The leaves are turning and the air is crisp. There are so many things to love about the autumn season. If you're looking for creative, new ways to entertain your little ones or round out your Thanksgiving time lesson plans, you came to the right place.
And the best part is you don't even have to choose between educational and entertaining - you can incorporate both! Check out this list of fun fall activities for preschoolers that will keep your youngsters laughing and learning this season.
Festive fall activities to try with your preschoolers
1. Fall tree number matching game
Mom Inspired Life recommends this activity to help your child learn to identify and match both numbers and shapes. Simply cut out leaves from scraps of colorful paper and label them with numbers. Draw a tree trunk on a paper, with corresponding numbers. Then challenge the children to match the numbers to the trunk. They will create a beautiful fall tree, all while practicing sorting and classifying objects.
2. Go on a leaf hunt
This scavenger hunt activity from Teach Preschool will get your curious kiddos outdoors. Make a checklist of leaves for them to find. Include pictures of how many, what size and what color he or she should look for. Your child will learn shapes and sizes while exploring nature and breathing in the crisp, autumn air.
3. Trace pumpkins with a toothpick
This idea was inspired by Creative with Kids. Draw the outline of a pumpkin and write your child’s name in large letters in the corner. Place the outline and name over a foam plate. Poke a toothpick into a cork so the cork is a holder. Your child will love tracing the lines with the toothpick. This will help develop fine motor skills while also helping your child learn to spell his or her name.
4. Go on a letter hunt
Put an autumn twist on this activity from School Time Snippets. Write some fall-related words in large letters, such as “cider”, “acorn” or “rake”. Then place post-it notes with corresponding letters around the house for your child to find. Have your child organize the letters on the post-it notes to match the big letter words written on the paper. Your child will enjoy moving around and the gratification of finding something while also learning how to spell and sound out words.
5. Paint with corn cobs
The Fun-a-Day blog shares this activity, which involves using corn on the cob as paint rollers. Use three pieces of corn on the cob (and corn cob holders if you have them) and dip each in red, orange and yellow paints. Then have your little ones roll them across a large paper canvas to create colorful creations!
6. Make apple smiles
Mom Foodie suggests making this fun fall treat with your kiddos. Just slice some apples and layer one side with peanut butter. Have a small bowl of mini marshmallows for your child to line up as “teeth” on the peanut butter side of the apple, then top it off with another slice. The apples make the lips and the marshmallows are the teeth.
7. Fall guess bags
This guessing game from Pleasantest Thing is sure to entertain your youngsters this fall! Place fall items in paper bags such as acorns, leaves and wool fabric. Blindfold your child’s eyes with a bandana. After your child feels the object in the paper bag, have him or her guess what it is and describe it compared to other items he or she has felt. Your child is learning to identify items and investigate them using the five senses.
8. Create a ‘Spookley’ pumpkin
The folks at Things to Share & Remember developed this activity to correspond with a popular Halloween children’s book. Just cut out black squares and orange squares. Create the shape of a pumpkin stem. Glue down squares with your child to make a square-shaped pumpkin and draw on eyes once complete. Teach your child about acceptance and differences and how ‘Spookley the Square Pumpkin’ is not round like the other pumpkins.
9. Paint fall trees with egg cartons
Directions for this activity can be found on the Teach Preschool blog. First, have your child draw a tree trunk on paper. Then, cut an emptied egg carton in half. Put out orange, yellow, and red tempura paints on large enough plates so that your child can stamp the egg carton in the paint and onto the page to create leaves on the tree. Your child will strengthen fine motor skills while also learning shapes and colors.
10. Make a leaf collage
These beautiful, nature-inspired masterpieces are a hit with kids, according to the Powerful Mothering blog. Place a leaf under paper and have your child color over the paper with the flat end of the crayon to reveal the shape of the leaf. Your child is developing fine motor skills and discovering shapes.
11. Make corn kernels dance
This science activity is brought to you by Kim’s Play Place. Find a tall cup and place it in a waterproof bin. Add two cups of water, two tablespoons of baking soda and a palm full of popcorn kernels into the water. Set aside a small cup of vinegar for your child to add to the mixture. The vinegar and baking soda react, causing the kernels to dance, and the water to bubble over the top of the jar, if poured in quickly.
12. Fall 1:1 Game
Pre-K Pages share this autumn activity (and many others!) Fold a piece of paper until it makes eight squares. Trace the squares and label them with the numbers one through eight. Gather eight pine cones that fit the squares and a foam die. Have your child roll the die and put pinecones into the squares on the numbered paper correlating with the number on the die. Your child will learn numbers and corresponding.
13. Trace letters with pumpkin seeds
Another suggestion from Mom Inspired Life, this activity involves writing your child’s name in large letters. Then have him or her use pumpkin seeds to trace each letter. This is helping them learn letters, how to spell his or her name and developing fine motor control.
14. Apple fingerprints math activity
This educational activity comes from the Life Over C’s blog. Draw or cut out shapes to look like apple barrels. Label them with numbers and paste them on paper with white space above the barrels. Then have your child dip his or her finger in red finger paint and stamp “apples” above the barrels, creating as many apples as the number written on the barrel.
Have fun this fall!
Each of these fun fall activities for preschoolers are both educational and entertaining. Your youngsters will have a ball and you’ll enjoy watching them develop new skills and embrace the festive spirit of the season.
If you have a knack for combining learning and fun, you may be able to leverage your talents in a larger way! Check out our article to learn more: 9 Signs You Should be Teaching Preschool.
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