Here are some ideas to liven up your Art Center this Fall to inspire your little Pre-K artists. These ideas work well in an open-ended art center where children can choose the materials they want to use and be creative in deciding what they want to make.
Last week, I shared Fall Block Play Ideas, which you can check out at the link.
Sequins & Foamies for Collage
Children love collage materials! Add some Fall sequins and craft foamie shapes for children to explore. I have seen kids randomly stick these on paper as they explore, and I have also seen children make outdoor scenes with trees and grass and add leaves to their artwork. Tip: Add a mini “trash can” (can be just a cup or bowl) for the sticker paper from the craft foamies.
I bought the sequins at Hobby Lobby and the foamie shapes at Dollar Tree.
Fall Colored Markers & Crayons
Add some crayons and markers in Fall colors only to your art table to encourage some Fall artwork. If you like to keep all colors in your art center, you can add these in addition to the “regular” colors. I like to provide children with a variety of color hues.
The markers are from a set of 50 Crayola Pip Squeaks, which is how I got so many different hues.
Fall Stencils
Add Fall stencils to your art center for kids to use. Kids love stencils and these are great for fine motor practice! This one is from Hobby Lobby, but my best source for seasonal stencils for children is Oriental Trading.
Fall Colored Tissue Paper
Buy tissue paper in Fall colors and cut it into squares for mosaic art. Often children will glue them randomly on a piece of paper, and may add other collage materials such as the sequins and foamie shapes. Young children need that kind of free exploration, but you can also give them the idea to draw a tree with brown crayon and add the tissue paper as leaves. They still have the option to choose what kind of art they make, but some might like the idea of making a simple tree.
Fall Paint Colors
Rather than have all 8 basic colors at your easel, during the Fall, you can limit it to the Fall colors of red, yellow, orange, green, and brown. Even if children paint abstract art, it will have a Fall-themed look to it. These are regular tempera paint colors, but read on to see how I mix paint to make darker colors.
I love to mix paint colors. To make paint have a darker Fall color, you can add a little brown. In the green cup below, I ended up adding double the amount you see in the picture. Red got double as well. Orange got less brown, and yellow got just a tiny bit. It’s something you have to play around with a little, but if you make a mistake, you can just add more of the original color.
These are my finished Fall mixed paint colors. Compare the photo below to the previous one, and you can see that the colors are more Fall-ish and not as bright.
Next year, I’ll have to make sure I share with you how I make Halloween colors!
What do you add to your art center in the Fall? Share your ideas in the comments below!
Paintbrush clipart by Scrappin Doodles.
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Simple and perfect, as always! Thanks for the great ideas.
you are an amazing woman and I and my class are blessed to enjoy your site. Thank you for your wonderful site & great ideas… 🙂
Thanks, Jamie!
Pls.. Thanks so much for the fall art work. But pls can you help me with some christmax activities for ages 1-4
Thanks, Karen 🙂 for all that you do, your ideas are amazing and so are you, I appreciate them, as well as you.
I put the tricolor penne noodles(green, orange,yellow) and yarn for making necklaces in the art center. We shook the noodles in a bag with glitter and then everyone wanted to make a necklace. Also, we twisted and put masking tape on one end of the precut yarn to make it easier to thread. We taped the other end to the table so the noodles wouldn’t fall off.
Cute! What is the glitter for? Just to add a sparkle? If so didn’t it fall off?
These are so awesome! Thank you, Karen. I love your site!
An empty 1/2 size Tissue box works well for “mini” trash cans and also go right in the trash at the end of the project!
Great idea!
You make everything look so effortless. Thank you for sharing all your great ideas.
Karen, I have been amazed everytime you share an idea. It`s my first year in a preK, play to learn class. I was feeling overwhelmed until I found your site, you make it easier be creative. Thank you so much for sharing.
All your ideas are great and I use them often in my kindergarten classroom in Greece!!! Thank you!!
Wow! Every time I scroll through your pages, it makes me miss my classroom…being the Director is not all it’s cracked up to be! Your site is just about the best I’ve ever come across ~ and I have put you on my list of things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving! Love – love – love the idea of making the paints just a little more ‘fall-ish’, by adding some brown. Keep up the GREAT job!
Thank you for such a nice note, Jennifer! It makes my day!
Thank Karen l love your articles . l am from college and will start Prek class next January , l cant wait to experiment all these ideas.Great.
Verry beautiful!Thank you.
Do you share bulletin board ideas? Love your site I have used many of your ideas. Especially like open ended art
Thank you for so many great ideas and tips that are so simple to do! Keep ’em coming, Karen! You are by far one of the best resources I have found.
Thanks again for taking the time to share!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so glad to hear it!
Good day – you are doing a fantastic work for the knowledge of children. Your work is commendable, keep it up and you will be rewarded by the one an only God for all your work.
Have a nice day and Good Luck!!!
Karen Cox ! you are the best with all ideas you give us for our children.You doing a perfect work. God bless you and keep on giving us ideas thank you
have a lovely day.
I add to my art center real leaves. Children can put them beneath their page and use it as a rubbing plate. They also experiment with all colors and shapes to create a picture. They were really creative with them. They made owls and flowers etc. Thanks for a great site.