Teaching Kids How to Draw a Fall-Themed Picture

Imagination and Inspiration

• Imagination, passion and creativity can really make up for what children's drawings often lack in sophistication and technique. Spark your child's enthusiasm and excitement for drawing with a nature walk where he can observe the colors, textures and shapes that characterize the autumn season. Instead of telling your child what to draw, allow him to choose his own subject. Pay attention to what amuses and intrigues him, and develop drawing activities based on these interests. If he is enamored with the colors of the leaves, for example, provide red, orange, yellow and brown crayons. If he's stuck for a topic, encourage him to draw fluttering leaves across the paper or to color an autumn landscape with trees in the distance. If your child likes to collect acorns, bring some to the arts and crafts table, and encourage him to look at and feel them as he draws them in different shapes and sizes.

Helpful Tools

• While pencils, markers and crayons are drawing staples, elements of nature make for unique drawing tools as well. Dip a small twig with little offshoots and branches into poster paint, and encourage your child to draw swirls, strokes and other designs across a piece of paper. Or place dry leaves underneath the paper and have your child rub the side of a pencil or crayon tip across the paper to create a leaf drawing with an etched effect. Stencils in shapes reminiscent of fall -- pumpkins, apples, leaves and acorns, for example -- can help your child draw fall symbols with precision.

Simple Tricks

• Help your child take a simple fall drawing from plain to powerful with a few simple tricks. Enhance pencil leaf drawings with glitter pens, or apply a thin coat of paint to leaves and press them into a pencil drawing for a layered effect with dimension and design. Add small acorns, twigs of leaves to a drawing with a bit of glue to give it texture and depth.

Other Ideas

• Find a simple picture with a fall themes in a magazine, book or online. Then provide tracing or tissue paper so that he can trace the picture and color it in. Or create a fall collage with pictures cut from magazines. If you child is old enough to cut them out, supply him with a pair of age-appropriate scissors. Your child can paste them to a sheet of poster board or construction paper. Instead of drawing scenic pictures or portraits, encourage your child to experiment with fall-inspired patterns, colors and designs for an abstract drawing that can also serve as an interesting conversation piece.