Pine cone crafts are perfect for fall! Make pine cone decorations or just have a great time crafting with your kids.
Here are 25 EASY pine cone craft ideas – plus watch the video in this post to get a bonus idea. You can watch a video of how to make a pine cone bouquet!
Skills Required: Beginner. These ideas are perfect for children and adults alike; no previous crafting skills needed.

Have you ever tried pine cone crafts with your kids? Or even just yourself (no judgements here!).
I know that it’s easy to walk by pine cones during the fall and think of them as landscape fodder, but they are a surprisingly awesome craft base that you can do a whole bunch of things with.
And the best part is that they are 1) free and 2) seemingly unlimited during the fall!
Pine Cone Craft Ideas
You and your children will not only have fun crafting, but it’s also a good excuse to get outside and get collecting. Not only are the cones amazing for crafts, but they are great for decorations as well.
They also last a LONG time. I have the same bowl of pine cone decorations on my mantel that I’ve had for 21 years now.
One of my forestry professors gave me two huge pine cones and I use them year round. They aren’t even painted . . . but I love the natural look they give my decor. I just love pine cones!
Before we jump into the projects, I want to go over some commonly asked questions. If you’re curious, keep reading – otherwise, you can scroll down to get all of the ideas.

How to Prepare Pine Cones for Crafts
Whether you’re using pine cones for crafts, for decorations, or for some other use, you’re going to want to to prep them.
You don’t *have* to, but if you want them to stick around for years, you’re going to want to remove the sap and bugs. There are two ways that I suggest.
In the Oven
You’ll pre-heat the oven to 200ºF and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the pine cones in the oven for 30 minutes or until all of the sap has melted.
You’ll notice that putting the pine cones in the oven causes them to open up as well as to dry out a little bit. Not only that, but you’ll be killing any of the little beastie bugs that live within.
Washing with Water and Vinegar
Another option is washing your pine cones. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of vinegar to warm water, and let the cones soak for about 30 minutes.
Once they are done, set them on the counter on some newspaper or paper towels and let them dry. This can take hours to several days.
However, some people prefer washing because it removes (rather than melts on) the sap. I’ll leave it up to you!

Supplies to Use
I’ve done just about every craft with pine cones, and here are some items I commonly use:
- Acrylic paint
- Glitter of all shapes and sizes
- Felt pieces (to cut out and glue)
- Pom poms
- Colorful feathers
- Ribbon or yarn
- Wood beads
- Faux leaves
- Gold leafing
- Craft adhesives like hot glue, craft glue, Mod Podge
There’s really nothing off limits when it comes to pine cone decorations or crafts! I absolutely love painting pine cones – my favorite acrylic paints are FolkArt and Apple Barrel (which is a good kids’ paint).

For glue, I use a lot of Mod Podge (to attach glitter). I also use hot glue to attach awkward or heavier items, and regular craft glue for attaching felt.
If you are making your projects with kids, you can even use school glue. Just make sure anything you use with kids is acrylic and waterbased.
Now that you’ve got all the info, it’s time for you to check out the projects! Just scroll down to see them.
Pine Cone Crafts for Kids
Pine cones are readily available and free - making them perfect for craft projects! Here are 25 pine cone crafts for kids that are fun and budget friendly.
Pretty Peacock
This is such a colorful craft idea. Vary it up with different color feathers and paint.
Penguin Ornament
Add some extra cuteness to your Christmas tree this year with these adorable arctic creatures.
Fancy Fox
With a downloadable template, these felt foxes are super easy to make. You'll be cutting felt pieces into shapes and then attaching with a hot glue gun. Super easy!
Feather Tail Turkeys
Learn how to make a turkey pinecone in a few simple steps! This is a great Thanksgiving craft for kids.
Rainbow Fairies
You could move these gals into the fairy garden! Don't have one? Find out how to make a fairy garden in four easy steps.
Pinecone Apple
Aren't these cute? They'd make a nice teacher appreciation gift - an apple that will stay looking pretty all year long!
Colorful Zinnias
Learn how to paint easy pine cone zinnias, a colorful home decor craft. They are gorgeous! You could even make a bouquet with several of them.
Spooky Spider
Make a creepy crawly spider for Halloween fun. You could even use them as decorations!
Skiing Snowman
When winter is on its way, it's time to bust out the skis! That's exactly what this downhill snowman decided to do. You can easily make him - plus you probably have most of the items to make it around your house already.
Ombre Pinecones
These pine cones are beautiful enough for decoration. Little kids probably won't have a steady enough hand to make them look like this, but they will still be colorful!
Colorful Christmas Trees
If you managed to gather pine cones (or still can) why not make pinecone Christmas tree decorations? Simple to make and they do look oh so adorable. Snowy or colorful - which type of tree will your kids want to make?
Pinecone Owl Ornament
These cute little owls are a great craft for the fall season! I don't think craft foam or feathers are in enough kids' projects, so I love that this idea incorporates both.
Paper Roll and Pinecone Squirrels
Use toilet paper rolls to make the bodies and various pine cone sizes and shapes to make the tail! I love the movement with these cute little guys.
Pine Cone Wreath
This DIY wreath is the perfect holiday craft project you can do with your kids! Kids can help with painting the cones and the cardboard base. This could also be turned into a holiday table centerpiece!
Fire Starter Pine Cones
These colorful pine cones aren't only pretty decorations, they are also fire starters. Covered in colored wax and essential oils, they burn with whatever scent you'd like.
Pine Cone Farm Animals
Old MacDonald had a farm - and you can too, made out of pine cones! You'll learn how to make animal crafts like a chicken, cow, pig, sheep, and baby chick.
A Snowy Day
Create a fun snow filled scene complete with pine cone skiers and pine cone trees! There's a lot of glitter in this craft which makes it fun; plus they're too cute!
Rhinestone Pinecones
Give your pine cone a new look! Bedazzle them with gems. Then tell everyone your theme for Christmas is "rhinestone pine cone," just because it rhymes.
Reindeer Ornament
Whether you hang them on your tree or put them out for decoration, these cute googly-eyed reindeer will make an impression!
Turkey Craft
Here is another version of a pine cone turkey. This one uses beads to create the colorful feathers along with a construction paper face. The pretty tails are perfect for practicing patterns.
Apple Trees
Yarn, pom-poms and a spool come together to make these really cute apple trees! It’s an easy craft for fall and also provides lots of fine motor practice for little hands.
Adorable Pine Cone Snowy Owl Craft
If you're looking for a different type of pine cone owl, this is a fun idea! All you'll need to make the "snow" is cotton balls.
Pine Cone Ornament
These snow globe pine cone ornaments will look great on the tree this year! If you're wondering how to get the cones into the ornies, you're going to have to check out the blog post.
Easy Pumpkin
Pine cones can be pointed in any direction to make a cute craft! All you need are a few supplies to make this cute pine cone pumpkin. A little paint and wire and the results are a perfect autumn craft idea.
Pom Poms Pinecone Christmas Ornaments
This is one of my favorite pine cone craft ideas because these cute ornaments are so colorful! They are pretty much foolproof to make for kids of all ages, and they look great on the tree.
Christmas Robin Ornament
This pine cone craft was created to go along with the book Little Robin’s Christmas about a robin who gives his warm vests away to friends in need. Such a cute craft with a great message to go along with it.
Are you ready for your bonus idea? Pine cone bouquets make perfect pine cone decorations. Just press “PLAY” in the center of the video in this post to see how they are made (and yes, still perfect for kids!). I’d also love for you to check out these additional craft ideas:
- Pumpkin Crafts for Kids: 30+ Easy Crafts to Celebrate the Fall
- Nature Crafts for Kids: 30 Fun & Creative Ideas
- Fun Fall Crafts For Kids: the Ultimate List!
- These 20+ Twig Crafts Are Naturally Beautiful
- Halloween Crafts for Toddlers: The Ultimate List