Let’s make tissue paper leaves by crumpling, crinkling and balling autumn colored tissue paper to create both texture and color. Kids of all ages will enjoy this traditional autumn tissue paper craft that works great in the classroom or at home. These tissue paper leaves are the perfect way to celebrate fall.

Fall Craft: Tissue Paper Leaves - finished tissue paper crinkle craft of autumn leaf shapes arranged next to a stick as a tree limb — Let’s crumple tissue paper and make fall leaves!

Crinkle Tissue Paper Leaves Craft for Kids

Tissue paper crafts are really fun because tissue paper can be smoothed, shredded, chopped, crinkled, crumpled, decoupaged and so many other crafty forms of fun!

The fall leaves colors are beautiful and fall is my favorite time of year! This fall craft is easy and fun, but could be altered as a tissue paper craft for spring leaves by just changing the tissue paper colors.

This is an art project that you may remember from your own school days.

This article contains affiliate links.

Watch Our Short How to Make Tissue Paper Leaf Craft Video Tutorial

Supplies Needed for Fall Craft for Kids

This free fall leaf template printable – or a pencil to outline your fall leaf pattern on regular paper
Tissue paper in fall colors* – yellow, gold, orange, dark green, light green, light brown, dark brown, red, cranberry and using metallics like gold, bronze, copper and silver can be pretty too!
White glue
(optional) Paint brush to spread glue
Scissors or preschool safety scissors
(optional) Stick from the backyard to use to attach leaves – you could also use brown tissue paper or brown paint and a paint brush instead
Background canvas – this craft can be displayed on construction paper, card stock, poster board, painted canvas or on the classroom bulletin board.

*If you are making this with a crowd of kids or enjoy making a lot of tissue paper crafts, check out these pre-cut tissue paper squares which would work great for this fall leaf craft.

Directions to Make Tissue Paper Leaf Craft

Step 1

Print out the leaf template printable and cut out the specific leaf shapes you want to use. If you want larger leaves, then enlarge them by 200% on your printer.

Or using a pencil and paper, outline fall leaf shapes using the pictures seen here as a guide.

Alternatively, go on a walk before doing this craft and choose some leaves from nature to bring back as a template for this fall leaf craft.

Fall Craft: Tissue Paper Leaves - first step showing cut out leaf shapes from leaf template and red tissue paper squares — Cut out the leaves from the leaf template and grab your tissue paper.

Step 2

Cut or tear tissue paper into squares. These do not have to be exactly the same size since they will be crumpled and crinkled.

Step 3

Apply white glue to a small section of one of the leaves. Spread it around liberally or use a paint brush to evenly coat the leaf template surface.

Fall Craft: Tissue Paper Leaves - red tissue paper squares are now crumpled next to the leaf with glue on it — Crumple and crinkle the tissue paper squares into little tissue paper balls.

Step 4

Crumple squares into a ball.

For older kids use smaller squares, while younger kids will do better with larger tissue paper pieces.

Fall Craft: Tissue Paper Leaves - little tissue paper crumple balls are added one by one to the glue on the leaf template — Add your little crumpled tissue paper balls one by one to the glued area on the leaf shape.

Step 5

Press the crumpled paper into the glue.

Get creative and use multiple colors if you like.

Fall Craft: Tissue Paper Leaves finished tissue paper leaf shapes next to a stick as a tree limb — Arrange the tissue paper leaves next to your limb created from a stick, tissue paper or paint.

Step 6

Add a stick to your background and strategically arrange the leaves around it. Alternatively, you could use rolled up brown tissue paper as the tree limb or paint a brown tree limb on the background.

This makes a great classroom activity. Decorate an entire bulletin board to look like a tree with each child responsible for a leaf or two. It is a good collective art project.

Related: Make tissue paper flowers

How to Make Tissue Paper Crinkle Leaves Art

Fall Craft: Tissue Paper Leaves shown next to a stick as a tree limb with autumn colors like orange, red and colorful combination — Before you know it, we will have a fall leaf craft!

These tissue paper leaves are so easy. You don’t need folded paper, super skills, because it’s not an origami paper craft. While an origami leaf is super cute, you can make leaves using different shapes of leaves that almost look like real leaves. Don’t have tissue paper? Use crepe paper then. Following the simple steps will allow you to make any size of leaf. Make small leaves or big leafs. So grab your pair of scissors, craft glue, and other craft supplies and lets make some pretty tissue paper leaves.

Yield: 1

Tissue Paper Leaf Craft

This traditional tissue paper craft for kids is perfect for autumn because we are making fall leaves! Kids of all ages will love to crinkle and crumple tissue paper squares into little tissue paper balls to create the texture and color of autumn leaves. Add to a stick you found in the backyard and you have a lovely finished fall leaf craft!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Difficulty easy

Estimated Cost free

Materials

fall leaf template printable – or a pencil to outline your fall leaf pattern on regular paper
Tissue paper in fall colors – yellow, gold, orange, dark green, light green, light brown, dark brown, red, cranberry and using metallics like gold, bronze, copper and silver can be pretty too!
White glue
(optional) Stick from the backyard to use to attach leaves – you could also use brown tissue paper or brown paint and a paint brush instead
Background canvas

Tools

(optional) Paint brush to spread glue
Scissors or preschool safety scissors

Instructions

Print out the leaf template or draw your own leaf shapes and cut them out.
Cut tissue paper into squares.
Crumple the tissue paper into balls.
Glue a small area of your first leaf cut out.
Push the balls gently into the glued surface.
Continue until you have all the leaf template covered.
Add a tree branch shape using a stick, tissue paper shape or brown paint on your background.

More Fall Crafts for Kids from Kids Activities Blog

We have over 180 fall crafts for kids
And a whole bunch of the best fall crafts for preschoolers
And I love our fall leaf crafts for kids of all ages or our harvest craft!
These preschool nature crafts have an autumn theme
Download & print our fall leaf coloring pages used in this craft as the fall leaf template
Fall coloring pages for kids have never been more fun!
A whole bunch of free fall printables for kids
Let’s make fall play dough!
This fall preschool art project uses nature
Make a book pumpkin!
Try this Andy Warhol leaves art project perfect for kids
While you are out collecting fall leaves, pick up a few pinecones to make this pine cone snake craft
Check out these other colorful craft ideas!
We know how to make a super cool hot air balloon craft out of tissue paper!