Nature Art for Toddlers Using Leaves and Paint

Last Updated on June 19, 2024 by Sheryl Cooper

Inside: Need some nature art for toddlers? While going on a walk, collect leaves and sticks and bring them to the art table for some painting fun!

Toddlers love going on walks, especially when they can stop along the way for some exploration.

Give them a bag and invite them to collect leaves and sticks. This is a great way to explore nature while also working large motor skills.

After examining what was found, these make great surfaces for paint at the art table!

Our preschool is surrounded by lots of different trees. Whenever we head outside for a nature walk, we find leaves and twigs of all sizes scattered on the walkways.

CLICK HERE to if you want to add a nature scavenger hunt to your walk (free printable)!

When we return to the classroom, I place several trays on the table so we can empty the bags and take a look at everything we collected.

I will provide magnifying glasses so the children can take a closer look.

We then sort the leaves by color and notice their sizes.

We line the sticks up and compare their sizes, too!

Some of our collection will be then displayed at the science table for further exploration. In addition to magnifying glasses, I will also add a magnifying stand and a clipboard with blank paper and pencils for anyone who might want to draw what they see.

I will also include some nature books such as:

Leaves by Carol Lawrence
Thank you, Tree by Editors of Storey Publishing
A Pile of Leaves by Tamara Shopsin
Tree by Britta Teckentrup

The remainder of the collection goes to our art table for some painting fun!

Nature Art for Toddlers Using Leaves and Paint

Group or Individual

While this nature art activity can be done individually, I prefer covering the entire table with white paper, scattering the leaves and sticks on top.

Paint can be poured in containers, randomly placed around the table along with brushes.

I love group art because it encourages the children to work in a shared space while they move around the table painting the various items.

Here are some other examples of group art that we’ve done:

If you would prefer for this to be individual art, you can have separate trays for each child involved along with the leaves and sticks.

Supplies

What we used:

Leaves
Sticks
Tempera paint (I went with browns, oranges and greens, but it’s your choice what colors to use.)
Paintbrushes

Note: I was thrilled when we found giant leaves on our walk, so that’s what you will see in the photos. Aren’t they nice? I love all the surface area to paint on!

The Process

After reading some leaf and/or tree books, show your toddlers the leafs and sticks that they helped gather during your walk.

Notice the different sizes and textures, especially when comparing the leaves to the sticks.

Then, invite them to start painting!

No “Right Way”

What I love about process art is that there’s no “right” way to do it. Simply show the children how to dip the paintbrushes into the paint and start painting the leaves and sticks!

Since the leaves are flat, it’s similar to painting on paper. They might even want to flip the leaves over and paint the other side.

The sticks, however, are 3-dimensional. This means the children will notice that they can paint on top, on the sides, and even on the bottom (possibly wanting to pick them up so all areas can get covered with paint).

If you are doing the group activity, be prepared that the children will want to paint the paper that covers the table, too.

This is one reason why I love covering our tables with big sheets of paper.

Toddlers love big motions, and this is a great for strengthening fine motor skills.

As they are making those big paint strokes across the paper, they are not only using their hands, but also their entire arm and shoulder, too!