Leaf Man Craft for Kids
Fall crafts are so fun, and you can’t go wrong with one that uses one of the very best natural fall crafting material: leaves. Learn how to make a Leaf Man craft with your little ones.
There’s just something so extra special about fall. As a child I grew up completely obsessed with being outside this time of year. Between the beautiful fall foliage, brisk autumn air and seasonal fun, autumn is now an extra special time for my family, too.
We take a lot of nature walks, especially this time of year. One of the things I love doing with my kids is collecting special treasures along our walks that be incorporated into crafting, like pine cones, flowers, and of course, leaves!
This fun Leaf Man craft was inspired by the book Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert. When my oldest child was a toddler, my father-in-law gifted him this beautiful book, and it’s become one of our favorites… especially when the leaves are changing outside our own back door!
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What is the Leaf Man story about?
The Leaf Man follows a collection of autumn leaves on a journey, as they are blown by the wind across lakes, rivers, fields, meadows and more. The tale begins with the leaves starting out in the shape of a man, but they take on all kinds of different shapes and configurations as they go.
My children love not only following the Leaf Man’s journey, but also searching the beautiful illustrations for the hidden pictures the leaves form.
It’s a wonderful book for a wide variety of ages, and makes a wonderful addition to any home library.
How do you make a leaf man out of leaves?
Making a Leaf Man is so much fun, and a great way to incorporate learning about the autumn season! This fun craft works on fine motor skills, visual-spatial skills well as simple science and conversations about our environment.
This free nature craft for kids is one of our very favorites, because it’s truly zero prep and you don’t have to spend any money to have a great finished product.
All you’ll need for this easy fall craft for toddlers and preschoolers are:
- Leaves
- Glue stick
- Paper (any kind! Construction paper, regular white printer paper and even old newspaper work!)
- Optional: a marker or pencil, googly eyes
There are a few different ways to make a leaf man out of leaves: using real leaves, printed leaves or foam leaves from the craft store. Leaves found in your own backyard or on a nature hike are of course free!
This fall craft is the perfect activity for the fall season, because each time your child create leaf creatures they are new and different! Here are the simple step-by-step directions:
If you’re using real leaves (like we do), the first step is to take your kids on a leaf hunt! Give each child a small paper sack or bucket to fill.
Challenge them to see how many leaves they can find around the neighborhood, or how many different kinds of leaves. While on your nature walk, encourage your children to keep their eyes out for any leaf people they see along the way!
You can also incorporate other various objects like moss, acorns and sticks, so keep an eye out for those too! I recommend having each child find at least 15 leaves of various sizes so that they have plenty of options for creating their own Leaf Men later.
Give each child a sheet of paper and some glue, and let their imaginations run wild. Glue the leaves to make leaf people, leaf animals, leaf planes, trains, cars, or whatever they think up! Add googly eyes for some extra fun.
I’ve found that it’s helpful for young children to sketch out the “body” of a person on a sheet of paper. It’s used as a template for them to see how they want to glue their leaves to create the leaf person craft. If your children are older, they probably don’t need this extra step!
Let the leaf man craft totally dry, and hang it up somewhere they’ll be proud to see it. If you’re a teacher, the leaf man activity also can help create the cutest fall bulletin board.
Tips for the Best Leaf Man Craft for Kids
Upon returning home, have your children spread out all of their leaf project items on a table so that you can see if any might need time to dry first.
You can also choose to place the leaves inside the pages of heavy books to make pressed leaves, and come back and finish this craft later, but keep in mind this means you’ll need another day to complete this craft.
If you have extra leaves, save them for future leaf art and leaf-related craft activities.
I recommend having each child find at least 15 leaves of various sizes so that they have plenty of options for creating their own Leaf Men later.
I’ve found that it’s helpful for young children to sketch out the “body” of a person on a sheet of paper. It’s used as a template for them to see how they want to glue their leaves to create the leaf person craft. If your children are older, they probably don’t need this extra step!
Add an extra step and work on counting skills, color identification and more. Have your child count each read leaf, or place each yellow leaf in a pile etc.
Don’t miss the opportunity read Lois Ehlert’s book Leaf Man! It’s truly a great book, and helps children better understand this leaf craft and come up with their own leaf man story too.
How do you make a leaf man out of leaves?
Using a glue stick, glue the leaves on a piece of paper in the shape of a body. Use two googly eyes and markers to finish your leaf man craft, and allow to dry fully before displaying.
More Fall Crafts and Fall Activities for Kids
Toddler-Friendly DIY Fall Wreath with Easy Air Dry Clay Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Toddlers
12 G-Rated Halloween Movies for Kids
How to Make a Leaf Man Craft for Kids
Fall crafts are so fun, and you can’t go wrong with one that uses one of the very best natural fall crafting material: leaves. Learn how to make a Leaf Man craft with your little ones.
Materials
- Fall leaves
- Glue stick
- Paper
- Optional: googly eyes, markers
Instructions
- Give each child a small container to fill and go on a nature hike to collect fall leaves. Challenge them to see how many leaves they can find around the neighborhood, or how many different kinds of leaves. While on your nature walk, encourage your children to keep their eyes out for any leaf people they see along the way!
- Give each child a sheet of paper and some glue, and let their imaginations run wild. Glue the leaves to make leaf people, leaf animals, leaf planes, trains, cars, or whatever they think up! Add googly eyes for some extra fun.
- Let the leaf man craft totally dry, and hang it up somewhere they’ll be proud to see it.
Notes
- I recommend having each child find at least 15 leaves of various sizes so that they have plenty of options for creating their own Leaf Men later.
- I’ve found that it’s helpful for young children to sketch out the “body” of a person on a sheet of paper. It’s used as a template for them to see how they want to glue their leaves to create the leaf person craft. If your children are older, they probably don’t need this extra step!
- Upon returning home, have your children spread out all of their leaf project items on a table so that you can see if any might need time to dry first.
- You can also choose to place the leaves inside the pages of heavy books to make pressed leaves, and come back and finish this craft later, but keep in mind this means you’ll need another day to complete this craft.
- If you have extra leaves, save them for future leaf-related craft activities.
If you enjoyed this craft, be sure to pin it on Pinterest using the image below to make it easier to find next time!
