Who doesn’t like playing with fallen leaves on an autumn day? Throwing them up into the air, stomping on them, or using them to get creative, leaves are where it’s at this time of year.
Here are 10 fun ways to use these colourful, crisp leaves in your toddler’s next craft project.
1 Crown of leaves
Does your little one like pretending to be a prince or princess? If so, they’ll love making themselves a golden leaf crown. All you need to do is stick a handful of leaves onto a strip of cardboard. When all the leaves are in place, fasten the card to the size of your child’s head and watch them be king or queen for the day.
2 Leaf mobile
Don’t leave you child’s favourite leaves in the park – make them into a mobile! Simply find a stick or branch and attach leaves using pieces of string or cotton. Tie one end onto the branch and the other round the stalk of the leaf. You can then attach a piece of string to both ends of the stick to hang it up.
3 Funny faces
Your toddler or preschooler might like to use leaves and other natural bits and bobs to make faces. You can picture it now: leaves for hair, conker for a nose, acorn cups for eyes, and berries for a mouth. Get even more creative and add earrings or moustaches – these faces can be as serious or silly as you want.
4 Leaf rubbing
When you’ve had your fill of bark rubbings, you can move onto leaf rubbings. Lay a selection of leaves flat on a table, veins facing up, and place a piece of paper over the top. Use a crayon to colour over the leaves and watch the patterns emerge.
5 Glitter leaf garland
If you fancy getting glitzy, it’s time to make a glitter leaf garland. Simply gather a selection of autumn leaves (make sure they’re not too crunchy) and cover them with glue and glitter. Leave them to dry and tie a piece of string to each stalk. Attach these onto a long piece of ribbon (as long as you want) so the glittery leaves hang down.
6 Leafy wreath
For this you will need a thick circle of card with a hole in the centre. Paint it a lovely autumnal shade of orange and when dry, stick some leaves on top. (If you need to flatten them first, place between two heavy books). Keep it minimal or layer them up – let your child decide.
7 Superhero mask
If your kid enjoys playing superheroes, why not let them make their very own leafy mask? Cut out a mask shape from a piece of card and snip out two eye holes. Stick a selection of leaves onto the mask and attach some elastic or two pieces of ribbon so they can put it on, ready to save the day
At Little Willows, we love getting the children outside all year round. Our nursery in Bath is undergoing a huge renovation in the garden this month. As part of that, we’re adding more outdoor learning experiences including a mud kitchen and bug hotel.
We strive to give the children lots of outdoor learning experiences. Exploring our local parks, canal walks and the wider community, we love to see the children play with natural resources, from counting with conkers to printing with leaves and building with sticks. The children adore investigating the world around them, as adults we’re just there to lend a hand.
To find out more about Little Willows nurseries get in touch with the team today.