17 October Crafts for Kids: Easy, Fun, and Totally Doable DIYs for Your Little Creators

October is wild—pumpkins, costumes, and a bit of chaos thrown in. If your kids need something fun to do, fall crafts for kids are hands-down the way to go.

Crafting together gives us a chance to connect, laugh, and make some awesome messes with our littles, like a fun fall craft. These engaging and easy-to-execute activities are perfect examples of a simple craft that can help develop fine motor skills and creativity.

Whether you’re new to the craft game or basically run a mini art studio at home, we’ve got your back. These fall craft ideas celebrate the season, keep those tiny hands busy, and make memories you might actually want to hang on the fridge.

Introduction to Fall Season

The fall season is a time of vibrant colors, cozy sweaters, and endless fun. As the leaves change and the weather cools down, it’s the perfect opportunity to engage kids with seasonal changes and explore the world of fall crafts. From easy fall crafts to more complex projects, there’s something for every age and skill level. In this section, we’ll delve into the world of fall crafting, exploring the best materials, techniques, and ideas to get you started.

Embracing the Colors and Themes of Autumn

Autumn is a season of warmth and coziness, with a color palette that reflects the changing leaves and harvest season. From orange and yellow to red and brown, the colors of fall are perfect for inspiring creativity and imagination. When it comes to fall crafts, it’s all about embracing these colors and themes, whether you’re making a paper plate pumpkin, a tissue paper leaf garland, or a handprint fall tree. With a little creativity, you can turn any material into a beautiful and festive fall craft.

Engaging Kids with Seasonal Changes

Fall is a time of transition, and kids love collecting leaves, watching the seasons change, and exploring the outdoors. By engaging kids with seasonal changes, you can help them develop a deeper appreciation for nature and the world around them. Whether you’re going on a nature walk, making a leaf collage, or creating a fall-themed craft, there are countless ways to get kids involved and excited about the season. From simple crafts like a paper bag scarecrow to more complex projects like a sunflower seed mosaic, there’s something for every age and skill level.

1) Salt Painting Leaves Craft

If you want a craft that’s easy peasy, try salt painting leaves. Contact paper is also a useful material for creating fun and engaging crafts. Grab some white glue, draw out leafy shapes, and let the kids go wild sprinkling table salt on top.

Once the salt covers everything, bring out the watercolor paints. Watching those colors spread is actual magic for little ones.

Need the steps? Peek at these crafts for kids, including th leaf salt painting instructions.

2) Pinecone Bird Feeders

This one is classic fall fun and honestly saves the day when boredom strikes. Grab some pinecones from nature (free craft supplies!), peanut butter, and birdseed to create a DIY bird feeder—easy setup.

Everyone gets their hands messy, smearing and sprinkling away. We always end up giggling when someone gets birdseed in their hair!

These feeders look adorable outside and the birds love them. Want a quick walk-through? Try this kid project for pinecone bird feeders at One Little Project.

3) Paper Plate Scarecrow Faces

We love crafts that start with something as simple as a paper plate. For October, a scarecrow’s face with silly features is always a hit among fall crafts.

Grab a plate, colored paper, glue, and your favorite markers. Use googly eyes and a triangle nose as essential features for crafting a scarecrow’s face. Give your scarecrows wild hair with yarn or shredded tissue paper—ours always look adorably messy!

Kids can show off their creativity and practice scissor skills too. Need a template? Here’s an easy paper plate scarecrow craft.

4) Fall Leaf Rubbing Art

Let’s be honest, nothing feels more “fall vibes” than classic leaf rubbings that remind us of a fall tree. This fall art activity is perfect for kids, incorporating seasonal elements like leaves and encouraging creativity. Just grab some leaves from the backyard, where kids love collecting leaves, paper, and crayons.

Place the leaves under the paper and gently rub crayons over the top. It’s like magic when the leaf shapes appear!

If you’re feeling artsy, add puffy paint and watercolor for extra color. For more inspiration, check out this leaf rubbing guide.

5) Handprint Pumpkin Art

Nothing says “fall fun” like a child’s hand covered in orange paint and creating art everywhere. Handprint Pumpkin Art is a fun pumpkin craft, win and super easy to pull off.

All you need is paper, orange paint, and those cute handprints. After the paint dries, add a green or brown stem with a finger or marker.

Want a step-by-step? Here’s a handprint pumpkin craft idea.

6) Tissue Paper Autumn Leaves

Let’s get crafty with coffee filters and tissue paper to make our own autumn crafts like autumn leaves. Dried leaves are also a versatile material for various art projects, suitable for all age groups. This is just paper, glue, and a dash of chaos—so stress-free.

Snip or tear tissue paper into little bits, then glue them onto a leaf shape. Need inspo? Here’s a tissue paper leaf craft for kids.

After we collect leaves, hang them on windows and watch the colors light up your space. So easy, so cute!

7) Leaf Crown Sewing Project

We are obsessed with this leaf crown sewing project and this owl craft. Crafting ideas centered around flowers, particularly sunflowers, have a unique appeal during the fall season. It turns every kid into tiny woodland royalty, and it’s way easier than it sounds.

Grab some real or faux leaves, a plastic needle, and yarn or thick string. Thread the leaves together and bam, you’ve got crowns fit for an autumn queen or king, or you can use a toilet paper roll as the base.

Need a tutorial? Here’s an adorable guide for sewing a fall leaf crown. The messier, the better, honestly!

8) Paper Pumpkin Lanterns

We’re all looking for crafts that require little effort but bring big pumpkin energy. Paper pumpkin lanterns, reminiscent of a jack o lantern, are a great craft, perfect for that.

All you need is orange paper, scissors, glue, and your best silly faces. These cuties light up the room—literally—with a simple LED candle inside.

Need a tutorial for an apple craft? There’s an easy step-by-step video right here!

Hang them up for instant fall vibes. The kids get so proud seeing their creations glow.

9) Turkey Balloons

Turkey balloons are some of the cutest and way less hassle than cooking a real turkey. Grab some colorful balloons, cardstock, tape, and markers.

Draw, cut, and stick some silly turkey faces and feathers on those balloons. Suddenly, your living room is a mini turkey parade.

Want a quick how-to? Here’s a turkey balloon craft.

10) Beaded Corn Cob Craft

This one’s adorable. Grab some pipe cleaners, toss on a pile of pony beads, and boom—mini corn cobs. For another fun activity, children can tear orange construction paper into small pieces to use as glue decorations for a pumpkin craft.

It’s simple enough for even the messiest crafter. Kids can pick their own bead colors and go wild.

Want a step-by-step? Here’s an easy beaded corn craft for kids, along with some masking tape to secure the beads.

11) Fall Bean Mosaics

Who else buys a giant bag of beans and never uses them? Let’s grab those forgotten beans and turn them into cute fall mosaics created by your kids’ imagination!

All you need is cardboard, glue, and those dried beans. Make shapes like leaves and pumpkins—it’s easy and looks adorable in the windows.

If the kids spill beans everywhere, just call it “autumn decor.” For more ideas, check out these bean mosaic craft tips for fall at Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls.

12) Halloween Bat Masks

Let’s be real, nothing screams October quite like bats swooping around—well, at least on paper, whether for school projects or at home! Bat masks are a breeze, and honestly, we don’t need any fancy crafting skills to pull these off. Use a black marker for drawing facial features on the masks to make them more engaging and fun for the kids.

Grab a printable outline, let the kids color like wild artists, and tie on some string. Extra points if they go full sparkle explosion with stickers or glitter. Check out this bat mask craft for Halloween for a little inspiration.

13) Owl Paper Bag Puppets

Who knew a brown paper bag and some brown paper could turn into such a cutie? Just grab colored paper, scissors, and glue, then let your wild owl ideas take flight.

Googly eyes make everything better (that’s just the truth), so don’t skip them! For a super simple guide, check out this PBS Kids for Parents owl puppet craft.

Bonus: these little hoots work perfectly for last-minute living room puppet shows.

14) Sunflower Seed Art

Let’s get crafty with sunflower seeds and a dash of imagination! To replicate the appearance of sunflowers, you can use long pointy leaves in yellow hues to mimic sunflower petals. We love how these projects turn out different every time. Grab paper, glue, and sunflower seeds—yep, the snack kind totally works.

Scatter the seeds into a fun design or toss in some leaves for a nature-inspired sunflower craft. No need to get fancy. If more seeds end up on the floor than on the page, we’re right there with you.

15) Pumpkin Patch Collage

Perfect craft activities like a pumpkin patch collage are adorable, but dragging kids out there? Not always a breeze. Let’s bring the patch indoors with a pumpkin patch collage!

Grab orange construction paper, cut out some pumpkin shapes, and go wild with glue and recycled scraps. Junk mail totally counts as “fall leaves.” No need for perfection—textured pumpkin patch collages are all about creative chaos.

16) Fingerprint Spooky Trees

Let’s get messy! We love using our fingers for art, so making spooky trees with just paint and fingerprints feels perfect for fall. Adding a facial expression to crafted elements can make the activity even more engaging and fun for children.

Draw or paint a tree trunk and some bare branches, then start dabbing away with your fingertips to add “leaves”—or maybe ghostly shapes? Either way, fingerprints make it super personal. Want more inspiration? Check out this fingerprint fall tree craft for ideas!

17) DIY Fall Leaf Wreath

This craft is basically fall time wrapped in a circle. Grab some cardboard from the recycling, cut out a ring, and fill it up with those gorgeous fall leaves the kids brought home.

If you’re feeling extra, toss in pom poms or sequins for sparkle, along with colorful construction paper for the pumpkins. This fall leaf wreath is so easy, all ages can rock it. Hang it up and show off your crafty side!

Recycled Crafts

Recycled crafts are a great way to get creative and reduce waste at the same time. From toilet paper roll bird feeders to paper plate wind chimes, there are countless ways to turn everyday materials into beautiful and functional crafts. In this section, we’ll explore some creative ways to reuse materials and make unique fall crafts.

Why Celebrate October 17th With Kids’ Crafts?

Crafting on October 17th gives us a chance to press pause, hang out with our kids, and dive into autumn creativity together, perhaps with some green paint involved . It also helps us talk about what’s special about the date, while letting little hands get busy with glue, paint, and glitter (because, honestly, glitter ends up everywhere).

Teaching Kids About the Meaning Behind the Date

October 17th might feel like just another day, but it’s a perfect excuse to make something ordinary feel special. We get to chat with our kids about what makes this date unique—maybe it’s a holiday, a family tradition, or even an international event like International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

• Stories, crafts, and even themed snacks can spark conversation.
• Connecting the date to real-world topics helps kids actually remember it.
• These moments open the door for questions, which helps kids build empathy and curiosity.
• If your family celebrates something different today, crafts can help teach kids about your own traditions. Even a homemade card or a paper banner turns a lesson into a hands-on experience.

Making Memories With Hands-On Fun

We’re not just filling time—we’re making memories here! Rolling up our sleeves and crafting together means lots of messy laughs, high-fives, and a few “oops, the dog has paint on her tail” moments.

• Kids create things they’ll be excited to show off.
• We snap pictures for the family album (and, let’s be honest, maybe post them online).
• Simple crafts—like pumpkin collages, leaf prints, or spooky decorations—help us kick off new traditions.
• Even if projects aren’t “Pinterest-perfect,” each craft holds memories of giggles, glue clumps, and teamwork.

Hands-on fun helps our kids feel seen and celebrated. And honestly, we could all use more of that—especially on a random day in October.

Setting Up a Stress-Free Craft Zone

Let’s be real: crafting with kids and doing various crafts can get wild fast. But with the right setup, we can keep the chaos contained (and maybe even have fun ourselves!). A rainy day is a perfect time for fun and easy craft projects that can be done indoors. It’s all about picking supplies like popsicle sticks and making the kids feel like crafty superheroes.

Supplies That Won’t Make You Cry

We need supplies that don’t break our wallets or our souls. Think washable markers, big bottles of glue (not the super sticky stuff), safety scissors, and colorful papers to help develop fine motor skills . Our go-to? A plastic tablecloth. Trust us, it’s a lifesaver—easy cleanup and it protects the good furniture.

We also love using big baskets or clear bins to keep stuff in reach but off the floor. Labels help too, so nobody is digging around for that one lost googly eye.

Picking simple things means kids can actually use the supplies by themselves. For more ideas, check out these easy fall craft supply suggestions from Seattle’s Child.

We keep messier stuff like glitter in a separate bin (because we are not about that sparkly life every day). Wipes and paper towels on standby: non-negotiable, folks.

Getting Kids Excited (And Involved!)

Half the fun is in the planning. I like to start with a little hype—“Who’s ready to make our kitchen look like a pumpkin patch?” works every time.

Letting the little ones help pick the crafts gives them some power. They get pumped to create when they have a say.

We can set up a special “craft boss” job. One kid hands out supplies, another takes on cleanup.

Everyone gets a role, so nobody feels left out, and they can also create together as a team . Plus, we sneak in some teamwork—pretty clever, right?

I’m a big fan of quick “craft demos” too. Kids see what’s possible but don’t feel pressured for perfection.

Even picking fun music or crafting snacks gets everyone in the mood for a good time, whether at home or at school . For more tips on calm and happy crafting, check out these stress-free ideas for making crafts with kids.