Finding cute and fun budget-friendly crafts doesn’t have to be difficult. With these 4 fall activity ideas, I mostly utilized supplies I had on hand, only spending $3 at Family Dollar. Whether your toddler is throwing tantrums left and right and you need to redirect them OR your toddler genuinely loves crafts, these are simple and (mostly) toddler-approved.
1. 
Trick or Treat…Smell my Feet
Materials needed:
- Non-toxic washable paint
- Sharpie
- Canvas
This craft was... interesting with a wild toddler! My 19-month-old doesn’t quite grasp the concept of staying still, so getting a clean footprint was a challenge. Still, the final product turned out super cute—and the canvases only cost me $3 since I already had the paint and Sharpies. You can swap the Sharpie for paintbrushes if you prefer, and decorate the canvas with Halloween extras like bats, ghosts, or pumpkins!
2. Coffee Filter Bat Craft
Materials needed:
- Coffee filter
- Non-toxic washable markers or paint
- Spray bottle (if using markers)
- Clothespins
- Scissors
This craft wasn’t one my toddler was interested in making, but he loved playing with them! Most versions use washable markers to color the coffee filter, then spray with water for a tie-dye effect. Since I already had paint and an unused makeup sponge, I went with a “dab” effect instead. It may not be as cool as tie-dye, but I used what I had.
If you have black paint (or mix blue, red, and yellow), you can paint your clothespin black or color with a black marker. Once all of the paint is dry, fold the coffee filter in fourths and cut a scalloped edge. Open it back up (still folded in half) and clip the clothespin in the center. I used a metallic silver Sharpie to add eyes to the bat—again, using what I had!
3. Leaf Sweeping
Materials needed:
- Leaves
- Broom/Swiffer
- Tape (optional)
Does anybody else’s toddler love the Swiffer? My son does! While I made him lunch, he had a blast sweeping leaves around. I skipped the tape as he’s still too young to bother to sweep into a square, but it gave me 10 minutes of tantrum-free peace. If you opt for the tape, just make a square on hardwood floor as a target zone for your child to sweep the leaves into!
4. Pumpkin Leaf
Materials needed:
- Paper cut into a pumpkin shape
- Fall leaves
- Glue
This craft was more of a “hand mom leaves and have her glue them” — but hey, five minutes is five minutes. The Elmer’s glue didn’t work well for us (possibly because the leaves had been sitting for 24 hours before we tried to glue them), so we ended up tossing the final product.
One thing I’ve learned: My toddler does not make Pinterest-perfect crafts (and neither do I), but it’s BOOtiful to watch him interact with these different activities.
