Here’s a really easy way to paint for fall – do some leaf sponge painting! The best part about making these stamps is that they are completely reusable. And they are much more economical than buying your own too!
RELATED: Fall Crafts for Kids
Make Your Own Leaf Sponge Stamps
Making these leaf sponge stamps is a fun afternoon activity. Kids can design their own or you can use our free printable template.
Have fun painting with these leaf sponge stamps to make some simple art. Or you can even stamp on some cards or wrapping paper too!
As an alternative you can use sponge pieces to dab paint on leaves. See our leaf painting post for tips.
Supplies to Make Your Own Sponge Leaf Stamps
- Plain Sponges – you want sponges that do not have any scrubbers on them so they are easier to cut. Ones like these.
- Strong Scissors – cutting sponges can be difficult. You’ll need heavy duty scissors to cut them. Adults only should do this part.
- White Cardstock – we like to use 12×12 white cardstock since it’s a bigger area for kids to stamp on
- Paper Plate or Plate (for stamping the sponges in with the paint)
- Puffy Paint – for an extra 3D design to your leaves, we used this fabric puffy paint.
- Leaf Template – you can get the template we used here.
Watch the full video tutorial here!
Directions for Leaf Sponge Painting
1. First print off the free leaf template. You can get the template here. You can also draw your own leaves right on the sponges.
2. Cut out the templates and place on your sponge.
3. Trace around the template with a sharpie or marker.
4. Make 3 sponges if you want different colors.
Or try drawing your own leaves!
5. Now cut out your leaf designs.
Cutting can be difficult if you do not have heavy-duty scissors depending on how thick your sponges are. We recommend using a pair of scissors like these. Adults only should do the cutting.
It can be hard to get round shapes when cutting the sponges, but don’t worry too much about making it perfect. Once the shape is cut out you can go back and round out the edges with the scissors. Do this for the side that will be stamped down.
6. Now have fun using your stamps!
Mix up the colors for kids to stamp and make multi-colored leaves. Or you can use 1 sponge per color.
I like to use 12 x 12 white cardstock because the sheets are bigger so you can add more stamps to them.
7. To add a 3D dimension to your art, you can use fabric puffy paint.
We used this fabric puffy paint.. We added the matching color on top once our painted leaves had dried to create some leaf veins.
Once you’re done with your sponges, rinse off the paint and they can be reused again and again!
We hope you enjoy making your own leaf sponges this year!
More Fall Crafts for Kids
See over 25+ easy Fall Craft Ideas for Kids.
To see some fun painting techniques with leaves – see our leaf painting post.
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