If you’ve got autumn leaves piling up outside and a few restless little ones inside, let’s turn that leafy chaos into calm with some lion leaf art. These ideas are perfect for kids who love animals, enjoy crafting, or just need something screen-free and sensory. Plus, they’re easy on supplies — think dry leaves, glue, a paper plate, and your imagination. Here are our favourite leaf pictures for kids featuring a whole lot of lion mane energy.
Paper Plate Lion With Leaf Mane
Start with a plain paper plate and let your child draw or paint a simple lion face in the middle — friendly eyes, a button nose, and a soft smile. Then grab some autumn leaves (dry ones work best) and glue them around the edge for the mane. It’s a sensory-rich activity that also makes a cute wall decoration.
Nature Collage Lion Head
This one’s more free-form. Use a piece of cardboard as your base, draw a large lion head outline, and let your child fill the mane with whatever they collect outdoors: leaves, bark, seed pods, flower petals — even feathers if you’ve got them. This doubles as a leaf art project for kids and a mindfulness moment. Total win.
Cut-and-Paste Leaf Lion with Paper Details
Create a lion using just colored paper and leaf crafts kids love to make. Use construction paper for the face and body, and then add leaves in a circular motion around the head for the mane. You can glue googly eyes and draw on whiskers or go minimalist with just leaf textures. Great for classrooms or rainy days.
Dry Leaf Art Lion with Natural Tones
If you want something that feels more earthy and less cartoonish, try a dry leaf art lion in neutral tones — brown, beige, yellow. Arrange layered leaves for a natural mane and use smooth stones or dark seeds for the eyes and nose. It’s a simple leaf art DIY idea that looks almost too grown-up to be a kids’ craft (but don’t tell them that).
Mixed Animal Leaf Picture
Why stop at lions? After the lion’s done, try a leaf fish craft, turtle, or hedgehog made entirely from leaves. Turn it into a full zoo! These animals out of leaves can be glued into a picture book, framed, or turned into cards for family members. It’s calming, creative, and full of storytelling potential.
Calm Craft Basket Idea
If you’re putting together a gift basket for kids or planning a quiet-time activity for a group, bundle some collected leaves, paper plates, googly eyes, a glue stick, and printed lion face templates. It’s a thoughtful way to encourage calm play that doesn’t need screens or constant supervision.