Easy Peasy Fall Collages

We did a variety of Fall collages today that I wanted to share. The best part about them was that they were EASY and perfect for little ones (around 18 months to 2 years old) to do semi-independently (assuming they aren't still trying to eat crayons, paint, or glue :)).

I had four little boys over this morning for a playgroup (plus my own little guy) and we mostly just played... but I wanted to do a little Fall craft with them as well. This paper plate Fall collage was perfect- fast, held their attention for 10-15 minutes, and let them explore a variety of textures.

Paper Plate Fall Collage

I used a paper plate because I knew it would be easier to help contain all the little things they glued... and we'd have less of a mess on the floor.

Materials Needed: paper plates, Elmers glue, fall leaves, fall colored pom poms, foam leaves (and other objects- pumpkins, turkeys, etc.), pine cones, etc.

Directions:

Easy!

1. Put some Elmers glue all over the center of the paper plate (older kids can do the glue themselves).

2. Stick objects to the glue to create your masterpiece!!

You could also have the kids color the plates with crayons if you want... we just used glue and stuck things on.

The little boys LOVED the pom poms and pine cones.

Acorn and Fall Leaf Collage

Materials Needed: Fall colored cardstock (we used brown and orange), markers, Do-A-Dot paints (or other paints), Fall colored tissue paper, scissors, Fall colored foam, Fall colored pom poms, crayons, Elmers glue.

Directions:

1. Draw a large Fall shape onto your colored cardstock.

2. Gather your Fall colored materials. We colored with crayons and painted first...

3. Have your little one add some Elmers glue. We worked on the task of "staying on" the picture (either the acorn or leaf) and not letting the glue go off the edge... mostly because I wanted to cut out the object at the end.

4. Start sticking items onto the glue! We used materials with a variety of texture. We cut up little pieces of foam (a great task for kids who are developing their scissors skills) and we ripped up pieces of tissue paper (another great fine motor finger task).

5. Let the collages dry!

6. Cut out around the pictures, hang them up alone, or mount them onto a different colored Fall paper and then hang them up.

I loved these crafts mostly because they were possible to do with several kids without any other adults helping... in addition to the fact that the kids had a good time and loved the different textures.

Vocabulary words that were discussed included: acorn, leaf, pumpkin, turkey, the various Fall colors, pom pom, pine cone, and a variety of texture words- soft, squishy, pointy, rough, smooth, scrunch, etc.

We also talked about where you can find acorns, leaves, and pine cones... and the kids were extra excited when they found some huge pine cones in our backyard later in the morning!