We’ve collected some fantastic autumn craft ideas to mark the occasion and blow off a few hours on any given day. Our list includes crafts for toddlers, children and adults, so everyone can get their groove on and have fun.

Autumn officially begins in the UK between the 21^st and 24^th September and it’s known as the Autumn equinox.

Let’s jump in!

Autumn crafts ideas for toddlers

Toddlers have a poor attention span, so it’s best to keep crafts simple, with accessible materials and minimal steps.

Here are some great crafts for toddlers:

1. Lollipop stick scarecrows

Tutorial – Messy Little Monster

With a lollipop stick, paper, glue and scissors, your toddler can create scarecrows and birds for plant pots, creating a fun farm-themed playset.

2. Pinecone turkeys

Tutorial – Easy Peasy Fun

Pinecone turkeys require a little foraging for pinecones, but the craft is worth it for a fun item that can last a very long time.

3. Pinecone snowy owl

Tutorial – Red Ted Art

These fluffy pinecone owls are a fantastic alternative to pinecone turkeys, requiring cotton wool and PVA glue for the furry effect.

4. Autumn leaf sun catchers

Tutorial – Sun On Sea

Autumn leaf sun catchers are perfect hanging decorations for bedrooms, and they are effortless to make with string and coloured cellophane.

5. Spider web plates

Tutorial – Anne Lilly Design

Perfect for Halloween, these spider web plates require string, paper plates, and cards so you can cut out spiders to glue to the web.

6. Pumpkin pie playdough

Tutorial – Happiness is Homemade

Heating flour, salt, cream of tartar and pumpkin spice with oil and water on the stove makes child-friendly playdough perfect for making pumpkins.

7. Handprint acorns

Tutorial – Crafty Morning

Handprint acorns are incredibly easy to make and let your children get messy! All you need is brown and white paint, a paintbrush, and white paper.

Autumn craft ideas for pre-schoolers

Once your child starts school at the grand old age of four and a half, they will have a better sense of arts and crafts to take on more complex tasks.

Here are our favourite pre-schooler autumn crafts:

8. Bubble Wrap Autumn Tree

Tutorial – Messy Little Monster

It might be as messy as it gets, but this bubble wrap autumn tree is a fantastic way to use old packaging and keep children occupied.

9. Salt Dough Leaves

Tutorial – Jennifer Dawn

Salt dough leaves make fantastic decorations for walls and trees, combining the fun of baking and crafting for the best of both worlds.

10. Fall handprint tree

Tutorial – Tots And Me

With only a handprint to make the trunk and branches, your kid can create a handprint tree with orange, red, and yellow paper. So fun!

11. DIY thankful tree

Tutorial – Twitchetts

Inspire your child by creating a three-dimensional tree with hanging leaves! This is fantastic for children who love making models.

12. Easy paper quilling apple

Tutorial – Projects With Kids

If your child has the patience to quill paper, this easy paper quilling apple craft is fantastic for sticking to cards and bed frames.

13. Paper plate fish

Tutorial – Natural Beach Living

September and October are great for catching carp, but why not make a fish? This little craft is perfect for children who love fish.

14. Paper plate rainbow

Tutorial – Best Ideas For Kids

Rainbows are more frequent in autumn than in summer due to more rain. Your kid can make a rainbow with multi-colour paper, cotton wool, and glue.

Autumn craft ideas for adults

Why should children get all the fun crafting? If you’re an adult who loves crafting, there are plenty of ways to have fun while challenging yourself.

Here are our favourite adult autumn craft ideas:

15. Mason jar lid pumpkin

Tutorial – The Country Cook

This is a fantastic craft! Collect all your same-size masonry jar lids, spray paint them orange, and fix them together to make a pumpkin.

16. Yarn pumpkin garland

Tutorial – Design Improvised

Buy some orange string and twine and make yourself a garland of pumpkins this Halloween to compliment your interior decorations.

17. Painted acorns

Tutorial – Mod Podge Rocks

With a glass jar, a nearby acorn tree and paint, you can create a stunning home decoration that wouldn’t look out of place in a shop.

18. Fall gnomes

Tutorial – DIY Candy

Fall gnomes make excellent decorations from September to January, and you can create a set of your own with paper mâché cones.

19. Wood slice owl ornaments

Tutorial – Frugal Fun

Wood slice owls make fantastic decorations for trees, and they also make fun little gifts for children. Make your own easily with this tutorial.

20. Simple autumn wreath

Tutorial – The Purple Pumpkin Blog

If you have a few hours to kill, this simple autumn wreath is the perfect autumn craft idea. You need vine, ribbons, dried mini pumpkins, and florists wire.

21. Origami autumn leaf

Tutorial – Craftaholic Witch

We end our list with a personal favourite! The origami autumn leaf replicates a maple leaf, taking only five (concentrated) minutes to make.

Best autumn craft supplies to stock up on

Here are the supplies we recommend so you can craft most items:

• Multi-colour paper (A4 sheets)
• Multi-colour card
• Multi-colour tissue paper
• Coloured cellophane
• Tissue rolls
• Popsicle sticks
• Cotton wool
• Glue stick
• PVA glue
• Hot glue gun
• Twine
• Dry grapevine
• String
• Googly eyes
• Glitter
• Paper straws
• Paper plates
• Washi tape
• Bubble wrap
• Washable paint
• Paintbrushes
• Scissors*
• Craft knife (with mat)*

*These items are for adult use only, although young children can use children’s scissors under supervision (these have a round tip).

Also, remember that some arts and crafts, like those with real acorns and leaves, require foraging. You can buy craft leaves, acorns, and pinecones online, but nothing beats getting out there and collecting them yourself.

Some autumn craft ideas also require speciality items, like masonry jar lids, glass jars, metal wire, clay, and baking ingredients (for salt dough). Consider everything you need before jumping into crafts to avoid disappointment.

Have fun!