Fall is a magical time of year – leaves changing, temperatures cooling, and fun fall activities. It is the perfect time to show preschoolers just what the season is all about and help them fall in love with this time of year. Here are a few ideas on unique activities for your preschoolers that can kickstart the season and turn your classroom into an exciting learning space.
Fall Classroom Activities
Introduce simple math concepts using colored leaves, acorns, or anything fall-related that you can find outside. Activities could include sorting by size or color, counting the objects, or simple addition and subtraction.
Repurpose your math activity objects into a fall craft! Create leaf rub pictures, paint pine cones, or work on dexterity with fall-themed coloring pages. All of these activities are a fun ‘take home’ for parents to hang on their fridge.
Nature Walk
Whether you are walking around the playground or you have the ability to venture further off campus on a field trip and find a tried and true nature trail, your students can use all of their senses to see the difference fall is making in the nature around them.
Have a list of things ready to call out and see if your students can identify them. Changing leaves, pine straw, squirrels – anything that is in the area. This will help your students connect these changes to the new season and encourage their participation.
Sensory Bin
Create a fall sensory bin with acorns, leaves, pinecones, and other natural artifacts. You can even use store-bought items like corn kernels, mini pumpkins, or apples. This is a great way to let children investigate the textures and colors of fall.
Halloween Costume Show and Tell
When it comes to fall, many children look forward to picking their Halloween costumes. Identify a day to allow your students to come to school in their costumes. Make it a fun learning day and allow students to show and tell their chosen costumes to their peers.
Harvest Snacks
Not only is fall associated with certain colors and objects, but flavors too. When it comes to snack time in your preschool classroom, consider fall flavors like apples, pumpkin, or even some Halloween candy. Take it up a notch and offer fall cookie decorating. Bake cookies in the shape of leaves or pumpkins and let your preschoolers’ imaginations run wild as they decorate.
Field Trips
If you have the ability to take your students off campus, fall is the perfect time for low-cost field trips. Take your students to a pumpkin patch where you will find activities like hayrides, corn mazes, and petting zoos. If there isn’t a pumpkin patch near you, consider an apple orchard. Many apple orchards soar in popularity during the fall and offer many activities in addition to picking apples.
No matter which direction you take your fall activity planning, your students are sure to end the season with knowledge of the different seasons and some exciting memories.
Gear up for an exciting fall and don’t forget to use a child care management system like Jackrabbit Care that will give you time back to stop and smell the pumpkin spice!
