November brings cold air, early darkness, and more time indoors. Keeping kids busy throughout the month gets tough, but art projects fill those long afternoons. You do not need a big budget or special supplies. Simple items like fall leaves, pinecones, washable paint, and cardboard can turn your kitchen table into a busy workspace.
These project ideas work for quiet weekends at home or quick classroom activities. Try these 18 November art projects for kids to spark creativity this fall to start making simple autumn crafts today.
1. Pinecone turkey craft
Turn a backyard nature walk into a table centerpiece. Kids collect pinecones outside, then tuck colorful felt scraps or feathers into the scales to build a turkey tail.
Cut a small circle from brown cardstock for the head, glue on googly eyes, and add a small orange paper beak. Attach the head to the front of the pinecone with non-toxic glue. PRO-TIP: Adults can use hot glue to speed up the drying time.
2. Leaf print gratitude tree
Kids often accumulate piles of fresh fall leaves during outdoor play. Paint one side of a sturdy leaf with acrylic paint, then press it onto paper to make detailed leaf prints.
Draw a tree trunk using brown markers or watercolor, then stamp painted leaf prints around the branches. After the paint dries, children can write items they appreciate inside each leaf print. You can find more creative fall art projects for kids to add to your art wall.
3. Pumpkin pie scented playdough sculpture
Mix a batch of homemade orange playdough with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The warm spices add an engaging smell that holds the interest of young children.
Give kids rolling pins, mini pie tins, and cookie cutters so they can shape playdough pie slices and pretend toppings. This activity keeps hands busy on cold November afternoons.
4. Autumn lanterns with tissue paper
Make simple glowing glass lanterns for dark fall evenings. Glue red, orange, and yellow tissue paper squares directly onto clean glass mason jars using Mod Podge.
Add black paper cutouts of bare trees, crows, or pumpkins over the tissue paper layer. Place a battery-operated LED tea light inside to illuminate the room.
5. Traditional corn husk dolls
Teach a little history while making traditional corn husk figures. Soak dried corn husks in warm water for ten minutes so small hands can bend them easily.
Fold, stack, and tie the husks with twine to form heads, arms, and skirts. Kids can finish their dolls using fabric scraps, yarn hair, or small felt hats.
6. Cardboard box acorn sculptures
Reuse shipping boxes by cutting out large acorn shapes from corrugated cardboard to build sturdy autumn decorations.
Mix real coffee grounds into brown paint to create a rough texture on the top cap of the acorn. Paint the bottom section with copper or gold paint for extra color.
7. Salt dough harvest ornaments
Mix two cups of flour, one cup of salt, and one cup of water to form basic salt dough. Roll the dough flat and cut shapes using leaf or turkey cookie cutters.
Poke a hole at the top of each shape before baking them at 250°F for two hours. After the ornaments cool, kids can paint them using washable tempera paint from Crayola.
8. Fingerprint fall tree canvas
Make a keepsake using your child’s handprint. Brush brown paint onto your child’s forearm and hand, then press it onto paper to form the trunk and main branches.
Children dip fingertips into yellow, orange, red, and brown paint to add leaves across the branches. If you need ideas for younger children, review these fun fall art projects for toddlers.
9. Indian corn bubble wrap painting
Bubble wrap provides a quick way to mimic the look of flint corn. Start by cutting corn cob shapes out of heavy yellow paper.
Brush patches of red, brown, orange, and purple paint onto a piece of small bubble wrap. Press the paper corn cob onto the painted surface to print rows of colorful kernels.
10. Coffee filter fall leaves
Combine simple science and art by blending water-based marker inks. Flatten white basket coffee filters and draw patterns on them using washable markers in autumn colors.
Mist the filters with a spray bottle filled with water to make the colors bleed together into soft patterns. Once dry, cut the filters into maple and oak leaf shapes.
11. Apple stamping Thanksgiving cards
Slice fresh apples in half vertically to show their natural core shape. Spread non-toxic paint across the flat cut side of the apple half using a paintbrush.
Press the painted apple onto folded cardstock to print custom Thanksgiving cards for relatives. Explore arts education guides at the National Gallery of Art to learn more about basic printmaking techniques.
12. Chalk pastels harvest moon
Make high-contrast night sky scenes using bright chalk pastels on black paper. Trace around a bowl to outline a large moon circle.
Smudge yellow, orange, and white chalk outward from the circle to form a glowing moon ring. Draw dark tree branches and owls in the foreground with black marker or dark chalk.
13. Yarn wrapped pumpkin craft
This project builds fine motor skills without messy cleanup. Cut pumpkin shapes out of thick cardboard, then snip small notches along the outer edges.
Give children thick orange yarn to wrap around the cardboard until they cover the shape. Glue a small stick to the top to make a stem.
14. Dried fall flower suncatchers
Save late-season garden flowers before winter starts. Gather small wildflowers and colorful leaves, then press them inside heavy books for several days.
Place the pressed petals onto clear contact paper, seal them with a second sheet, and cut the paper into circles. Hang them on sunny windows to catch the light. You can find child development tips at PBS Kids for Parents to support early childhood creativity.
15. Turkey handprint keepsake plate
Create a holiday dish using ceramic paint. Paint your child’s palm brown and their fingers red, orange, and yellow using enamel paint made for glass or ceramics.
Press the painted hand firmly onto an oven-safe ceramic plate to form the turkey body and tail feathers. Bake the plate following the paint package directions to set the colors.
16. Birch tree masking tape resist painting
Stick vertical strips of painter’s tape across watercolor paper to represent birch trunks. Add smaller tape strips sticking out to the sides for branches.
Have kids cover the whole sheet with blue, purple, and yellow watercolor paint. When the paper dries, peel away the tape to reveal bright white trees underneath. Read our full guide on kindergarten fall art projects for more classroom crafts.
17. Paper plate scarecrow craft
Turn plain paper plates into scarecrow decorations. Paint the top section of the plate yellow for straw hair and paint the lower section tan for the face.
Glue a burlap triangle onto the center for a nose and add black buttons for eyes. Complete the project by adding a construction paper hat decorated with a cloth sunflower.
18. Cinnamon stick woodland animals
Make small woodland animal figures that smell like fall spices. Tie three or four whole cinnamon sticks together using hemp twine.
Glue small felt ears, googly eyes, and pom-pom noses near the top of the bundle to shape foxes, owls, or bears. Set the finished crafts on a bookshelf or window sill.
Tips for easy November art sessions
- Cover tables with butcher paper or old newspapers before opening paint containers to keep cleanup fast.
- Let children make their own choices with colors and shapes instead of pushing for a precise final result.
- Wash and dry gathered pinecones and leaves before bringing them to the craft table.
Wrapping up your fall craft projects
Art sessions give children a quiet outlet to practice motor skills, experiment with colors, and try new ideas. These 18 projects provide simple ways to spend time together during cold afternoons. Gather your glue sticks, collect some leaves, and pick your first craft for the week.