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Easy Fall Tree Craft

Easy Fall Tree Craft
 

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An easy paper and paint fall tree craft to teach kids about the changing colors of the leaves in a new way.

Fall is such a fun time to see the leaves changing colors and letting your kids put together their own twist is inspiring.

You can watch them create a picture they consider a masterpiece and even just use their favorite fall colors!

I’ve put together instructions that are made specifically when making this fall craft with 2-year-olds. If you are making this with a preschooler or older child, take a look at our other ideas to make this even more fun as your kids get older!

I’ve included a free printable how-to to keep on hand while you are putting this fun fall tree craft together. You can also save it for use later!

Dabbing paint leaves onto the fall craft

Things to Remember When Making Crafts with 2-Year-Olds:

  • Let them make their own mistakes! It can be hard to not take control over the craft if something goes wrong. They will love their panting craft anyway! If you struggle with this, create a second craft along with them for you!
  • Put an art smock on before using paint. It will save their clothes and your sanity! I use the this simple art smock set for both my 2-year-old and 5-year-old.
  • Use a plastic tablecloth to cover the table. This will help with clean-up and is reusable! We had this same tablecloth for 2 years before needing to replace it — and that was only because my daughter decided it needed some redecorating with our scissors.
Supplies needed to make this fall craft for 2 year olds

How to Make a Fall Tree Craft with Pom Poms:

STEP ONE: Trace the child’s hand up to their forearm on brown construction paper with a pencil. Have them space their fingers out.

Tracing a hand and forearm on brown construction paper with a pencil

STEP TWO: Cut out the traced hand. This will be used for the tree trunk and branches.

STEP THREE: Glue the handprint to the bottom of the page to create a tree trunk on white construction paper.

STEP FOUR: Take clothespins and clip the pom poms onto each to make it easier for your 2-year-old or child to hold and paint. Each color should have its own pom pom clothespin set.

Clothespin and pom pom stamping leaves onto the paper using the fingers as branches

STEP FIVE: Pour little dabs of each color on a paper plate and place a clothespin in each then let your toddler dab the leaves onto the tree!

I recommend putting one color at a time on the paper plate and letting your toddler work with that color and then moving onto the next. This can help the stress

Stamping colors onto the tree to make a fall tree changing colors

Other Ideas for This Fun Fall Craft for:

  • Use a cut up a sponge to use instead of pom poms
  • Place some falling leaves in the sky with your pom poms
  • Add real or fabric leaves to the autumn craft. I colored these wooden craft leaves for the pictures on this page and my son placed them on the page
  • Make this art piece on contact paper and use crinkled up tissue paper as the leaves instead
  • Add acorns, small pumpkins, and other fall-themed items that can be found around a tree
Finished fall tree craft with leaves on the bottom

How to Make This Fall Craft with Preschoolers and School-Age Children:

  • Have your preschooler or older child trace their hand
  • Allow your child to cut out the handprint on their own

Other Posts You’ll Love:

Fall Tree Craft with paints and clothespin pom poms on a paper plate

Easy Fall Tree Craft

Yield: 1 craft
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $2

An easy and fun fall tree craft for kids ages 2 years old and older!

Materials

Optional

Instructions

  1. Trace the child’s hand up to their forearm on brown construction paper with a pencil. Have them space their fingers out.
  2. Cut out the traced hand. This will be used for the tree trunk and branches.
  3. Glue the handprint to the bottom of the page to create a tree trunk on white construction paper.
  4. Take clothespins and clip the pom poms onto each to make it easier for your 2-year-old or child to hold and paint. Each color should have its own pom pom clothespin set.
  5. Pour little dabs of each color on a paper plate and place a clothespin
    in each then let your toddler dab the leaves onto the tree!

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