Easy Fall Leaf Printing and Animal Craft for Kids

Bring nature and creativity together with this Easy Fall Leaf Printing and Animal Craft for Kids. This colorful autumn activity uses real leaves, paint, crayons, and printable templates to create beautiful fall scenes.

Children can choose a favorite fall animal or Halloween character, such as an owl, hedgehog, fox, squirrel, pumpkin, or another design. They can then decorate the background with colorful leaf prints and real fall leaves before adding their chosen picture to the center.

This fall leaf printing craft for kids is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, homeschool, or a fun autumn art activity at home. Every finished picture can look different depending on the leaves, colors, and character children choose.

What You Need

White A4 paper or cardstock
Real fall leaves
Printable animal or Halloween templates
Crayons or oil pastels
Washable paint
Paintbrush or sponge brush
Colored paper
Scissors
Glue
Paper towels for cleaning leaves

For a colorful fall look, try paints in red, orange, yellow, brown, and green.

How to Make a Fall Leaf Printing and Animal Craft

1. Collect and Prepare the Fall Leaves

Collect some real leaves from your garden, yard, or outdoors.
Choose leaves in different shapes and sizes. Gently clean away any dirt and make sure the leaves are completely dry before using them.
Keep a few colorful leaves aside because you can also glue them directly onto your finished background.

2. Choose Your Animal or Halloween Picture

Decide which picture you would like to add to the center of your craft.
You can choose a fall animal, such as an owl, hedgehog, fox, or squirrel. You can also choose a Halloween-themed picture, such as a pumpkin, black cat, or another favorite character.
Print the templates you need for your chosen design.

3. Make the Circle Background

Take a white sheet of paper.
Using a crayon or oil pastel, draw and color a large circle in the center of the page.
Choose a warm fall color such as yellow, orange, or brown. Make the circle large enough for your chosen animal or character to fit inside later.

4. Prepare the Leaf Prints

Choose one of your real leaves and turn it over so the veined backside of the leaf faces upward.
Use a paintbrush or sponge to apply a thin layer of paint to the back of the leaf.
Fall colors such as red, orange, yellow, brown, and green work especially well.

5. Print the Leaves Around the Page

Carefully place the painted side of the leaf onto the white paper around the outside of your colored circle.
Gently press the leaf down, then carefully lift it away to reveal the leaf print.
Repeat this process with different leaves and paint colors until you have colorful fall leaf prints around the page.
Try to keep the middle circle clear because this is where your animal or Halloween picture will go.

6. Add Some Real Fall Leaves

For extra texture, glue a few real fall leaves around the background.
Place them between some of the painted leaf prints to create a mixture of printed and real leaves.
Avoid covering the large colored circle in the center.
Once finished, keep the background aside and let the paint and glue dry completely.

7. Prepare Your Printable Picture

There are several easy ways to prepare the animal or Halloween character.
You can print a coloring page on white paper and color it, print the template directly onto colored paper, or choose a silhouette template for a simple bold design.
Color the picture if needed, then carefully cut around its outside outline.

8. Add the Animal or Character

Take your completely dry fall leaf background.
Place your finished animal or Halloween cutout in the center of the large crayon-colored circle.
Move it around until you are happy with its position, then glue it securely in place.
You can use the provided finished craft images as examples or create your own arrangement.

9. Let It Dry and Display

Keep your finished craft aside and let the glue dry completely.
Once dry, display your fall leaf printing and animal craft on a classroom wall, bulletin board, refrigerator, or fall display area.

Benefits of Fall Leaf Printing for Kids

Explores nature – Collecting real leaves encourages children to notice different shapes, textures, and colors outdoors.
Encourages creativity – Kids can choose their own animals, characters, leaf colors, and arrangements.
Develops fine motor skills – Painting, pressing leaves, coloring, cutting, and gluing strengthen little hands.
Improves hand-eye coordination – Children carefully position leaves and printable pieces on the page.
Teaches fall colors – Red, orange, yellow, brown, and green help children explore the colors of autumn.
Explores leaf shapes and textures – Leaf printing lets children see the veins and natural patterns found on real leaves.
Builds cutting skills – Cutting out the printable animals and characters gives children extra scissor practice.
Supports planning and arranging – Children decide where to place their prints, real leaves, and center picture.
Combines nature and art – This activity turns simple outdoor materials into colorful handmade artwork.