We love Autumn Crafts. This Leaf Sewing is just perfect for your toddler or pre-schooler and it can easily be adapted for older children too.
I love that it means getting outside to go on a nature hunt first which is always so lovely and pretty at this time of year. Who doesn’t love the chance to go scrunching along kicking all those leaves? And if you’re little ones are anything like mine then they love a good leaf throwing battle too. Great fun!
It’s a great Autumn crafts activity for developing scissors skills, hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills and gives a fantastic opportunity to chatter about Autumn and all things nature.
The end result is really pretty and I think they look great on display on a wall, hanging from a mobile/bunting or on the front of a card. They’d also make lovely presents for your little ones to share with someone special.
How To Make Autumn Craft: Leaf Sewing
For those of you that like a visual demonstration I’ve made a short video which you can see below. And if you prefer written instructions then just scroll on a smidge further to find them.
Supplies For Leaf Sewing
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- Leaves
- Thin card
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Coloured wool or embroidery thread
- Sticky tape
How To Make Autumn Art Leaf Sewing
- Gently rinse and dry the leaf.
- Apply glue to the underside and stick onto your card. (It can help to squash it flat in a book or under something heavy for half an hour while the glue dries.)
- Cut out the leaf.
- Use the hole punch to make holes at intervals around the edge of the leaf.
- Cut some lengths of thread for sewing and wrap the end in sticky tape to make it rigid and easier for little hands to thread with.
- Use sticky tape to secure the loose ends of thread onto the back of the leaf.
Leaf Sewing Differentiation:
- Different leaf shapes can be used to reduce or increase the cutting out challenge.
- Reduce or increase the number of sewing holes around the edge of the leaf.
- Decrease or increase the rigidity of the end of the sewing thread.
- Older children could use a needle and thread and design a pattern or picture to sew onto the leaf without the use of punched holes. They may enjoy sewing leaves together.
Opportunities to develop language and knowledge of the world around us:
- talk about: colours, shapes, textures, smells.
- match and sort leaves according to different properties.
- match the leaves to different tree types.
- explore other seasonal changes; clothes, temperature, food, darkness times etc.
Have your kids got creative with foil before? We love hearing how you get on, leave a comment below, come and chat on Facebook or sign up to our email updates.
More Fun Autumn Crafts To Do With Kids:
