Fall Preschooler Activity – Leaf Play

What’s better than sweater weather and crunchy leaves beneath your feet? It’s finally Fall. We round up three leaf-play activities to keep your preschool busy and learning this season.

Nature Walk

Going on nature walks in your neighborhood not only helps your little one learn about science and math, it’s also great exercise. Bring along a tote bag or basket, and have your preschooler collect as many leaves as they can.

Encourage your child to find leaves of all different shapes, sizes, and textures. Have your child to feel the leaves, and look closely at the different parts: the vein, blade, and stem.

Talk about the different colors of the leaves, and count the leaves as you pick them up.

Leaf Sorting

This is a simple math activity. You can use leaves you found on your nature walk, or purchase some at a craft store.

Talk about how the leaves are different and how they are alike. Put all your leaves in a pile and have your preschooler sort them first by color. You can pile them up again and sort by shape. After that, you can pile them up and sort them by size.

For advanced sorting, you can create patterns.

Playdough Leaf Imprints

Making leaf imprints will further show your child about the shapes and parts of the leave. Before you begin, have your child trace the vein, stem, blade, and shapes of the leaves. If you have a magnifying glass, let them have a closer look.

To make the imprints: simply roll out playdough ¼ inch thick, and have your child press the leaf vein side down, and lift. You can re-use playdough, or bake for long-lasting impressions.

We hope you are loving the fall as much as we are. Go outside and enjoy these fun and simple leaf activities. Be sure to share pictures with us on Facebook!

Sources: stayathomeeducator.com, www.pre-kpages.com