7 Easy Preschool Fall Crafts (3 Free Printable Templates)

Looking for easy preschool fall crafts that don't require lots of supplies? These seven autumn activities are simple to set up at home, in a preschool classroom, or during a cozy afternoon. Start with three free printable fall craft templates—a pumpkin, an acorn, and an apple tree—then try four more ideas using paper and everyday materials.

Most activities use paper, crayons, child-safe scissors, and a glue stick. Younger children may need an adult to do the cutting. These crafts work particularly well for ages 3–5, but you can simplify or extend them to suit your group.

Download 3 Free Preschool Fall Craft Templates

Free printables included: pumpkin cut-and-paste craft, acorn craft, and apple tree craft. Open and save each high-resolution PNG using the links below.

1. Printable Pumpkin Craft (Free Printable)

This smiling pumpkin craft uses a pumpkin body, separate stem and two leaves. Children color each shape, cut around the outlines with help, and glue the stem and leaves behind the pumpkin.

Download free printable pumpkin craft template (PNG)

How to make it

1. Print the template and color all the pieces.
2. Help your child cut out each shape along its outside border.
3. Arrange the pieces on paper before applying glue.
4. Glue the parts together and display the finished fall craft.

2. Easy Paper Acorn Craft (Free Printable)

This friendly acorn template has a separate acorn body, cap, and stem. Color the cap brown, add a fun pattern, then assemble the parts into a cute fall decoration.

Download free easy paper acorn craft template (PNG)

How to make it

1. Print the template and color all the pieces.
2. Help your child cut out each shape along its outside border.
3. Arrange the pieces on paper before applying glue.
4. Glue the parts together and display the finished fall craft.

3. Apple Tree Cut-and-Paste Craft (Free Printable)

Create an autumn apple tree using the tree canopy, trunk, and six separate apples. Children can count the apples while gluing them onto the tree to practice early number skills.

Download free apple tree cut-and-paste craft template (PNG)

How to make it

1. Print the template and color all the pieces.
2. Help your child cut out each shape along its outside border.
3. Arrange the pieces on paper before applying glue.
4. Glue the parts together and display the finished fall craft.

4 More Easy Fall Crafts for Preschoolers

4. Colorful Autumn Leaf Collage

Supplies: construction paper, crayons, glue stick, and child-safe scissors (optional).

1. Draw several large leaf outlines on colored paper, or let children trace a real leaf.
2. Color with red, orange, brown, and yellow crayons.
3. Cut or tear out the leaves and arrange them on another sheet of paper.
4. Glue them into a big autumn tree or leaf pile.

Learning idea: Count the leaves and group them by color. Younger children can use pre-cut shapes instead of scissors.

5. Squirrel Tail Paper Craft

Supplies: brown paper, crayons, glue, and a pencil.

1. Draw or print a simple squirrel body and a large curly tail.
2. Let children decorate the tail using finger-painted dots, torn paper, or crayons.
3. Cut out the body and tail with adult help, then glue them together.
4. Try counting paper acorns next to the squirrel for extra play.

Learning idea: Practice hand coordination by tearing and gluing small pieces of paper.

6. Hedgehog With Paper Leaf Spines

Supplies: paper, crayons, glue, and pre-cut leaf shapes.

1. Draw a rounded hedgehog body and a small face on paper.
2. Cut out or tear several little leaves from orange, yellow, or brown paper.
3. Glue the leaves onto the hedgehog's back as pretend spines.
4. Add an eye and a tiny nose, then give your hedgehog a name.

Learning idea: Sort the leaf shapes from shortest to longest before gluing them on.

7. Fall Paper Garland

Supplies: paper, string, tape, crayons, and child-safe scissors.

1. Use the pumpkin and acorn printable shapes above, or draw simple leaves and apples.
2. Color and cut several pieces.
3. Have an adult help attach each piece to a length of string using tape.
4. Hang the garland across a classroom display or inside your home, safely out of reach of young children.

Learning idea: Make a repeating pattern: pumpkin, leaf, acorn; pumpkin, leaf, acorn.

What Do Preschoolers Learn From Fall Crafts?

Simple fall crafts can give children opportunities to practice fine motor coordination, following instructions, matching colors, counting, and using their imaginations. They can also start conversations about autumn weather, trees, apples, and animals that live in forests.

Keep cutting sessions short, use age-appropriate scissors with supervision, and focus on the activity rather than making every finished craft look identical.

Printable Fall Crafts vs. Coloring Pages

Coloring pages are great for a quick activity, while cut-and-paste crafts add a hands-on assembly step. You can combine both: color a picture first, then use its shapes in a paper collage.

For more autumn-themed artwork, explore our Autumn Coloring Pages digital download. You can also browse our Cut & Paste Animals Worksheets for more practice with scissors and glue, or try our Printable Paper Houses Craft for a buildable project.

Looking for more ideas? Read 8 Printable Paper Crafts for Kids or see our A4 vs US Letter printing guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these fall craft templates free?

Yes. The pumpkin, acorn, and apple tree templates on this page are free to download as individual PNG images for personal or noncommercial classroom activities.

What supplies do I need for preschool fall crafts?

For most of the activities, use plain paper or cardstock, crayons, a glue stick, and child-safe scissors. Optional extras include colored paper, tape, and washable markers.

Are these activities suitable for three-year-olds?

They can be, with adult supervision. For younger children, pre-cut pieces and let them concentrate on coloring, arranging, and gluing.

How should I print the templates?

Open the PNG image, select portrait orientation, and use a fit-to-page setting so none of the shapes are cut off.

Ready to make something? Start with the free pumpkin, acorn, or apple tree printables above, then try a different fall craft each day.