Fall Tree Art with Paper and Paint

Fall arts and crafts: a tree art lesson using torn paper and paint dots with Q-tips based on observations of autumn changes.

Creating Fall Trees {A Primary Art Activity}

The new season is the perfect time for fall tree art with paper and paint. Trees are beautiful. They give us fresh air to breathe. Therefore, they are extremely useful in our world. They grow and evolve with us. Finally, they are ever changing with each passing season.

They are also a visual source for children every day. Most children see some sort of tree every day for all of their lives. They plant them and watch them grow. They climb them and rake their leaves.

For this art activity, they watch them and create them.

We start by observing trees out our classroom window or going on a nature walk. We notice that a large tree must have a strong tree trunk to hold its weight. Sometimes, we point out many twisting, crooked branches and how they point in many different ways. Then, we remark that every tree is unique, is a different size, and has a different shape.

How to Create Fall Trees

To form our fall trees, we use construction paper, our fingers to tear, and glue sticks. Tearing paper allows children to forget perfectly cut pieces and straight lines. It’s also a great art technique. We focus instead on forming a realistically, imperfect tree.

We start by tearing a green piece of paper for the ground. It is glued on top of a purple background. A larger, longer piece of brown paper is torn for the tree trunk.

We tear smaller strips of brown paper for the branches. We glue one strip on at a time, adding to the tree trunk to create branches.

From each branch, we glue smaller pieces on to make more branches.

We add more strips of different sizes and shapes until our trees look full, yet bare.

On our walk, we noticed the changing colors of the leaves from green to different shapes of red, orange, yellow, and brown. We found leaves on the ground around us. We saw leaves falling from the trees. To create fall trees, we use Q-Tips to dab in red, orange, yellow, and brown tempera paint.

We dab the tiny sticks on the branches of our trees.

We dot the paint as if the leaves were falling from the trees and pilling on the ground.

Each tree turns out different and unique in their own way.

We hang them up on a bulletin board to create a beautiful fall tree display.

FREE Fall Directed Drawing Activities

Try this set of directed drawing, plus writing and reading activities this fall! Use these activities, along with your read alouds for a fun fall lesson!

Click the image below to download a copy.