Easy Four Seasons Tree Craft for Kids

Today, I have a fun four seasons tree craft to share with you. This 4 seasons craft is so cute and it’s perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, or Kindergarteners to make.

I was talking with my kid about the changing seasons and thought a nice little 4 seasons tree craft would be great for exploring and learning about the seasons of the year.

I think that this four seasons craft works really well for kindergarteners to do independently. However, toddlers and preschoolers will have a blast with it too with some assistance from a parent or teacher.

four seasons tree craft for kids using 4 different methods for painting on the leaves.

Decorating This 4 Seasons Tree Painting

As you look at this four seasons tree craft, you’ll notice that each season (or tree) is painted using a different technique. I love that because it:

makes the craft more fun and interesting to make
introduces kiddos to varying methods of painting
provides different sensory experiences
looks really cool when it’s done

There are SO many ways the kids can decorate this 4 seasons tree painting. Don’t limit yourselves to just paint or one method of painting. Even though this craft already has 4 different methods built-in, you could also make versions with:

all 4 methods could be with tissue paper
you could glue crumpled tissue paper wads instead of flat squares
could glue pom-poms to the trees and add more dimension
your kiddo could use crayons
try it with colored pencils
markers would make very pretty trees
and more!

Materials Need for 4 Seasons Tree Craft

Cardboard, poster board, foam board, or any other large/long craft paper (approximately 10”x30”)
Scissors
Empty toilet paper or paper towel roll
Paper plate
Cotton balls
Cotton swabs
Tissue paper, cut in 1-inch squares (red, orange, green and yellow) **This kind is already cut for you!**
Black or brown Sharpie marker
Clothespins
Glue sticks
Craft acrylic paint (brown, dark green, light green, pink, purple, orange, yellow, brown)

How to Make the Four Seasons Tree Craft

Use these directions to make your own tree craft to celebrate the changing of the season.

1. Begin by using a sharpie marker to draw the trunks of 4 trees evenly apart on your cardboard, or other craft paper. Don’t worry about making the trunks perfect!

paper with 4 tree trunks drawn on it to start the 4 seasons tree craft

2. Using scissors, cut your toilet paper roll in half. Press the roll flat, creating a marquise shape.

cut off piece of toilet paper roll squeezed mostly closed

3. Add brown and green paint to your paper plate. Dip one open end of the toilet paper roll into the brown paint, and dab on the first trunk to create a bare winter tree. You can also add some “leaves” with the brown paint, and some green paint also, at the bottom of the first trunk.

Dipping the cut piece of toilet paper roll into brown paint and making dead "leaves" at the bottom of the tree trunk

4. Next, add some pink, purple, orange, or any other colors you choose to the paper plate. Using a cotton swab, dip it into the paint, and dot the second trunk with multiple colors to represent the buds on a tree in spring.

dipping cotton swab into green paint and dabbing the spring buds onto the tree trunk

5. Squeeze a clothespin to open it, and pick up a cotton ball with the clothespin. Dip the cotton ball into the paint color of your choice, and dab it on the third tree to represent a tree in full bloom in summer. Continue dabbing multiple colors until the tree is full.

Holding a cotton ball with a clothespin and using it to dab different colors of paint for the summer leaves on our tree

Lastly, using a glue stick, attach the tissue paper squares in varying colors to the fourth tree to represent the changing of colors of the leaves in the fall.

Using a glue stick to glue down cut pieces of tissue paper for the fall (and falling) leaves.

There you go! Easy peasy crafting fun, right?

If your kids love the changing seasons (who doesn’t love watching the tree leaves in fall?) as mine do, they will love this four seasons tree craft that also teaches them about the different seasons of the year.