Fall Activities for Preschoolers
Fall is a colorful season in which many things happen in nature and with the weather and animals which preschool children can be taught about.
We have a variety of kids activities, fun fall activities for kids, seasonal preschool program ideas, and snack ideas for the different seasons throughout the year including the fall.
There are various lunch menu ideas, games for kids and other fun seasonal activities for kids and preschool children to learn about this time of year with.
These fall preschool activities & seasonal curriculum can be helpful for teaching kids in preschool classrooms as well as in teaching kids at home about various things happening during this time of year.
Fun Activities and Ideas
Here are some fun fall activities for preschool children:
Leaf Art: Go on a nature walk and collect colorful leaves. Use them to create leaf rubbings or make leaf collages.
Pumpkin Patch Visit: Take a field trip to a pumpkin patch. Let the children pick out their own pumpkins to decorate or carve.
Apple Picking: Visit an apple orchard and let the children pick apples. You can use the apples to make simple recipes like applesauce or apple slices with caramel.
Nature Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of fall-related items like acorns, pinecones, colored leaves, etc. and have the children search for them in a designated area.
Fall Sensory Bin: Fill a large container with items like dried corn, pumpkin seeds, small gourds, and leaves. Let the children explore the different textures and shapes.
Scarecrow Craft: Provide materials like construction paper, straw, and old clothes for the children to make their own scarecrow.
Pumpkin Painting: Instead of carving, provide paint, brushes, and other decorations for the children to paint and decorate their pumpkins.
Fall-Themed Storytime: Read fall-themed books to the children. Encourage discussions about the changing seasons and the animals that prepare for winter.
Leaf Pile Jumping: Rake a pile of leaves and let the children take turns jumping into it. Make sure to supervise for safety.
Harvest Festival or Costume Party: Organize a small festival with games like sack races, bobbing for apples, and a costume parade.
Apple Printing: Cut an apple in half, dip it in paint, and use it as a stamp to create apple-shaped prints.
Baking Pumpkin Treats: Bake simple pumpkin muffins or cookies with the children. Let them help with measuring and mixing.
Fall-Themed Playdough: Make or buy fall-colored playdough and provide small fall-themed cookie cutters and plastic tools for creative play.
Spider Web Craft: Use black paper plates and white yarn to create spider webs. Add a small plastic spider for extra fun.
Fall Leaf Crown: Help the children create crowns using construction paper and leaves. They can wear them proudly as little autumn royalty.
Remember to consider safety when planning these Fall activities and adjust them based on the age and abilities of the children.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to check for any allergies or sensitivities before doing activities involving food or natural materials.
Fall Activities - Program & Snacks for Autumn
Preschoolers, toddlers and school aged kids are back to school and learning. The Fall and Autumn season is here.
What can we do as parents, early childhood educators and home care providers to entertain and teach our children during this fall season?
What are some fall style activities for kids and preschoolers to use during this Autumn season?
Prepare The Children:
Get the children and preschoolers in to a “school” like routine. This will help our children learn routine, and help to better equip them when they start grade school.
If you work at a day care chances are the center has a routine to work for them including scheduling for breaks, lunch breaks, etc.
If you are at home or looking for a change to the daily schedule, here is a sample idea.
Sample Preschool Program Schedule: ( Fall Autumn )
Morning
6:30-8:30 Parent drop off, free play, clean up (7:15-*bathroom routine)
8:30-9:00 Snack, clean-up, books and puzzles
9:00-10:00 Outside free play, and games
10:00-10:15 *Bathroom Routine
10:15-11:15 Circle time, Art, Sensory, Dramatic Play, Science, Blocks etc. Cleanup
11:15-11:30 Wash-up/*bathroom and sit for lunch
11:30-12:15 Lunch time, wash-up
Afternoon
12:15-2:15 Nap time and/or quiet time activities
2:15-3:30 Wake-up, *bathroom routine, clean up quiet activities, snack
3:30-4:30 Outside free play
4:30-5:30 free play, parent pick up
* These bathroom routines are set up throughout the day for all preschool children to go to the bathroom to avoid so many children having to go at different times all throughout the day. Of course though, if any preschool child had to go to the bathroom in between those times they would be given the time to go.
This preschool schedule can be changed to what seems easiest for you and your classroom group and your setting, but the main point here is that when these daily pre k routines and schedules are followed closely everyday, children/preschoolers become familiar with routines and structure and will thus have an easier time when entering grade school.
Even if you are a parent at home with only your own children or preschoolers, scheduling your day is a great thing to do with your children as it will benefit them in the same way for the future.
Fall Preschool Snack Ideas & Activities
When the Fall season approaches, there are some wonderful foods to talk about and taste as well as simple, entertaining Fall activities to use with the preschoolers and young children in your care.
You can see some of these ideas for educating your children below during this season:
Food Tasting Ideas for the Fall Season:
Apples (cut up and served with different dips with preschool snack)
Apple Cider (Let the children – preschoolers experience it warm and cold)
Maple Syrup (take a class trip to see how it’s made, can have waffles and syrup for a snack, or try maple syrup cookies for a treat)
Pumpkin/seeds (as a circle activity, cut top off and seed pumpkin, wash and roast seeds to show children the process, allow children to handle pulp as a unique sensory experience)
Sweet Potatoes (can try for lunch menu idea)
Cranberries (can try in cookies or plain)
Squash (can try at lunch-great preschool nutrition)
Chili (great warm lunch menu idea with homemade biscuits)
Biscuits (can be made as a pre k cooking activity and served with lunch)
Creamy Soups (great lunch menu idea with side of garlic bread or sandwiches)
These are some great warm, cozy Fall foods that can be used on those cool days. Try them today with other warm ideas and treats.
Great Fall Pre K Snacks & Lunch Ideas:
Visit the link below for some fun healthy recipes, pre k snacks, lunch ideas and lunch menus to use with your preschoolers and young children.
https://www.preschoollearningonline.com/healthy-preschool-snacks.html
Kids Books About Fall:
There are certainly no shortage of books and stories for kids. You can find books about the different seasons, weather and animals that relate to the fall season. These books will help to teach children about different events that happen in the autumn season. You can also search for kids books about fall in our kids book section.
Kids Fall Science Activity:
You could have all the children go outside and collect a number of colorful leaves that have fallen to the ground in the fall season.
Children could collect leaves, twigs, walnuts, acorns and pine cones as well as other things they find on the Fall nature walk.
These could then be put onto a table with various things like magnifying glasses and tweezers for the children to explore.
Other Things to Teach in the Fall:
Why not teach your kids about the Fall?
You can discuss what happens in the Fall.
You could talk about ‘Why the leaves have changed colors?”, “What colors are the different leaves?”, talk about the different shapes of different leaves etc.
Talk about how these things ‘die off’ in the fall in preparation for winter coming etc.
You could also talk about the animals and how they prepare for winter in the Fall. (Example: Squirrels are everywhere this time of year burying their nuts (if you have squirrels where you are from)
You can find books on Fall themes or topics.
Pumpkins:
Pumpkins always seem to have a Fall theme.
You could talk about pumpkins and maybe do a pumpkin cooking activity like making a pumpkin pie or pumpkin cookies or cake for the preschoolers.
You could talk about all the things you observe as well as the animals that you seen.
There are other Fall activities that can be used with children along with coloring pages and activity sheets and more. We will add more teaching activities and ideas as we can.
If you have Fall activity suggestions, please email us and we will add your activity to our website under this section giving you full credit.