Fresh air, colorful leaves, holidays. What’s not to like about fall? Enjoy the season and some special time with your child — these fun, educational activities are easy and require few materials.
Real Leaf Tree Drawings
Collect leaves. Draw a tree and glue the real leaves on the drawing. Talk about colors. Have your child feel the leaves and talk about textures like smooth and rough.
Leaf Creatures
Collect leaves. Have your child arrange leaves to form animals, people or imaginary creatures. Paste the arrangement to paper. Paste the google eyes where the face is. Talk about the differences between “real” and “imaginary.” Check out this leaf animal tutorial from Handmade Charlotte.
Apples to Apples
Go apple picking. Arrange apples from smallest to largest, then largest to smallest. Talk about size and weight.
Easy Bird Feeders
Offer some food to birds and squirrels. Layer crunchy peanut butter on a dry, fallen pinecone or hollow out an orange and fill with seed. Place or hang outside and wait for the wildlife to visit. Talk about how animals prepare for the winter. Check out this step by step tutorial by SheKnows.
Build a Fort
Collect dry sticks and colored leaves. Arrange the sticks like a teepee, leaving space open for doll entry. Tie at the top. Then glue the leaves on the sticks. Talk about different kinds of houses people live in.
Little Scarecrow
Collect clothes that no longer fit your child. Stuff them to make a scarecrow. Talk about how big your child has grown and compare to how small the scarecrow is.
Fall Wreath
Cut the center out of a paper plate to form a ring. Collect and glue colored leaves to the ring. If desired, use a sticky-backed magnet on the back of the ring to hang on a refrigerator or other metal surface. Talk about why leaves change color. This easy tutorial from MamaPeaPod will show you how to make a fall wreath.
Fall Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of natural things that fall to the ground, like pine cones, pine needles, colored leaves and dry sticks. Have your child collect the items and talk about where they came from.
Autumn Celery People
Fill three glasses with water. Mix in vegetable food color to make brown, red and orange (or other fall colors). Put separated celery stalks in each glass. Watch as the celery turns colors. Using a piece of toothpick, fasten raisins to the celery to make eyes. Talk about what it means to “absorb.”
Make Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
Let’s eat! Put several slits in a spaghetti squash and microwave for about 13 minutes. (It should be easy to slide a fork into the squash when it is fully cooked.) Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Then scoop all of the fruit of the squash into a bowl. Top with spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese. Talk about fruits and vegetables and the different seasons they grow in. Jaden from Steamy Kitchen shares a delicious spaghetti recipe here.
Leaf Anatomy
Have your child trace a leaf and color it using fall colors. Then, using brown yarn, glue on “veins.” Talk about how and why leaves change color. (Need a refresher? Check out this article.)
Ghostly Water Balloons
Fill a large, white balloon with some water, but only enough to form a head. Tie the balloon off, leaving enough excess to create a body. Cut the tip of the balloon off. Cut vertical slashes in the bottom of the balloon to form a scary base. Use a permanent marker to draw eyes and a mouth. When ready, let your child squish the balloons in a sink or bathtub for a sensory experience.
Glowing Eyes
Halloween is coming! To decorate outside, use a toilet paper roll. Cut eyes out. Put a glow stick inside. Place the “eyes” in bushes. Talk about opposites like light and dark. Thanks to Rust and Sunshine for the inspiration!
Do you have a special fall activity you do with your child? Let us know!