Leaf Printing
A gorgeous, child-led craft to create all kinds of treasures from leaves we've found, from bowls, to gift tags, trinket dishes to plates.
Leaf Printing
🌍 Activity Type: Nature craft • Clay craft • Creative exploration
⏱️ Time: 20–30 minutes to make, then 24–48 hours to dry, 20 minutes painting and varnishing (optional)
🎒 You'll Need: Air-dry clay, a rolling pin, fresh leaves with interesting shapes and textures, a cookie cutter or knife (optional), and a drinking straw (optional, for making hanging holes)
🧼 Mess Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)
👀 Senses Engaged: Sight • Touch
🌱 Nature Links: Trees • Leaves • Plants • Seasons • Observation • Patterns • Texture
😊 Difficulty: Easy
I've done this a few times at school with my little learners, and it's such a hit everytime, with all ages, abilities and engagement levels. Even the children who are at the first steps along their journey of connection with us LOVED rolling the leaf into the clay, pulling it away and seeing the pattern it left behind.
So, one weekend, Little leopard and I gathered some interesting leaves, got a packet of clay, and let our imagination lead us to interesting places.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1 - Gather interesting looking leaves
2 - Roll out some clay
3 - Press some leaves into the clay
4 - Use a rolling pin over the leaf to press in all the textures
5 - Remove the leaf and admire the gorgeous patters left in the clay.
This is where it gets interesting. You can leave it just like that, let it dry for 24 - 48 hours, or you can cut out the sides of the leaf.
Little Leopard cut round his monstera (He left the leaf in as he was cutting around it. I put mine into a bowl with clingfilm in, to create more of a trinket dish shape.
We used a straw to add a hole into some of the leaves so that they can be used as gift tags.
I used an ink stamping kit to then add names to those gift tags.
When we were happy with our designs, then we left them to dry on baking paper, in the sun for 24 - 48 hours. (Some took longer to dry than others)
Then we used watered down acrylic paint to paint the designs.
I think this is where the magic really comes alive, where you start to see all the little, intricate markings on the leaves.
When the paint was dry, we gave them a coat of acrylic gloss varnish to give them a bit more protection.
Adapt it
Younger Children
Choose large, sturdy leaves with bold veins to make clear prints that are easy for little hands to use.
Let your child enjoy rolling the clay, pressing the leaves into it and carefully peeling them away to reveal the patterns. Talk about the different shapes, sizes and textures you can see together.
Older Children
Take your clay creations to the next level by making a collection of nature-inspired keepsakes.
Create a set of decorations for a seasonal garland, make gift tags, design jewellery, or shape the clay into trinket dishes, coasters or hanging ornaments. Experiment with different leaves, textures and shapes to make every piece unique.
Sensory
Take time to enjoy the feel of the clay and the textures of the leaves before you begin.
Notice which leaves feel smooth, rough, soft or bumpy, and compare the patterns you can both see and feel. If your child doesn't enjoy getting messy, they could wear gloves, use a rolling pin to press the leaves into the clay, or simply help choose the leaves and arrange the designs while someone else does the pressing.
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