Make a Leaf Hedgehog: The Autumn Craft Even 3-Year-Olds Can Do (Daycare-Tested) 🦔🍂

Autumn is the perfect time to head outside with children, collect colourful leaves and turn them into little works of art. 🍂🦔

The craft is intentionally simple and is suitable for children from around 2 years old with some support. From around age 3, children can take on many of the steps themselves, while older children can also help with cutting. The goal isn't to make every hedgehog look perfect – each child can create their own little hedgehog using different colours, shapes and leaves.

You don't need a complicated template for the basic shape – a simple plate works perfectly as a stencil. After cutting out the snout and little legs, the children can glue the leaves onto the cardboard one by one and finish their hedgehog with an eye and a nose. In around 20 minutes, a simple and fun autumn craft is ready to decorate the classroom or take home.

Fresh leaves work just as well as dry ones. As they dry, they may curl slightly, giving the hedgehog an even more natural texture. For younger children, the cardboard shape can be prepared in advance so they can focus entirely on gluing and creating their own hedgehog.