Fall brings the start of school and the cooling of days and evenings. As it becomes too cold to play outside and the sun sets earlier and earlier, kids begin looking for more inside activities to partake in. Autumn crafts get kids excited about the changing season and entertain their antsy hands until they can run off stored energy outside.
Holidays
The holidays and events of the fall set the stage for autumn crafts. As summer wraps up and autumn starts, kids will start to go back to school. Books, pencils, backpacks and other school materials are ideal decor for this season. Harvests bring in autumn foods, such as apples and gourds. As September rolls into October, kids start to prepare for Halloween. Pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns, spiders and webs, witches, goblins and ghosts are popular themes for this time. As October turns to November, everyone’s attention turns to Thanksgiving.
Colors
After the bright, vibrant colors of the summer, the hues of autumn become muted and darker. This matches the cozy mood that results from coming indoors from the cold climate. Take a look outside for color inspiration. Trees full of reds and browns and sunsets of purples and oranges can inspire the kids’ art work.
Materials
Construction paper, in browns, reds, oranges, purples and other dark colors, as well as poster board, serve as the foundation for many autumn craft projects. Purchase tacky glue, or hot glue gun for older kids, to attach items to this paper. Take a walk outside to gather some of nature’s craft materials. Acorns, leaves and pine cones can decorate craft projects.
Supervision
Prepare a sample project if your craft has a specific outcome, such as particular picture mosaic or tree painting. Help the younger kids learn to make this item, but let older kids use nature’s colors, trees, harvests and other items to inspire their creativity. Drip bits of glue onto the paper or other foundation for younger kids to attach their materials to the item, to create an autumn masterpiece.
Practical
You can create useful crafts that kids can use during the fall. Cut brown paper grocery bags so they will cover your child’s new textbooks. Let her color or paint the bags with her favorite designs and tape them together over the flaps of the book. Painted gourds and pumpkins give your home some personal autumn decorations for the season. You can cut apples in half and use them as well as leaves to stamp paint onto place mats, tote bags and other practical items.
Photo Credit
- autumn image by voven from Fotolia.com
