Preschool Autumn Circle Time

Talk about the four seasons and what is different about each of them. Ask preschoolers what clothes they wear for each of the different seasons and what activities they do.

Talk about what happens to the leaves when they change colors in the fall. Ask the preschoolers what different colors of leaves they have seen.

Talk about what different kinds of fruits grow on trees. Explain to the preschoolers that different kinds of apples grow on different kinds of trees.

Tell preschoolers that when the leaves on the trees finish changing colors they fall off the tree branches and onto the ground. Ask the preschoolers why they think we rake the leaves up. Pretend to rake leaves up off the ground.

Preschool Autumn Arts and Crafts

Leaf Rubbings – Collect a variety of leaves. Help each preschooler place a piece of paper over a leaf. Using a crayon without paper, turn the crayon on its side and rub it over the paper. Preschoolers will create a copy of the leaf on their paper.

Preschool Autumn Hand Tree

Preschoolers are fascinated by the changing colors of fall leaves. This simple preschool art activity will let preschoolers create their own autumn tree. Preschoolers will strengthen their small motor skills as they trace their hand and practice using safety scissors.

Finger Painting – Finger paint with fall colors such as, brown, orange, and red.

Letter A Apple Stamping

Dress for Fall - Cut out a variety of pictures of people wearing fall clothes and glue them onto paper.

Preschool Autumn Math and Science

Preschool Nature Walk – Give each preschooler a brown paper bag. Go on a nature walk and let the preschoolers collect various items that they find outside, such as, rocks, leaves, small sticks, etc. When you get back from your nature walk let each preschooler share what they found. Let preschoolers glue a few items on the outside of their back to decorate. Store larger items inside the bag.

Fall Counting Cards - Print out cards (on cardstock) labeled with the numbers 1-10. Place craft leaves, nuts, or something else fall related on a table and have the children practice counting out the right amount of items.

Preschool Science Activity - Why Do Leaves Change Colors?

To preschoolers, the changing colors of fall leaves may seem like something close to magic. This simple science lesson will help preschoolers to understand the process that leaves go through in the fall when they begin to change colors and what plants need to live and grow.

Preschool Autumn Music and Movement

Leaves on the Tree (tune of "Wheels of the Bus")

The leaves on the trees turn orange and brown. . .orange and brown. .. .orange and brown

The leaves on the trees turn orange and brown, all over town.

The leaves on the trees come tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down

The leaves on the trees coming tumbling down, all over town.

The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish. .. swish, swish, swish.. . .Swish, swish, swish

The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish, all over town.

The Leaves are Falling Down

("the farmer in the dell")

The leaves are falling down

The leaves are falling down

Red, yellow, green and brown

The leaves are falling down

Preschool Autumn Pretend Play

Add preschooler sized rakes and foam leaves to your pretend play area. Let preschoolers pretend to rake up the leaves.

Preschool Autumn Language and Reading

Like this article? Get more like it in your inbox. Subscribe today to our free weekly newsletter.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Model learning yourself. A parent who reads books, asks questions, visits museums, and says "I don't know, let's find out" teaches learning as a lifestyle, not a chore.

• Learning is most durable when it's embedded in play. Don't pull children away from play to "do learning" — find the learning inside the play they're already doing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my preschooler is learning enough at home?

Developmental milestones (not academic benchmarks) are the appropriate assessment tool for preschoolers. Verify your child is meeting age-appropriate milestones for language, motor, social-emotional, and cognitive development using your pediatrician's well-child visit assessments. Preschoolers learning through play, conversation, books, and daily life engagement are learning more than their standardized test scores will later reflect. Concern is warranted if a child shows regression in skills previously mastered, or fails to meet speech and language milestones.

Related reading: See also our read-aloud guide and our kindergarten readiness guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🧠 Memory & Recall — Remembering rules, retelling a story in sequence, and practicing skills to automaticity builds working memory and long-term recall — the cognitive foundation that learning in every subject depends on.
• ⚡ Executive Function — Planning, sequencing steps, holding rules in mind while acting, and stopping a prepotent response all build executive function — the cluster of cognitive skills most strongly predictive of long-term academic and life success.
• 🤔 Critical Thinking — Being asked "why do you think that?" and forming and defending an answer develops the analytical reasoning children need for reading comprehension, mathematics, and evidence-based argumentation.
• ✏️ Pre-Writing Development — Drawing, tracing, and early mark-making develop the fine motor control and visual-motor integration that handwriting requires — making every drawing activity a contribution to writing readiness.

Autumn is filled with so many new things for preschoolers. School is starting up again, the weather is getting colder, and the leaves are changing colors. Help preschoolers experience all of the wonderful things the changing seasons have to offer with this hands-on autumn preschool theme.