumpkins
Use tape to create a pumpkin face, paint over the top, then peel the tape away to reveal your jack-o’-lantern design underneath.
A quick fall craft that doubles as Halloween decor!
Pumpkin Pie Craft
A paper plate, two popsicle sticks, a cotton ball, and some orange and brown paper come together to make a cute little pumpkin pie slice — and pre-coloured sticks mean there’s no painting required.
Handprint Pumpkins
Paint palms orange and fingers green for a cute handprint craft. Add eyes and a zigzag mouth to turn pumpkins into jack o’lanterns.
Painting With Pumpkins
Dip a pumpkin into paint on a paper plate, then roll it across a large sheet of paper to create colourful tracks and patterns.
Quick Leaf Crafts for Toddlers
Once the leaves start piling up in the garden, these are the fastest ways to turn a handful of them into something worth keeping.
Leaf Monster Craft
A foraged leaf becomes the body, seed pods become arms, and googly eyes go on with glue dots — no drying wait at all.
Takes about 20 minutes start to finish, with a few craft cupboard staples and a quick forage from outside.
See the full leaf monster craft
Leaf People
Same idea as the leaf monster, but acorns stand in for the eyes and the end result looks more like a tiny leafy person than a monster.
A quick craft to make in a pair with the leaf monsters above, so little ones can compare their creations.
Fall Leaves Wreath
A paper plate with the centre cut out, a handful of faux leaves, and a length of ribbon is all this fun craft takes.
One of the quickest autumn crafts for toddlers on this whole list — no paint, no drying, just sticking.
Tissue Paper Maple Leaf
Scrunch tissue paper squares and stick them onto a printed maple leaf template for a lovely stained-glass effect.
Great for building that pincer grip while they scrunch.
Coffee Filter Fall Leaves
Coffee filters cut into leaf shapes soak up paint beautifully and dry into something that well worthy of the kitchen window.
A lovely fun fall craft that doubles as a pretty seasonal decoration.
Fall Leaf Mask
A cardboard base decorated with leaves with a popsicle stick handle turns simple materials into an instant dress-up prop.
Perfect if you want the craft itself to become the next twenty minutes of play too!
Colorful Fall Leaves Banner
Paint or marker on collected leaves, threaded onto twine, makes a banner that’s ready to hang the same afternoon.
DIY Leaf Glitter
Dry and crumble leaves into natural glitter — check the linke for the microwave-drying technique if you’re leaves are a little damp.
Sprinkle the leaf glitter onto glue-drawn shapes for the fastest autumn-themed sensory craft on this list.
Playdough Fall Craft
A quick fall-themed craft for 2 and 3 year olds that can be done again and again! Toddlers and preschoolers can roll and shape playdough into a tree truck, then press craft or real leaves into it, to create their own unique tree.
Andy Goldsworthy Inspired Leaf Pattern
Already have a big pile of collected leaves in a variety of colors and/or shapes in your garden?
Arrange them into a striking pattern outdoors, inspired by the land artist Andy Goldsworthy — sorting by colour and shape as you go.
Toddlers get plenty of sorting and pattern-matching practice along the way.
See the Andy Goldsworthy leaf pattern idea.
Leaf Painting and Printing
Dip a real leaf in paint and press it onto paper to leave a natural leaf print — one dip usually gives you two or three good prints.
See the leaf printing technique
Quick Apple Crafts For 2, 3 & 4 Year Olds
A trip to the orchard, or just the fruit bowl, is really all the inspiration these simple apple crafts need.
Paper Plate Apple Craft
Cut, colour, and stick apple parts onto a paper plate, then count the raisin seeds as you go for a bit of built-in maths.
See the paper plate apple craft
Apple Pie Paper Plate Craft
Here’s a slightly healthier way to enjoy apple pie this fall, using real apple halves dipped in paint to create the apple pie filling.
A nice twist on the usual cute fall crafts line-up.
Popsicle Stick Apple Craft
This clever little apple craft turns a few popsicle sticks into an apple core that’s cute enough to keep on display all season.
See the popsicle stick apple craft
Tissue Paper Apple Craft
Scrunched tissue paper glued onto a paper plate or cardboard apple cutout gives lovely texture with almost no clean-up.
Apple Tree Craft
A loofah dipped in green paint makes the leafy canopy, then little fingerprints become apples scattered through the branches.
Apple Stamping Fall Tree
Halved apples stamped in red and green build up a colorful leafy canopy, one press at a time.
Easy Pumpkin or Apple Craft for Scissor Skills
Toddler scissor skills are often a little rough around the edges, but that’s part of the charm here — even wobbly, jagged cuts still turn into a perfectly recognisable pumpkin or apple.
A quick autumn craft for toddlers that’ll help develop fine motor skills.
Try our scissor skills fall craft.
Quick Fall-Themed Tree Crafts
Creating leafy colorful trees is a lovely way to bring the whole season indoors in one sitting.
Fall Tree Craft for Preschoolers
Scrunched tissue paper leaves give this fall tree plenty of colour and texture without needing any paint. A simple autumn craft that’s just right for little hands.
Pine Cone Painted Fall Tree
Painted pine cone scales stand in for autumn leaves against a construction paper trunk.
It’s a lovely excuse to bring home a few pine cones from your next autumn walk too.
Colorful Fall Tree Popcorn Craft
Paint and popcorn shaken together in a sealed freezer bag create some colorful, textured leaves. A fun and genuinely contained way to paint.
Once dry, glue them on and around a construction paper tree trunk.
Pompom Painted Fall Tree
A pompom held with a clothes pin swaps in for a paintbrush, making the dabbing motion easier for smaller hands to manage.
Fall Fingerprint Tree
Real twigs glued onto cardstock form the branches, then fingertip prints in ink become the leaves. A fun, paint-free fingerprint craft to try this autumn.
See the fingerprint tree craft
Turkey & Scarecrow Crafts
Save these quick crafts for the run-up to Thanksgiving, when it’s all about turkeys and scarecrows!
Turkey Handprint Art
A colored in handprint becomes a cute turkey, finished off with a beak, eye, and feet. Add younger siblings handprint turkeys, or do a parent and child combo – for a sweet keepsake to mark the season.
This one is sure to stay on the fridge for years!
Try the turkey handprint craft
Paper Plate Scarecrow
This cheerful scarecrow comes together with simple materials plus a free printable template to make things even easier.
Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers crafting at home or in the classroom.
Pinecone Turkey
A painted pinecone with a pompom head and a fan of feathers makes a sweet little table centrepiece for Thanksgiving.
Quick Acorn & Pinecone Crafts
If your last nature walk came home with pockets full of acorns and pinecones, there are a few here which will put them to good use.
Paper Bag Acorn Craft
It’s amazing how quickly a simple paper bag starts looking like a cute acorn character once the cap and little face are added.
A sweet fall craft that’s just as fun to display as it is to make.
Acorn Painting Craft
Roll real acorns through paint in a shallow tub for a rolling-based process art piece, similar to the marble painting pumpkin above.
More Creative Fall Fun
If quick fall crafts for kids are exactly your speed, you’ll probably also love these mess-free fall crafts for toddlers — same fast, toddler-friendly fun, just without the paint or glue.
Whether you’re looking for fall daycare crafts, fall Sunday school crafts, or just something to fill an afternoon at home, there should be something here you’ll be making within the next five minutes.
- Super simple cutting activity for toddlers: 3D apple or pumpkin craft
- Paper plate apple craft – simple fine motor activity for toddlers (2 min prep!)
- 50+ Fun, Easy Fall Arts & Crafts For Toddlers
- 25 Fun & Easy Fall Leaf Crafts for Kids
- 25 Simple Fall Learning Activities For Toddlers
- 25 Easy Fall Arts, Crafts & Sensory Activities for Babies & Infants
- 27+ Adorable Fall Handprint Crafts for Kids, Toddlers & Babies too
