Fabulous Fall Activities for Preschool

Yay!  Autumn is here and brings fabulous, fun, fall activities for preschool!

Fall is such a spectacular season!  It is a wonderful time to revel in God’s beauty and invite little ones to explore our world using their five senses!  There are so many delightful fall activities for preschool and many we come back to year after year.

Scarecrow Shape Fall Activity for Preschool

I love this project!  It is one of my all-time favorite activities that we do each year.  It is so funny and cute to see how each child’s scarecrow turns out! 

At first glance, it may seem like just an art project, but this fall activity for preschool teaches several valuable skills like following directions, shapes, positions, and left and right.  All very important concepts to master in preschool!

In my classroom, I usually split the project into 2 days.  The best part is that you don’t need any pre-printed photocopies to do this activity, just manila paper and a pencil to get started for day 1! 

Day 1 Scarecrow Activity

First, the teacher models on a large chart paper while students are doing the same on their own 8.5 x 11 manila paper.  Don’t skip this important step!  The kids will need to see it modeled as they work!  Read the directions and model each step as you go.  Stop to make sure each child has completed the step before moving on.  This may seem easy to you, but it is challenging for most preschool kids! Trust me, it will take longer than you might expect. That’s why we break it down into a two day project.

1. Draw a CIRCLE at the TOP of your paper  for the head.
2. Make a RECTANGLE under the circle for the body.
3. Draw a small RECTANGLE on the right for an arm.
4. Make a small RECTANGLE on the left for the other arm.
5. Draw a SQUARE under the head circle to make the overalls.
6. Add a line in the middle of the pants to show 2 legs.
7. Add 2 tiny SQUARES as patches.
8. Turn your paper over and write your name on the back.

Day 2 Scarecrow Activity

The second day is where the creativity and individuality comes in!  For this part of the project, you will need to have the crafty items ready to go: buttons, hay or raffia, glue, crayons, and a pre-cut hat (if desired). It helps if the teacher pre-cuts the raffia ahead of time into 1-2 inch pieces for the arms & legs and slightly longer for the hair.

1. Glue on 2 button eyes.
2. Draw on a mouth – don’t forget the lines to make it look sewn!
3. Color!
4. Cut – be careful not to cut off the arms and head. (Have scotch tape ready just in case!)
5. Glue hay or raffia at the arms, legs and hair to make him look stuffed.
6. Add a tiny paper hat if desired.

Let them dry over night and hang these cuties up in the hallway!  They turn out so adorable, I promise! Watch how on YouTube!

Fall Vocabulary in Preschool

One of our favorite fall activities for preschool is learning new vocabulary through hands-on investigation!  There are many new textures, sights, and smells to explore in fall! 

I’m a big believer in introducing real objects for students to explore and observe whenever possible.   Kids pick up on the new vocabulary quickly and eagerly when they can see, feel, taste, smell, explore, and experience the items!

Most years, I have invited parents to donate fall items to our classroom such as apples, mini pumpkins, gourds, leaves, acorns, pine-cones, pumpkins seeds, and tree bark.  We always get a generous supply!  I also bring items like scarecrows, a stuffed animal squirrel, Indian corn, and a little miniature rake from my own collection.  In fact, in my Fall Autumn Lesson Plans & Thematic Unit set I went ahead and included the parent note I send home asking families to support our learning by donating fall items.

Afterwards, we add these items to our science center (along with a magnifying glass) or the writing center to prompt students to practice the words and sound them out for writing.

To reinforce the real live objects, we use our vocabulary chart to clap syllables and copy down the words for the writing center on fall-themed paper.  That makes writing much more interesting!

We also cut up the vocabulary chart into small cards and use them to play matching games or Memory as partner games during center time.  The kids get so excited about these thematic fall activities for preschool!

Sing!

Another way we reinforce the new vocabulary is through music!  One of our favorite fall activities for preschool is singing.  There are many fun fall songs, but these are two that we love: Autumn Leaves and The Leaves on the Tree. Singing gets the new words stuck in their heads in a hurry!  Plus, a classroom filled with music is a happy classroom. In the Fall Autumn Lesson Plans and Thematic Unit, the songs along with all the other materials, are available in both Spanish and English.

READ: The Ultimate Guide to Centers in Preschool

Math Fall Activities for Preschool 

There are so many ways to incorporate math into fall activities for preschool!  If there’s one thing I’ve learned about 3 and 4-year-olds, it’s that they get tired of seeing the same old toys and materials day after day, so why not mix it up with thematically inspired new resources?

Autumn Number Cards

Having new fall-themed number cards makes counting so much more fun!  There are lots of ways to use the number cards as a chart, like adding unifix towers in the photo above, but another fun fall activity is cutting the number cards then setting them out in bowls. Next, have the kids use tongs to fill the bowls up with the right number of acorns. Math and engaging fine motor skill practice all in one!

READ: How to Write Engaging Lesson Plans for Preschool

10-Frame Games

We use 10-frames a lot in preschool to teach 1-on-1 correspondence and counting, plus other skills like subitizing.  My favorite place to use 10-frames is in math small groups.  Having new, engaging, thematic fall 10-frames make them exciting to use.  Instead of the usual manipulatives, we change it up in fall by using pumpkin seeds or acorns.

Apple Graphing

Taste testing apples is super sweet!  Each child only needs a tiny piece to sample, so 2-3 apples of each color are all you need for this class activity.

Place a tiny piece of a yellow, green, and red apple in front of each child.  Let them smell, but don’t taste – yet!  I know it is hard to wait!  Pick a color to start with, say red, and have all the kids taste their red apple at the same time. 

Close your eyes, smell it, and really savor the flavor.  What do you think?  Repeat for the green and yellow apples.

Now it’s time to vote!  Pass out a small blank apple paper to each child.  They get to color in the apple flavor they liked best and write their name inside.  Next, it’s time to make a class graph of your favorites!

Which color has the most?  Which color has the least?  Let’s count and label our class graph!

Nature Walk & Leaf Graphing

Another time-honored fall activity for preschool is going on a nature walk and collecting leaves!  Autumn is a great time to teach or review colors.  For our class walk, we pair up in the buddy system and each pair gets a plastic baggie to hold their discoveries.

When we return, we do a big leaf sort by color.  We sit in a circle and make a pile of red leaves, orange leaves, yellow, green, and brown. We count each pile and make a graph of what color has the most. These special treasures then go into our science center for further independent investigation.

If you don’t live in a location with many fall leaves, you can use the printed ones included in the materials and recreate a similar classroom sorting and graphing lesson. But real, crunchy, fragrant leaves are much more exciting if you have them available!

Fabulous Fall

Wow!  There is so much to love about autumn and so many delightful fall activities for preschool to celebrate the changing season and learn about our amazing world!  Enjoy the delight and wonder of those sweet little faces! Happy autumn!

Grab your copy of Fall Autumn Lesson Plans & Thematic Unit for Pre-K, Spanish English Bilingual

“I loved this resource, it was so easy for me to adapt the items to fit the needs of my classroom! It is so hard for me to find great resources that are in Spanish! Thank you” – Sarah