Fall Craft Activities Preschoolers: Pizza Pan Pumpkin for Only $5!
It's that time of year again where pumpkin spice everything is all the rage. However, not everyone wants to carve a pumpkin or make a jack-o-lantern. If you're looking for an easy and inexpensive fall craft project, then this pizza pan pumpkin is perfect for you! You can pick up all of the items you need at your local dollar store. Check out all of these Fall Craft Activities Preschoolers will love below. Older kids will enjoy some fall craft ideas as well.
DIY Halloween Craft: Pizza Pan Pumpkin!
It's craft time!! I love Halloween crafts especially pumpkin crafts. Again I was walking through the dollar store, probably my favorite place to find craft supplies, and I found myself staring at this pizza pan wondering what I could do with it! That's when I had my ah-ha moment. It's magnetic so I can turn it into a magnetic jack-o-lantern for the kids. It does double duty as a decoration and a toy! So here's the low down on how to make this adorable pumpkin for just a couple of bucks as well as other Fall Craft Activities for Preschoolers.
First the supplies. A pizza pan, paint, black felt, magnets, glue gun, paint brush and maybe some scraps of fabric if you have them!
Paint the entire pizza pan. It takes at least 3 coats. Make sure it is dry in between coats. You can leave it all orange or add more detail. When it was all dry I sprayed it with a clear spray, or you could use Mod Podge.
While that is drying cut of fun jack-o-lantern shapes from black felt. These felt squares are cheap, like $.30 a square!
When you are done cutting shapes hot glue on the magnets. I used magnetic tape strips, they were only $1 at Walmart and I used less than half the package. I liked that I could easily cut the strips to fit, but the tape on the back was not strong enough so you have to still glue it.
You are almost done. Now all you need to do is do any additional decorating to the pumpkin. I added a stem and vines. And add a ribbon or something to hang it up with, you can also add magnets if you want to hang it on a refrigerator door, dishwasher door or other door in your house, our door out to the garage is metal and we can stick magnets on it. I actually used a drill to drill holes into the pan (Honestly I just really wanted to use power tools!). I'm sure you can glue a ribbon on to hang it up as well.
Even if you head to the pumpkin patch you don't have to carve it out and remove the pumpkin seeds. Leave them whole for a natural fall display and use felt for making fun faces that can be changed over and over or save the carving for big kids or elementary school age kids. No matter who you make this for it is such a cute fall craft.
With just a few simple supplies that you may already have around the house, you can help your little ones get into the Fall spirit with this fun and easy craft activity. We hope you have as much fun with them as we did! If this isn't the one for you keep reading!
More Fall Craft Activities for Preschoolers
Fall is a great time to get crafty with your kids! There are so many easy fall crafts that can be done with items you already have around the house. Plus, crafting is a great way to develop fine motor skills and encourage creativity. Here are some easy fall crafts and autumn crafts that are perfect for preschoolers:
Leaf rubbings:
Go on a nature walk and collect some leaves from your yard and place them underneath a piece of paper. Then, have your child use a crayon to rub over the top of the paper. The leaf's veins will create a cool pattern on the paper! This is a fun project that can be done with things you have at home and won't need to go to the craft store. Turn your leaf hunt into a game. Who can find the biggest leaf? Who can find the crunchiest leaf? How many different colors of leaves can we find? How many different shapes of leaves can we find? When you get home practice sorting them into different categories.
If your child is enjoying the leaves use the internet to identify the types of trees your leaves have come from. Can you identify the trees in your own yard? Kids just love being outdoors and it is so good for them. You can use nature hunts to collect other fall items as well like acorns and pinecones. This is our top picks for fall craft activities for preschoolers
Suncatchers:
Cut out different shapes from colored construction paper or tissue paper and glue them onto a clear sheet of contact paper. You can make the shape of pumpkins or apple trees, anything you want really. Hang the suncatcher in a sunny window and enjoy the colorful display! Paper crafts are great for little kids especially if you have a messy little monster or you want to do a craft with a group like a Sunday School class or Moms day out group. Look for simple ideas for group craft times or things to have stashed away at home for rainy days.
Paint with apples:
Cut an apple in half and dip it in paint. Then, use the apple halves as stamps to create fun patterns on construction paper or cardstock. You can also add texture to your paintings by using different types of apples (e.g., Granny Smith apples for smooth lines and Braeburn apples for rough texture). You can also use real leaves in the same way, almost like a stamp to transfer shapes to paper. Other fun objects to use for painting are celery, potatoes cut into shapes or even bubble wrap. If you stick with apple crafts make some apple snacks or go pick apples at the local apple orchard. These fun activities and apple crafts are the perfect way to turn all of these activities into an educational unit on apples. Check your local library for books on apples, apple pie or Johnny Appleseed.
Fall tree handprint:
Paint your child's hand with brown paint or orange paint and press it onto a sheet of white construction paper. Add green handprints for the leaves and red, orange, or yellow fingerprints for the fruits. This easy craft is perfect for kids of all ages! Think of the colors of fall leaves, you can mix colors as you paint your child's hand. A fun way to use lots of color. I like a fun craft but I LOVE easy crafts. This is the perfect way to craft with things you probably have at home already.
Painting with acorns:
Another easy fall craft is painting with acorns. First, collect some acorns and remove the caps. Then, let your child use the acorns as paintbrushes to create autumn-inspired masterpieces. If you have a lot of acorns you can also find different things to glue them onto. Make a picture of fall trees and glue on your acorns. You will want to process them properly though. Wash them well and let them sit in water. You want to get the dirt off so you may need to use a small scrub brush. Then lay them on paper towels to dry for 2-3 hours, depending on how warm or humid your home is. Once they are dry check them over and make sure none of them look gross, if any of them look rotten or like someone is living inside throw these in the trash. You will need to dry these in a low over for 1-2 hours.
Heat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, place your towel dried acorns onto a cookie sheet that they can't roll off of. Put them in the oven and leave your oven door open just a crack. I like to do this at night when everyone else is in bed just because the oven like this makes me nervous. Check them every 20-30 minutes to make sure they aren't burning. You may want to shake your pan around to turn them over if needed.
Stick Puppets
This craft is perfect for using up any leftover popsicle sticks you have lying around. Glue on some felt or construction paper cut-outs for facial features, then dress up your puppets with scraps of fabric or yarn. These puppets can be used to put on Fall-themed puppet shows for the whole family to enjoy. Paper toilet rolls also make great puppets, just save them up for a few days so you can make a whole set. There are many free printables for turning toilet paper tubes into something or someone fun. Once I even made a Nativity with a printable and TP rolls! The kids can color the template before you cut it out and use a glue stick to attach it to the tube.
If you need more fall craft activities for preschoolers, head over to Pinterest and search for projects like Paper Plate Owls, Felt pumpkin pie, Leaf crafts or Fun Fall Craft ideas. There are so many things out there that folks have made with toilet paper rolls, googly eyes or coffee filters. You can make all kinds of crafts with things you already have, a printable template, items in your yard during the fall season or supplies you can get for very little money at the grocery store or dollar store.
With all of these fun ideas for fall crafts, we hope you have a blast with your preschoolers this autumn. From colorful leaves to Thanksgiving turkeys, there’s something here for everyone. Be sure to snap some pictures of your little ones hard at work (or play) and share them with us on social media. We can’t wait to see what amazing creations they come up with!
Wow, this is so cute. I love Halloween crafts. This looks adorable.
Thanks Vicki!
Thank you!!
You’re quite welcome!
So so cute and easy to do thanks for sharing
You’re quite welcome 🙂