Fall is here (in North America, at least)! Have you gotten your pumpkin spice latte or a warm apple cider yet? Fall is one of my favorite times of year! It’s not just the cool, crisp air and reasons for wearing a sweater…from an art teacher’s perspective, there’s so much inspiration out in nature—outside the classroom—for fun and exciting artworks that celebrate the season. Montessori fall crafts are the perfect activity to help students connect what they’re learning inside the classroom with beautiful pieces of nature they can find outside the classroom.
Fall crafts are a great way to connect kinesthetic learning (or art making) with what students are already learning in the classroom. It caters to a different learning style and creates new opportunities for students to use their imaginations and express themselves. This keeps them engaged and excited about what they’re learning!
It doesn’t have to be a challenge to plan your art specials. One of the best things about using autumn as inspiration for your art specials and projects is that it makes things easier on you! You don’t have to comb through Pinterest or other corners of the internet looking for ideas—very likely, they’re right outside your door.
Where to Start: Use Both Outdoor Montessori Fall Crafts & Indoor Crafts
I always encourage Montessori teachers to take their students outside to find fall craft inspiration. The changing colors of the leaves, naked trees, morning dew on the grass, migrating birds, and new fall botanicals (like fungi, pumpkins, and gourds) can all lead to great art projects. And all you have to do is go outside and observe the changes.
On days when you can’t head outside, turn to books for your Montessori fall crafts inspiration. There are so many books for Montessori students that have beautiful pictures of fall leaves. You can have students paint or draw what they see (depending on their age and level), or even just give them paints within the same color palette as the leaves in the books and let them explore the medium.
Here are four fall-leaf books that I really love:
- Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
- Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Bonus Quick Tip: Leaf Luminary Art Project
Here’s one of my favorite Montessori fall crafts that you can do with your students. Send them outside to collect fallen leaves, then use them to create these delightful little luminaries. Your students will be so excited to be able to take them home and show off their art project!
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: collect leaves
Step 2: press leaves so they’re flat
Step 3: Use Mod Podge or decoupage glue to adhere leaves to a clear glass
Step 4: Let dry overnight
One Step Further: Download My Fall Leaf Inspiration Print
I personally think the fall season can give us hundreds of art activity and project ideas, but just to make it even easier on you (which, really, is such a joy because I get to share my love of both fall and art with you!), I’m giving you a FREE Fall Leaf Inspiration Print.
You can print it out and use it on your art shelf or hang it in your inspiration gallery to during the season, or let students fill it in with beautiful colors. It seems like a simple tool, right? But trust me, it’ll lead to so many amazing, creative artworks! Download the Fall Leaf Inspiration Print by clicking here.
A Short Cut Just for You: Professional Development
Of course, fall is just one season of the school year. If you want the tools to be able to come up with art activities all year long, you need the foundation of understanding how children are able to learn art. In my online course, Art Teaching Blueprint, I give you everything you need to easily start teaching art to your your Montessori students.
Art Teaching Blueprint is about to open!
I’ve been helping Montessori teachers all over the world bring art into their classroom for more than 20 years. And I’ve honed and perfected my own art teaching method, and have developed it to complement and support Montessori philosophy, so that you can start teaching art in your classroom too. From setting up a proper art environment and art shelf, to giving your students age-appropriate mediums to explore with, I cover everything a Montessori teacher needs to know.
I’m so excited to be opening up the course one more time for this year! You can sign up for the course starting November 1. But if you want a reminder, and to save your seat now, click here to join the waitlist!
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