Autumn is in the air and you can hardly look to the left or right without seeing an abundance of creative inspiration in the form of pumpkins, scarecrows, sunflowers, and foliage. Whether you prefer Halloween or Thanksgiving, they both provide plenty of inspiration for your next art project. Jack-o’-lanterns, witches, spiders, candy corn, and turkeys are just some of our favorites. We have something for every age and in every medium in our list below. So grab your favorite art supplies and get to work on some of these awesome fall art projects!
1. Fall Tree Sticker Scene
We love this idea because it is no-mess and low-prep. Make a tree on some white paper, then let your students go to town decorating it with a bowl full of fun fall stickers!
Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning
2. Pumpkin Picture Frame
What’s cuter than a pumpkin made from Popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners? One with your student’s face on it!
Learn more: Fire Flies and Mud Pies
3. Fall Leaf Suncatchers
Download a free leaf template at the link below and then grab some autumn-colored tissue paper to make these pretty suncatchers.
Learn more: The Best Ideas for Kids
4. Fall Leaf Chalk Art
We love this project since it teaches an art lesson on positive and negative spaces. Use painter’s tape to put a leaf template on some black card stock, then let your students smudge chalk pastel all around it. Finally, remove the tape and admire the finished project!
Learn more: Projects With Kids
5. Pumpkin Zentangle
Older students will surely enjoy this pumpkin doodle project. Zentangles are not only fun, they offer stress-relieving qualities for busy high schoolers!
Learn more: Kitchen Table Classroom
6. Popsicle Stick Scarecrow Puppet
Be sure to have some pretty scrapbooking paper on hand so students have options to personalize their scarecrows. Once they’re finished, they can put on a puppet show for you!
Learn more: Glued to My Crafts Blog
7. Sunflower Collage
This sunflower collage can work for students as young as preschool or as old as high school since the size of your scraps and the detail included are up to the artist.
Learn more: Nurture Store
8. Fall Collage
As far as fall art projects go, this one can be done last-minute since all you need is some construction paper, a Sharpie, glue, and some scissors. Have students create as many unique trees as they want before gluing them in the layout of their choosing.
Learn more: Julianna Kunstler
9. Turkey Headband
This turkey headband is the perfect craft to do before Thanksgiving break in November. While relatively easy, you may want to have an extra set of hands around to measure little heads.
Learn more: Sew Woodsy
10. Scarecrow Puppet
Making a puppet from a paper bag is a rite of passage for any kid, so why not have your students try their hand at this adorable scarecrow? Sit back and watch the imaginative free play once their puppet friends are finished.
Learn more: Simple Every Day Mom
11. Watercolor Spider Web
Is there anything more tempting than a fresh set of watercolor paints? Equally pretty and spooky, these spider webs are the perfect art project for Halloween.
Learn more: Projects With Kids
12. Jack-o’-Lantern Collage
No list of fall art projects would be complete without some Halloween imagery. Rather than have your old magazines end up in a landfill, why not use them to create a fun jack-o’-lantern collage?
Learn more: The Pinterested Parent
13. Black Paper Cat
Surprisingly simple to create, we just love these spooky black cats. This project will work on young students’ dexterity since they will need to fold their paper accordion-style.
Learn more: Easy Peasy and Fun
14. Puffy Paint Candy Apples
These apples look so tasty we just want to take a bite out of them! We love that this is simultaneously an art lesson and a science experiment since students will be mixing their own puffy paint.
Learn more: I Heart Arts n Crafts
15. Cheerio Corn Craft
Preschoolers will love gluing Cheerios onto their corn cobs, but make sure you have extra cereal since they will probably sneak a few!
Learn more: Glued to My Crafts Blog
16. Paper Cup Witch
While not exactly scary, these sweet witches will be sure to delight your students. Although they are cute on their own, the light-up tea-light noses really put them over the edge!
Learn more: Non Toy Gifts
17. Fall Gnome
So simple and yet so adorable, we can’t get enough of these fall gnomes. Cut out a hat from some fall-themed scrapbook paper, select a fake fall leaf for a beard, then staple a nose on to tie it all together!
Learn more: Glued to My Crafts
18. Leaf People
Bring your students outside for a fall hike, have them collect leaves of all sizes and shapes, then let them create their own unique leaf person. Have some googly eyes and markers on hand so your students can get really creative.
Learn more: My Mommy Style
19. Paper Plate Candy Corn
These paper plate candy corns are the perfect art project to do during the month of October. Grab your scissors and orange and yellow paint and get to work!
Learn more: The Gracious Wife
20. Candy Corn Flowers
While you’ll need to check for allergies before proceeding with this craft, the end result is just too precious. Once their masterpiece is complete, let your students enjoy the extra candy.
Learn more: The Resourceful Mama
21. Q-tip Painted Pumpkins
Painting pumpkins should be included in any list of fall art projects. Q-tips make for the perfect paintbrushes for small pumpkins since you can make small, precise designs. Be sure to use non-washable paints if you want to display them outside.
Learn more: Projects With Kids
22. Beaded Corn
This project is perfect for working on motor skills since students will need to string the beads on their pipe cleaners and twist them into shape. An added bonus is they make for the cutest table decor during Thanksgiving dinner.
Learn more: One Little Project
23. Fall Doodle Art
This is the perfect art project to break out when you need a time filler since it can be worked on and then put away for later. The finished product will be oh-so satisfying to look at!
Learn more: The Craft Train
24. Handprint Apple Tree
Finger painting is as synonymous with preschool as apple trees are with fall. This handprint/fingerprint tree will surely end up on refrigerators everywhere.
Learn more: Or So She Says …
25. Coffee Filter Trees
Who says coffee filters are just for coffee and window washing? Use a stencil to create a spooky tree silhouette, paint a coffee filter, then put it all together for the perfect window decoration.
Learn more: Artventurous Blogspot
26. Toilet Paper Spider Stamps
We love this spider project since it is really two crafts in one! Have your students start collecting empty toilet paper rolls in the weeks before you plan to do this art project.
Learn more: Crafty Morning
27. Pom-Pom Spiders
Another super-fun spider project that will make for the cutest desk pets during October.
Learn more: My Home Based Life
28. Fall Wind Sock
You can use toilet paper and paper towel rolls for the base of these wind socks or you can choose colored card stock folded into shape. You’ll also need some fall stickers and autumn-colored crepe paper to complete this pretty decoration.
Learn more: I Heart Crafty Things
29. Acorn People
Simple and yet oh-so sweet, these little acorn people will bring a smile to anyone’s face. Use a premade template or create your own.
Learn more: Simple Everyday Mom
30. Apple Stamp Pumpkin
Need another use for all those apples you picked on your annual trip to the orchard? Slice them and use them as stamps to create these fun pumpkins!
Learn more: Made To Be a Mama
31. Pumpkin Paint Mixing
We love that this sensory activity also teaches kids about color mixing. The best part is the mess is contained within the bag!
Learn more: Play, Teach, Repeat
31 Fantastic Fall Art Projects for Kids