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Rainy Saturday, restless kids, and a budget that does not stretch to a craft store haul. Here is the truth nobody tells you: the dollar store carries almost everything needed for a full afternoon of fall crafting, and most of these projects cost under three dollars per kid once the supplies are split across a few makes.
These twenty ideas cover paper plates, pinecones, pipe cleaners, and every other cheap supply sitting on a dollar store shelf right now. Pick a few for this weekend and save the rest for the next rainy day.
1. Paper Plate Pumpkin Faces
Paint a paper plate orange, let it dry, then hand kids construction paper scraps to cut and glue into silly jack-o-lantern faces. No two ever turn out the same, which is half the fun of this one.
Hot tip: paint the plates the night before so the actual craft time goes straight to the fun part, cutting and gluing faces.
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- White Paper Plates, Bulk
- Orange Washable Kids Paint
- Construction Paper, Fall Colors
- Kid Safe Scissors, Set
2. Pinecone Owl Ornaments
Glue felt wings and googly eyes onto a pinecone for a woodland owl that hangs from a string or sits on a shelf. Dollar store pinecone bags usually hold ten or more, enough for a whole classroom project.
An honest note: hot glue works far better than school glue on pinecones, so this one is best done with an adult handling the glue gun.
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3. Popsicle Stick Scarecrows
Arrange five popsicle sticks into a stick figure, paint on overalls and a straw hat shape, then glue a fabric scrap face into the middle. The finished scarecrow stands up on its own with a small cardboard base.
The trick here: raffia or dry grass glued around the neck and wrists sells the scarecrow look instantly, and dollar stores usually stock small raffia bundles near the floral aisle.
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4. Handprint Turkey Cutouts
Trace a small hand onto brown construction paper, cut it out, then add googly eyes, a wattle, and feet cut from red and orange scraps. The fingers become the turkey’s tail feathers with zero extra supplies needed.
This one doubles as a place card holder for Thanksgiving if a name gets written on the belly before the eyes go on.
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5. Mason Jar Leaf Lanterns
Brush a thin layer of glue around a mason jar, press on paper leaves or real dried leaves, then drop in a battery tea light once dry. The jar glows through the leaves for a soft fall porch light.
Skip real candles for this one since kids handle the finished jars, and battery tea lights give the same warm glow without the risk.
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6. Paper Bag Leaf Suncatchers
Cut a leaf shape out of a brown paper lunch bag, leaving a wide border, then fill the center with torn tissue paper in red, orange, and yellow. Taped to a window, the light shines through the tissue paper like stained glass.
Hot tip: tear the tissue paper instead of cutting it for a softer, more natural leaf texture that catches the light better.
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7. Toilet Paper Roll Acorn Buddies
Paint a toilet paper roll brown, top it with a tan felt cap, and add a face for an acorn character that stands upright on a shelf. Make a whole family of them in one sitting since the supplies barely cost anything.
Save toilet paper rolls for a week before this craft so there are enough on hand for every kid to make two or three.
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8. Foam Sheet Fall Wreaths
Cut a paper plate ring as a base, then glue on foam leaf shapes cut from dollar store foam sheets in red, orange, and brown. A loop of ribbon on top turns it into a wreath ready to hang on a bedroom door.
Foam sheets often come pre-cut into leaf and pumpkin shapes at the dollar store, which skips the cutting step entirely for younger kids.
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9. Cotton Ball Sheep in a Pumpkin Patch
Glue cotton balls onto a black paper sheep body cutout, add tiny black legs and a face, then set the finished sheep in a scene with mini foam pumpkins. The fluffy texture makes this one of the more tactile crafts on the whole list.
Stretch each cotton ball slightly before gluing so it covers more surface area, since dollar store bags never have quite enough for a big group.
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10. Egg Carton Pumpkins
Cut individual cups from an egg carton, paint them orange, and add a green pipe cleaner stem poked through the top. A whole patch of these lined up on a windowsill looks surprisingly charming for something made from trash.
An honest note: egg cartons take two coats of paint to fully cover the cardboard texture, so plan for drying time between coats.
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11. Paper Plate Owl Masks
Cut eye holes into a paper plate, paint it brown, and glue on feather shapes cut from felt or paper along with a felt beak. A popsicle stick handle taped to the back turns it into a mask kids can hold up and play with right away.
Cut the eye holes before handing plates to kids so nobody ends up frustrated trying to poke through cardboard with dull scissors.
Shop the Look
- White Paper Plates, Bulk
- Felt Sheets, Assorted Colors
- Jumbo Popsicle Sticks, Bulk
- Brown Washable Kids Paint
12. Pom Pom Fall Trees
Draw or paint a bare tree trunk on cardstock, then glue red, orange, and yellow pom poms along the branches for a full canopy of fall color. Kids can go as full or as sparse with the pom poms as they like.
This craft works well as a display piece since the finished trees hold up flat on a wall or propped on a shelf for the whole season.
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13. Clothespin Leaf Bookmarks
Paint a wooden clothespin, glue on a small paper or felt leaf, and let it dry into a bookmark that clips right onto a page. These make an easy party favor since a dozen come together in under an hour.
Hot tip: a light coat of clear sealant keeps the paint from chipping off the clothespin’s wooden grip after repeated use.
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14. Paper Leaf Garland
Trace and cut leaf shapes from fall colored paper, punch a hole in each, then string them onto twine for a garland that hangs across a window or mantel. This one scales up or down easily depending on how many leaves kids feel like cutting.
A hole punch shaped like a leaf or star adds a decorative cutout to each piece without any extra steps for smaller hands.
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- Construction Paper, Fall Colors
- Craft Twine, Natural
- Decorative Hole Punch, Shapes
- Leaf Shape Stencil Set
15. Googly Eye Monster Pumpkins
Skip the carving knife entirely and let kids press a handful of googly eyes and pipe cleaner arms onto a small foam or plastic pumpkin instead. The sillier the arrangement, the better this craft turns out.
Foam pumpkins hold glue better than real ones and last through the whole season without going soft on the porch.
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16. Yarn Wrapped Pumpkins
Wrap orange and cream yarn around a foam pumpkin base, tucking the ends under previous wraps to secure them without any glue. A cinnamon stick or twig pressed into the top stands in for a stem.
This craft builds fine motor skills since the wrapping takes patience, so it works best for slightly older kids or as a parent and child project together.
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17. Cardboard Tube Corn Stalks
Paint a paper towel tube green, then glue on paper husks and yellow pom poms or dried corn kernels for the ears. A few of these grouped together in a small pot make a tabletop harvest display.
An honest note: paper towel tubes need two coats of green paint to look fully covered, same as the egg carton pumpkins earlier on this list.
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18. Paper Rosette Pumpkins
Fold strips of orange paper accordion style, glue the ends together into rosettes, then arrange the rosettes around a paper circle base for a dimensional pumpkin. This one looks far more advanced than it actually is to make.
Pre-cut the paper strips ahead of time for younger kids, and let older kids handle the folding and gluing themselves.
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19. Salt Dough Leaf Imprints
Mix flour, salt, and water into a simple dough, roll it flat, then press real leaves into the surface to leave a detailed vein imprint before baking it firm. Painted or left natural, these make lasting keepsakes from a single afternoon walk.
Poke a small hole near the top before baking if the imprints are meant to hang as ornaments once finished.
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20. Fall Sensory Bin in a Bin
Fill a shallow dollar store bin with dried corn kernels, mini pumpkins, pinecones, and fall leaves for a hands-on sensory play station rather than a craft to keep. Hide small plastic acorns or gems inside for a scavenger hunt element.
This one is not a keepsake craft, so it works well as the last activity of the day when kids need to burn off energy before dinner.
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Craft Time Is Ready for This
Fall gives kids weeks of rainy afternoons and long weekends that call for something to do with their hands, and every one of these twenty crafts costs next to nothing once the dollar store supplies are split across a group. Start with the paper plate pumpkins and the pinecone owls, since both use supplies most households already have on hand, then work through the rest as the season goes on. If you are ready for even more budget friendly craft ideas, be sure to check out 20 Dollar Store Crafts Kids Will Love Making for even more ways to stretch a small budget.
