Fall is a magical time of year. Leaves turn brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow, pumpkins pop up on porches and the air feels crisp and fresh. It’s the perfect season to slow down, enjoy nature and spend quality time crafting with your little ones.
This Autumn in a Jar craft is an easy cut‑and‑paste activity that invites children to celebrate the harvest season. Kids can colour their own harvest, practise cutting skills and then arrange everything in a cute little jar. The finished project makes a sweet keepsake to hang on the fridge or give as a gift. Best of all, the printables are free!
Materials You Will Need
- Autumn in a Jar printables – download and print the pages below (jar outline plus two pages of autumn items)
- Thick paper or cardstock for durability
- Crayons, colouring pencils or markers
- Child‑safe scissors
- Glue stick or glue
- Optional: ribbon, glitter, buttons or other decorations to personalise the jar
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I always print my printables directly onto 160 gsm cardstock using my Epson Ecotank Printer rather than regular paper, this way they are a little more durable and the pens do not bleed through to the other side. However, if you do not have a home printer then just pop to a library and use theirs.
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Step‑by‑Step Instructions
- Download and print the free templates. Use standard A4/letter paper or, for sturdier crafts, print on cardstock.
- Colour the jar and the autumn items. Encourage children to be creative – apples can be red or green, mushrooms can be funky colours and pumpkins look great in orange or white.
- Cut out the jar and all of the autumn pieces. This is great practice for fine motor skills. Younger children may need help with the curved shapes.
- Arrange the harvest inside the jar. Glue the apples, leaves, pumpkins and other pieces inside the jar outline. Layering items gives the design depth and makes it look like a full jar.
- Decorate and display. Once the main pieces are glued, add extra touches like a strip of ribbon around the lid, glitter for sparkle or even handwritten labels. Hang it on the wall or give it to grandparents as a homemade gift.
Learning Benefits
- Fine motor development: Colouring, cutting and gluing strengthen hand muscles and improve hand–eye coordination.
- Creativity and self‑expression: Children choose colours and decide how to arrange the pieces, giving them a sense of ownership over their art.
- Seasonal awareness: Discuss harvest items while you craft. Ask kids which fruits grow in autumn or why leaves change colour.
- Language skills: Use the activity to introduce new vocabulary (acorn, pinecone, mushroom, harvest) and to encourage storytelling about what might be in their jar.
Variations to Try
- Nature collection jar: Instead of using all paper pieces, go on a nature walk and collect small leaves, twigs or flower petals to glue into the jar.
- Thankful jar: Ask children to write or draw things they are grateful for on small strips of paper and tuck them into the jar.
- Different seasons: Use the same jar outline for other times of year – fill it with seashells in summer, hearts for Valentine’s Day or snowflakes in winter.
- Free drawing: Encourage kids to draw their own fruits and veggies to cut out and add.
Download the Free Printables
These printables are offered for your non-commercial personal use only. Mass-production of this printable is not permitted, even for non-profit purposes. Please do not upload the Autumn Jar Prinables to other sites – instead, if you want to let people know about these freebies, post a link to this page. Pinning is okay as long as the pin links back to this page. Thanks!
All you need to do is add click on add to cart and the free printable Autumn in a Jar will be added to your shopping cart. When you are finished click on the orange cart menu at the top right of your page and follow the instructions on the screen. You will not be charged and the free pdf file will be available for you to download immediately and will also be emailed to your inbox.
Share Your Creations
I’d love to see how you use these printables! Snap a photo of your finished Autumn in a Jar craft and share it on social media. Tag our blog or drop a comment below so others can be inspired by your creativity.
Happy crafting and happy autumn!