Easy Fall Craft Idea: Leaves of Thankfulness

Years of being involved in children’s ministry mean I’ve survived my share of crafts involving glitter, paint and glue. However, the time and effort required for cleaning up after messy crafts means less time interacting with the kids, so I prefer crafts with minimal clean up time. While preparing for a children’s camp one fall, I stumbled across the idea of making a leaf garland out of paper leaves and yarn. The garland required only basic art supplies, but the best part was how simple and fast it was to clean up when the children finished! Below is our version of a Leaves of Thankfulness garland craft.

1. White cardstock
2. Leaf template download
3.  Scissors
4. Hole punch
5. Markers/crayons
6. Yarn
7. Stickers (optional)

1. Download our Leaves of Thankfulness Template
2.   Print out five to fifteen leaves per student on white cardstock.
3. Cut leaves out for young children and around leaves for older children.
4. Punch a small hole in each leaf stem.
5. Cut three feet of fall colored yarn for each child

1. Have kids draw or write one thing they are thankful for on each leaf and color the leaves.
2. Have kids string their leaves on the yarn, making a half knot at the top of each leaf to hold the leaves in place.
3. Tie a loop on each end of the yarn to prevent leaves from falling off and to allow for easy hanging.

1. Adjust the number of leaves and the length of yarn depending on age of children and time allotted for the craft.
2. Have fall themed stickers for kids to use for decorating their leaves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura helps churches across the country prepare for Vacation Bible School. Growing up as a pastor’s kid, she was regularly involved in children’s and youth ministry. Laura spent ten years in full-time overseas ministry, and is uniquely prepared for serving churches through her role at Concordia Supply.