Simple Fall Tree with Cotton Rounds

Need some quick art? Try this Simple Fall Tree!

Is there anything cuter than toddler made seasonal art? I love doing easy to make crafts as a fun way to celebrate seasons and holidays. This simple fall tree we made totally fits the bill: it’s cute but completely easy!

Looking for more fall activities? Check out my list of 50+ Fall Activities for Toddlers! There are so many great ideas in that list of art, sensory, and simple fall activities.

This simple fall tree is so easy to make!

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• White construction paper
• Brown crayon
• Washable tempera paint (this is my favorite!)
• Cotton round face swabs
• Clothes pins
• OPTIONAL: Kraft paper to cover the art area

I started by drawing a quick bare tree on a piece of white construction paper. While my son colored the tree brown with a crayon, I hook cotton round face swabs to clothes pins. These make the perfect faux leaf shape! Once he was done coloring, I squirted orange, brown, red, and yellow paint on the table (which was covered in Kraft paper).

This tree project was a hit!

I modeled for my son ONE TIME how to use the homemade brushes to stamp leaves on his tree. He loved the way the paint smooshed onto the paper AND the way his hands stayed clean while he worked.

While he worked, we chatted about Fall and what the changing season meant for the trees outside. We talked about leaves changing color and eventually falling off – how that will look, what we remembered from last year, and what we’ve seen so far this season.

It’s so important to connect even the simplest activities to real world experiences.

This simple fall tree has so many possibilities

• Try making it with sponges instead of cotton rounds (see our sponge painting activity)
• Invite your child to draw their own tree
• Trace your child’s hand and arm as the trunk and branches
• Make trees for all the seasons using this same technique

My toddler is so proud of how his simple fall tree turned out and it’s a fabulous piece of decoration for the season! We loved using this painting technique and making this craft – can’t wait to try it again!

Your toddler will love making a simple fall tree!