Autumn crafts to enjoy with the grandkids

Autumn is a wonderful opportunity to have your grandchildren over to visit and have fun together. If you need a little inspiration of what you can do together, then we’ve got you covered with fun autumn themed crafts you can try out.

A walk in wildlife may not feel quite as inviting now that the temperature has dropped, but there are so many wonderful treasures to be found for young minds. Why not bring all these to life with a nature picture?

Gather up some rosehip berries, evergreen sprigs, leaves, and nuts and bring them home to dry. Once they’ve lost the bulk of their moisture, get out a sheet of paper and create a picture. This could be an autumn scene like the one pictured, or simply an abstract collection of nature’s beauty. Stick them to the paper using craft glue, like PVA – being generous on the textured items and a little more sparing on the thin items like fallen leaves.

If you’re particularly fond of the picture you’ve created together, you could place it in a box frame to adorn your home and remember your fun day together.

Pumpkin carving is a classic autumn activity for the whole family. Whether your grandchildren take a hands-on approach will depend on how old they are – if they’re young, then you should handle the carving and let them hollow out the pumpkin, while if they’re older, they may be able to do it safely themselves. Here’s how to do it:

• Choose a large pumpkin and cut off the top
• Scoop out the seeds, fibre and flesh from the pumpkin, and discard them – or set them aside to cook with later
• Use a marker pen to draw the outline of a face on the outside of pumpkin
• Then use a small knife to cut out the face
• Pop a tea light inside your pumpkin and replace the top

What child doesn’t love to feel like a king or queen? Well, how about you help them become autumn royalty with this easy-to-make crown. You’ll just need a thin strip of card and plenty of autumn themed decorations – pine cones, fallen leaves, plants from the garden, berries etc.

Measure your grandchild’s head so that the strip of paper is long enough to go all around with a little overlap for sticking at the back, then lay the strip on your crafting space and decorate with whatever you like. You’ll need fairly strong craft glue, or even a glue gun if you have one – be very careful, these get hot and you’ll want your grandchild to stand back to avoid curious fingers being hurt!

Once all the decorations have dried and stuck on, wrap it in a loop and fix it in place with sellotape.

A popular puzzle for children is searching along squiggly lines or mazes to find the pathway to the other end. Rather than buy new puzzle books, why not make your own? Go on a walk together and collect some fallen leaves, bring them home and allow them to dry out completely. Get a large piece of paper and stick down different lengths of brown string in various cross-over patterns. At each end, attach a leaf that they can trace their way to and from.

If you fancy a little education at the same time, why not collect the fallen leaves and the nuts/seeds from them? For example, an acorn could lead to a fallen oak leaf, or a conker to a horse chestnut leaf – that way, after they’ve traced the path, they’ll also learn which leaves and seeds/nuts grow on the same tree.

Fallen leaves are endless amounts of fun, whether you’re using them for crafts or the kids are jumping into a freshly gathered pile. Another way to use them in your rainy day activities is to paint them. Get some poster or acrylic paint so that it shows up on the leaf well and try to pick a leaf that isn’t too shiny for the best effect.

What design will you pick? You could use pretty colours to make them even more attractive, or you can be really creative like the fox face pictured. Find a sycamore leaf that still has its stork, cut out pointed eyes just off the centre and then flatten out under a heavy book. When you’re ready to paint your fox, you can use black and white paint to create the distinctive ears, nose and whiskers.

You don’t have to limit yourself to only a fox, why not gather a few leaves and make other animal faces – you and your grandchildren can enjoy a menagerie of leaf animals.

Spending time with the grandkids is always wonderful and after a busy day of autumn crafts, it can be nice to take some time out for yourself to relax and unwind.

One great way of doing this is to take a quiet moment. Grab a good book and relax in a recliner after a tiring day, enjoy a hot bath, or just sit quietly with a cup of tea. Whatever your favourite way to relax is, make sure to prioritise making some time for yourself.

Gentle physical activity can also be a great way to unwind after a busy day. Consider gentle stretching or yoga to ease any tension. You can even do yoga from the comfort of your chair – it’s called chair yoga, and provides all the same stress-relieving and muscle-relaxing benefits as regular yoga.

Another good option for unwinding is to practise deep breathing or meditation techniques. It may take a little practice to get used to it if you haven’t practised mindful meditation before, but the benefits of centering yourself with mindful breathing are huge, for both your mind and body.

A recliner is the perfect type of chair for relaxing, allowing you to adjust the position to get just-right comfort. But of course, there are plenty of other options too. Use our Chair Finder to discover your ideal match, or browse our range of chairs. Then, all you need to do is pour a hot drink, choose a book, and enjoy some time unwinding after a wonderful, creative day with your grandkids making lasting memories together.