Nature is the perfect craft store and it’s totally free! From colorful leaves and wildflowers to sticks, stones, and pinecones, the great outdoors is full of materials just waiting to be turned into art. These 18 nature crafts for kids are all about connecting with the world around us, using real materials collected on walks, in backyards, or at the park.
These crafts are easy, fun, and suitable for toddlers to tweens, whether you’re homeschooling, looking for an after-school activity, or just trying to make the most of a sunny day. Let’s explore how kids can create, learn, and make something they’re proud of—right from nature’s toolkit.
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1. 🦔 Hedgehog Nature Craft
Image: @mamansurlefil
This adorable craft turns simple sticks into the prickly spines of a sweet little hedgehog. Start with a hedgehog-shaped base cut from cardboard or recycled paper, then gather small twigs or bark pieces to glue on top. It’s a fun way to explore textures and talk about woodland animals. Kids love giving it a face and naming their spiky new friend.
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2. 🐞 Cute Paper Bugs
Image: @lenas_little_ones_daycare_
These charming paper bugs combine nature and imagination! Start with leaves as the wings, then use cardboard, googly eyes, and markers to bring each bug to life. Kids can design butterflies, ladybugs, or fantasy creatures—every bug is unique. It’s a simple project that encourages storytelling and fine motor skills.
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3. 🍁 Autumn Leaf Fairies
Image: @studio_rosie
Turn crisp autumn leaves into magical fairy wings! This enchanting project lets kids combine sticks, leaves, acorns, and flower petals to build whimsical fairy figures. They can add yarn for hair and draw tiny faces. It’s a dreamy fall craft that brings the beauty of the season to life in a totally hands-on way.
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4. 🌰 Acorn Nature Craft
Image: @repurposedrustics
This craft transforms humble acorns into miniature art. Whether you paint them, turn them into tiny animals, or glue them into a wreath, acorns are incredibly versatile and fun to work with. Kids love collecting them—and even more, turning them into something beautiful. It’s a great way to build focus and creativity.
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5. 🎃 Leaf Pumpkin Craft
Image: @lindamydlak
Using fallen leaves in warm autumn tones, this pumpkin craft combines natural beauty with seasonal celebration. Arrange leaves on a pumpkin cutout, glue them down, and finish with a stem made of twigs or brown paper. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving or fall-themed lessons, and the final product looks lovely on the fridge or windowsill.
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6. 🐦 Handcrafted Bird Nests
Image: @willowtreekindergarten
Encourage little hands to build their own nests using twigs, dried grass, feathers, and mud. It’s a fantastic sensory craft that helps kids understand how real birds build their homes. Add small clay or paper birds to nestle inside, and use the time to talk about wildlife, habitats, and seasons.
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7. 🌸 Floral Popsicle Craft
Image: @jess4drew
These beautiful floral “popsicles” are made by pressing flowers between popsicle stick frames and sticky contact paper. Kids will enjoy arranging their blooms into colorful displays, and the finished crafts can be hung in windows like suncatchers. It’s a sweet way to preserve the magic of spring or summer walks.
8. 🌈 Rainbow Threading Board
Image: @littlepinelearners
Create a rainbow outline on cardboard, poke holes along the arch, and let kids thread colorful yarn or twine through it. Add flowers, leaves, or small petals between the threads for extra color. This project supports hand-eye coordination and creativity while introducing pattern-making with a nature twist.
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9. 💐 Flower Threading Board
Image: @littlepinelearners
Similar to the rainbow board but in flower shapes, this threading activity lets kids weave in real flower petals, stems, and leaves. It turns fine motor practice into something beautiful and calming, with endless combinations of colors and textures from the garden or park.
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10. 🌿 Spring Nature Wreath
Image: @donnaxaur
Use a paper plate or cardboard circle as a base and help your child collect leaves, flowers, and small branches to create a seasonal wreath. Tie it together with twine or string, and hang it on a door or wall. It’s a great group activity for spring and teaches kids about natural cycles and plant life.
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11. 🔯 Six-Point Sacred Weaving
Image: @peacewithnaturehandwork
This meditative weaving craft starts with a six-point star frame made from twigs or sticks. Kids use natural yarn, vines, or thread to create intricate patterns inside. The process encourages calm focus, while the result is a symbolic, sacred piece they can hang with pride. It’s a great activity for mindfulness and connection.
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12. 🐌 Garden Snail Craft
Image: @jess4drew
This adorable snail is crafted from a paper swirl for the shell and decorated with dried leaves, bark, or flower petals. Kids can add googly eyes or twist pipe cleaners for antennae. It’s a fun way to play with shapes and explore the tiny creatures we often find in our gardens.
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13. 👧 Nature Peg People
Image: @play_with_pixie
Using clothespins or wooden pegs, kids can create nature-inspired characters using bark, moss, flower petals, and seeds. Each “person” can wear a flower dress, have leafy wings, or carry a twig staff. It’s imaginative, open-ended play with an enchanting forest twist.
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14. 🌕 Grain Moon Craft
Image: @winterdragoncrafts
This beautiful moon-shaped collage uses grains like rice, oats, or lentils mixed with flowers and natural items to form lunar artwork. It’s tactile, soothing, and visually striking. Use a cardboard moon cutout and let kids glue the materials in moon phases or decorative patterns.
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15. 🦉 Crafty Owl Art
Image: @mysmartchildren
Make your own wise owl using pinecones, feathers, leaves, and googly eyes. Use paper or bark for the wings and let kids design their owl’s expression. It’s a hoot to make—and helps teach about forest animals and their habitats in a playful, artistic way.
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16. 🍃 Lichen Ornaments
Image: @homeeducationideas
Collect lichen or moss from tree bark (gently and responsibly), and use it to decorate wooden discs, cardboard shapes, or dried citrus slices. Add string to hang them as ornaments or nature mobiles. These delicate green textures bring the forest indoors in a gentle, artful way.
17. 🚀 Lucky Charm Rockets
Image: @monstamoons
Turn small sticks and colorful yarn into tiny rocket crafts that look like good luck charms. Wrap the sticks with thread, add tiny feathers, flowers, or even beads. Hang them in a child’s room or garden space. This fun nature craft has a magical, uplifting energy that inspires imagination.
18. 🌸 Spring Flowers in Eggshells
Image: @nosideescreatives
Don’t throw out those breakfast eggshells—turn them into miniature flower pots! Carefully clean and dry the shells, add a bit of soil or moss, and plant small blooms or even clover. Kids will be amazed by their tiny garden and love watching it grow. It’s a perfect spring or Earth Day craft.
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🌼 Why Nature Crafts Are So Powerful for Kids
- 🍃 They encourage kids to explore the outdoors
- ✋ Help improve sensory and motor skills
- 🧠 Foster creativity, focus, and appreciation for nature
- 💚 Build lifelong respect for the environment
These crafts aren’t just fun—they’re learning, bonding, and memory-making moments. All from the simple magic of leaves, rocks, flowers, and imagination.
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