Fall Books for Young Children (And activities that go with them.)

There is so much for kids to learn about during the fall. The most obvious is trees! The leaves change color and every inquisitive child wants to know WHY! A great book about the life cycle of a tree is Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. Speaking of foliage, there is another book preschoolers will LOVE - We're Going On a Leaf Hunt. (In case you aren't familiar with "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," check out this reading of it here, and a catchy song version here.) If you want a book that goes great with a craft, check out Leaf Man. My son made a "leaf man" in transitional kindergarten. He spent a good deal of time outdoors finding different types of leaves, used his imagination to arrange the leaves into a man and worked on his fine motor skills at the same. I'll add a picture of his creation below! If you have some young elementary students, I love this watercolor fall tree tutorial which could accompany any of these books. Leaf imprints are really fun too!

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Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf focuses on a sugar maple tree, but another important tree in the fall is the Apple Tree! In additional to learning about how the fruit grows, kids can learn about Johnny Appleseed. Did you know September 26th is Johnny Appleseed Day? Apples Up On Top is another apple-themed classic. For a cute apple stamp-paint activity perfect for preschoolers and kindergartners, click here. (If you simply change up your paint color to orange you can make pumpkins with an apple as well! Check that out here.) I think these pine cone apple trees are also uber cute and creative! For some extra fun, dress up like Johnny Appleseed! I included a picture of one my little dragons imitating J.A.

Pumpkins are probably the biggest (pun intended) fall fruit of the season. Of course there area myriad of books about the pumpkins. In addition to books about how pumpkins grow, one book that looks really cool is "How Big Could your Pumpkin Grow?" This is a factual book which includes information about GIANT pumpkin contests! An easy craft for toddlers and preschoolers are paper towel roll pumpkins. For kids a little older, kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com free printables and a craft on parts of a pumpkin.

A topic that my little ones love is hibernation. We know that in the fall bears prepare for their winter sleep. You can read "Hibernation Station" and also play, "Don't wake the bear" with the kids. All participants sit in a circle and pass around an object which generally makes noise like a bell, a tambourine, maraca very quietly trying not to wake the bear. The bear can be you or a toy. Whoever makes a noise is out. I think there are many versions of this game preschool teachers have created. Make it your own!

I can't forget books for baby. Let baby see all the colors of fall, feel the textures and find the cute the animals Here are two different edible pumpkin play doughs for little ones: https://www.123homeschool4me.com/edible-pumpkin-playdough and DIY Pumpkin Spice Play Dough Recipe | Grey Skies & Rainbow Highs (jensengrey.com)

Happy Fall

Dragon Mama