Fall is just around the corner and that means transitioning from outdoor playtime to indoor playtime! We’ve rounded up a handful of simple fall activities and fall crafts for preschoolers and toddlers to make that transition a little bit easier.
Sensory Table
As the seasons change, sensory play for toddlers looks a bit different. Where there’s water flowing in their favorite Step2 water table in the summer sun, there’s sensory items and tons of indoor play waiting to be had in the fall and winter.
Rinse off and wipe down your water table and accessories, letting dry thoroughly. Bring it inside to your little one’s play space and fill with a variety of fall-themed sensory items! Fake fabric leaves, dried corn, candy corn or pumpkins, and fall-colored yarn strands work well. For a fun game, bury treasures for toddlers to dig up, and use action figures or dolls to create a fall wonderland and get to storytelling about their favorite characters!
Playhouse Decorating
Bring a little fall flair to your child’s own home this season! While toddlers love to mimic adult role models in the kitchen, the same goes for decorating and cleaning. As you do a deep clean of your home, encourage your little one to tidy up their outdoor playhouse too. Then, go shopping together for a variety of fall décor they can play around and decorate their playhouse with! Spending an afternoon decorating your home, and then theirs, will no doubt create a lasting memory for both of you – and a sweetly decorated playhouse in the backyard to admire as outside playtime winds down.
2-Ingredient Pumpkin Playdough
A popular fall craft for kids, DIY playdough is an easy way for them to feel like they’re helping to mix up something cool – with a lesson in science and sensory play built-in!
Mix 15 oz. of pumpkin puree with about 2 cups of cornstarch. Add half-cups of cornstarch to the pumpkin at a time, stirring to combine until the mixture thickens and it no longer feels sticky to the touch. Gone too far? Add a splash of water to soften. Mix in a few tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice for an extra fall flair if desired.
Leaf Collages
Another easy fall craft for kids is making colorful collages with leaves! When the leaves begin to fall, go on a hunt with your toddler to find a variety of different colors, being careful not to squish the leaves too much.
Bring inside and arrange the leaves on construction paper to create a beautiful fall collage of color and nature! Use glue to adhere the leaves to the paper. For another level of play, have your little one draw two trees onto one sheet of paper. Help them separate the leaves onto the two trees by like characteristics, like color or size, and then glue down as a fun way to remember their lesson in organization and sorting all season long!
Paper Plate Pumpkins
A favorite (and easy) arts and crafts activity for toddlers, making paper plate pumpkins is a simple way to get into the fall spirit.
You will need:
- 1 large paper plate per pumpkin
- Orange tissue paper
- Pencil
- Safety scissors (always use with parental supervision!)
- Glue or stapler with staples
- Green and brown cardstock or construction paper
Help your toddler cut the tissue paper into small squares and adhere all over the paper plate with glue. While the glue dries, have your toddler trace their hand on a piece of green construction paper and cut out. Then, cut a good-sized rectangle to become the pumpkin’s stem from the brown construction paper. Attach the green leaf and brown stem to the top of the orange paper plate pumpkin with glue or stapler. Ta-da! Their very own fall pumpkin craft project is now complete.
Thanks to GluedToMyCraftsBlog.com for the adorable kids’ fall craft idea! Visit the blog here to download the free jack-o-lantern face printable and take these paper plate pumpkins from cozy fall to spooky Halloween time!
What are some of your favorite kid-friendly fall activities? Share your ideas in the comments below!
