As days grow shorter and cold air sets in, fall offers the perfect opportunity to strengthen bonds with loved ones.
One of our favorite ways to do this is by slowing down and engaging in seasonal, hands-on crafting activities! Keep reading to explore the benefits of seasonal crafting with loved ones, and discover our favorite harvest crafts to bond over.
The Benefits of Crafting with Loved Ones and Family
Crafting with loved ones during the harvest season can not only create long-lasting happy memories, but also boost cognitive function and mental health. Here’s how:
- Crafting fosters creativity by encouraging children and adults alike to look at seasonal objects like pinecones and leaves from new perspectives.
- Crafting provides quality time by bringing everyone together to achieve a common goal and reconnect without distractions from jobs, school, or phones.
- Crafting reinforces patience as we generate shared ideas, fix mistakes cooperatively, and engage in calm, repetitive actions together.
- Crafting creates a sense of belonging by allowing each person to contribute their individuality to the shared space and exchange encouragement with each other.
- Crafting boosts resourcefulness when we create art with unexpected items and learn to solve creative problems with whatever we have on hand.
Our Top 5 Harvest Craft Ideas to Bond with Family this Fall
Ready to get crafting? Meet our five favorite harvest crafts to enjoy with your loved ones this cozy season.
- Create Mason Jar Candle Holders: Collect mason jars and allow each family member to decorate their jar with paint, colorful leaves, stickers, buttons, and other fall-themed scraps you have on hand. Once decorated, place battery-operated tea lights in each for a cozy (and safe) glow during fall family dinners.
- Make a Leaf Garland: Collect fallen leaves from your yard or nearby park, and press them to dry between books. Next, paint the leaves with fun colors (or leave them as is) and use twine to string them together. You can hang your leaf garland across the fireplace, along the banister, or even in the dining room.
- Pumpkin painting and carving: Come back from the pumpkin patch with one for everyone! Let each person carve (or paint, for young children) their pumpkin with items, feelings, or moments that represent the harvest season. We love to decorate the living room or the porch with fall-themed pumpkins!
- Hang pinecone bird feeders: Collect an assortment of differently shaped pine cones on a nature walk, and string them individually with colorful thread and ribbons. Next, roll them in peanut butter and birdseed, hanging them up outside windows. You can now enjoy watching birds eat from them throughout the season!
- Make an autumn wreath: Gather fall items like acorns, pinecones, leaves, and dried flowers, encouraging everyone in the family to hot-glue their own unique wreaths together using wire frames. Paint certain elements, add ornaments or glitter, then hang the wreaths on doors and windows to bring the harvest season into your home.
