Fall Activities for Kids, 22 of the Simplest

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Click here to read Fall Activities for Kids, 22 of the Simplest on Hands On As We Grow®

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These Fall activities for toddlers are sure to create lasting memories with your kids this Autumn.

From trees to leaves and apples to pumpkins, Fall may just be the best time of year!

I actually really do think it is!

I realized that this is the last Fall I have with a toddler! So I have to make the most of it.

Louis is turning three in November, which means (to me) I won’t have a toddler anymore, he’ll be a preschooler!

I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up, he’s my baby!

With Fall being my favorite season of the year, and Louis growing out of this toddler stage, I am making a list of simple (because I only do simple) fall activities for kids.

Of course, there are bucket list Fall activities for toddlers to do, so I’ll start with them, because I think they’re the simplest ever (and create the most memories)!

Fall Bucket List of Activities for Kids

• Pick out the very best pumpkin
• Visit an apple tree orchard
• Attempt to find your way through a maize maze
• Bonfires and s’mores!
• Decorate or carve pumpkins
• Rake leaves
• Jump in a pile of leaves
• Collect leaves
• Go on a hay ride
• Go trick-or-treating

31 Days of Bringing Kids Delightful Fall Fun in October

Simple Fall Activities for Kids, Especially for Toddlers

But there’s also fun Fall activities for toddlers to do too!

These activities may just get kids a little more involved in the beauty of Fall!

1. Apple tree craft for toddlers to make.
2. A fall tree craft made from cereal!
3. Toddlers can easily make these yarn apples.
4. Enjoy the smell of a pumpkin scented rice sensory bin.
5. Decorate the window with a fall tree!
6. A pile of corn can entertain for days! Make a corn kernel sensory bin.
7. Make leaves and collect leaves to make this leaf collage.
8. Sticky trees are great activities for kids in the Fall! (from Teaching Mama)
9. Learn how to make orange and make a pumpkin suncatcher! (on PBS Parents)
10. Make a fall sensory bottle for toddlers. (from Mom Inspired Life)
11. Make paint from spices for toddlers to make art with. (from Sow Sprout Play)
12. Toddlers will love making this tissue paper wreath for Fall! (from Happy Hooligans)

So many fun fall activities for kids from Learning Through Experiences

You may also be interested in our other fall crafts & activities for kids:

• 42 apple crafts for kids
• 40 apple activities for kids (using real apples!)
• 40 pumpkin activities for kids (using real pumpkins!)
• 35 pumpkin crafts for kids

P.S. I’ve fallen in love with this Family Fall Bucket List I found at Scholastic!

Fall Activities for Kids, 22 of the Simplest

Hands On As We Grow® https://ift.tt/2xNGcca

Click here to read Fall Activities for Kids, 22 of the Simplest on Hands On As We Grow®

---

These Fall activities for toddlers are sure to create lasting memories with your kids this Autumn.

From trees to leaves and apples to pumpkins, Fall may just be the best time of year!

I actually really do think it is!

I realized that this is the last Fall I have with a toddler! So I have to make the most of it.

Louis is turning three in November, which means (to me) I won’t have a toddler anymore, he’ll be a preschooler!

I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up, he’s my baby!

With Fall being my favorite season of the year, and Louis growing out of this toddler stage, I am making a list of simple (because I only do simple) fall activities for kids.

Of course, there are bucket list Fall activities for toddlers to do, so I’ll start with them, because I think they’re the simplest ever (and create the most memories)!

Fall Bucket List of Activities for Kids

• Pick out the very best pumpkin
• Visit an apple tree orchard
• Attempt to find your way through a maize maze
• Bonfires and s’mores!
• Decorate or carve pumpkins
• Rake leaves
• Jump in a pile of leaves
• Collect leaves
• Go on a hay ride
• Go trick-or-treating

31 Days of Bringing Kids Delightful Fall Fun in October

Simple Fall Activities for Kids, Especially for Toddlers

But there’s also fun Fall activities for toddlers to do too!

These activities may just get kids a little more involved in the beauty of Fall!

1. Apple tree craft for toddlers to make.
2. A fall tree craft made from cereal!
3. Toddlers can easily make these yarn apples.
4. Enjoy the smell of a pumpkin scented rice sensory bin.
5. Decorate the window with a fall tree!
6. A pile of corn can entertain for days! Make a corn kernel sensory bin.
7. Make leaves and collect leaves to make this leaf collage.
8. Sticky trees are great activities for kids in the Fall! (from Teaching Mama)
9. Learn how to make orange and make a pumpkin suncatcher! (on PBS Parents)
10. Make a fall sensory bottle for toddlers. (from Mom Inspired Life)
11. Make paint from spices for toddlers to make art with. (from Sow Sprout Play)
12. Toddlers will love making this tissue paper wreath for Fall! (from Happy Hooligans)

So many fun fall activities for kids from Learning Through Experiences

You may also be interested in our other fall crafts & activities for kids:

• 42 apple crafts for kids
• 40 apple activities for kids (using real apples!)
• 40 pumpkin activities for kids (using real pumpkins!)
• 35 pumpkin crafts for kids

P.S. I’ve fallen in love with this Family Fall Bucket List I found at Scholastic!

Pumpkin Hunt and Simple Name Sort Activity

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Click here to read Pumpkin Hunt and Simple Name Sort Activity on Hands On As We Grow®

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A super simple fall pumpkin scavenger hunt with a name sorting twist. Get energy out, practice name spelling and then use as seasonal décor.

As soon as Fall comes my son just loves pumpkins and leaves. He notices these items everywhere we go and points them out to me.

This year I had an idea.

We are really trying to help Charlie to learn to spell his name and recognize each of the letters in it. And to recognize the order they go in.

With Autumn in mind I thought it would be fun to so a pumpkin scavenger hunt and then sort the letters of his name with the pumpkins after.

He is a super energetic little boy. Most 3 year old boys I know are.

I usually try to incorporate gross motor skills into most of his activities to help him stay interested.

I also find that if he uses energy during the first half of the activity, like the pumpkin scavenger hunt. Then he is more able to focus for the learning part of the activity, like with the name letter sorting.

Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt and Name Sorting Activity

So here is a super simple scavenger hunt and name practice activity idea for Fall.

You could change this up easily to match any season you want.

For This Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt You Will Need:

• Small Pumpkins (as many as there are letters in your child’s name)
• Paint (or a Permanent Marker)
• Basket or Bag to gather pumpkins in

Preparing Your Pumpkin Hunt & Name Sorting Activity

First off I wrote one letter of my sons name on each mini pumpkin.

I used small pumpkins for this hunt so he would be able to carry all 7 of them in a mesh bag.

Next I painted the letters on in a fall color as I planned to display this activity on my fireplace mantel when we were finished.

If you want this to be a fall keepsake you can save for years you could easily use fake pumpkins.

I didn’t use all capital letters because I am trying to teach my son what his name looks like when he is going to be writing it.

So this isn’t a learning letters activity for him as much as to learn to spell his name.

I let the paint dry overnight.

Lastly I hid the pumpkins around the backyard for the hunt.

Charlie isn’t the best at finding things that are hidden yet so I tried to make it fairly easy to find with small hints.

Now for the Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt

This is the fun part. And a great way to get out some energy with gross motor.

I gave Charlie a mesh bag and told him I had hidden pumkins all over the yard and he needed to go find them.

To be honest at first he wasn’t so sure he wanted to do the pumpkin hunt.

But when I told him I had clues for him and that the first clue was to check his treehouse… he was off to the races!

And of course little Maisie was right on his tail the whole time.

So, I gave her a bag with a few pumpkins I had left over also.

A Few Tips:

I made a point of sending him in opposite directions each time to get the maximum exercise possible from this pumpkin hunt.

For older kids you could add reading practice and have the hints written out. And have the pumpkins hidden a little better.

For younger kids you may want to have them hidden closer together so they see the next one easily to keep their interest.

Time for Pumpkin Name Sorting

Once we had all the pumpkins collected we brought them to the table and dumped them out.

This turned out to be quite funny because most of them rolled right off the table and had to be found again.

But this was perfect for Maisie to help with as she knew exactly where they had rolled. And so did Pappa.

I pulled out an old piece of cardboard that had his name written on it for reference in case he needed it.

Mostly he ignored that and went by the name of the letter I was telling him to find next.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much he has been retaining from our name spelling activities.

Most of them are just games with a small learning twist, but they seem to be doing the trick!

I love how proud he gets when he is able to accomplish these things.

As soon as we finished he wanted to do it again! So we did.

We also tried a little stacking which would have worked if I took the stems off.

Might be fun to try next time to do his name as a tower and hot-glue it together to display.

Finally we displayed our masterpiece on the mantel.

I will definitely be doing more activities like this pumpkin hunt name sort. He Loves them and doesn’t even feel like he is learning.

Learning through play is our go to. I’m always amazed and how much he is developing just through small activities every day.

Adapt the Activity for Multiple Ages to Enjoy Together

Do you have a younger child?

If you have a toddler and preschooler like me, you don’t have to always do their activities separately.

Little ones are happy if they just have a small version of what big brother is doing.

For this activity maybe just have a little basket with 2 or 3 spare pumpkins for them to play with also.

Draw a happy face of them, or the first letter of their name.

Maisie just loved having a few of her own to explore and put in and out of her own little bag.

Do you have an older child?

For older kids you could have them do the writing on the pumpkins themselves the night before.

You could have a clue written and hidden under each pumpkin to send them off to find the next one.

Share with us in the comments!

What are some of your favorite learning through play activities?

What name practice activities do you enjoy the most?

We love hearing from you.

Pumpkin Hunt and Simple Name Sort Activity

Hands On As We Grow® https://ift.tt/3kdqafX

Click here to read Pumpkin Hunt and Simple Name Sort Activity on Hands On As We Grow®

---

A super simple fall pumpkin scavenger hunt with a name sorting twist. Get energy out, practice name spelling and then use as seasonal décor.

As soon as Fall comes my son just loves pumpkins and leaves. He notices these items everywhere we go and points them out to me.

This year I had an idea.

We are really trying to help Charlie to learn to spell his name and recognize each of the letters in it. And to recognize the order they go in.

With Autumn in mind I thought it would be fun to so a pumpkin scavenger hunt and then sort the letters of his name with the pumpkins after.

He is a super energetic little boy. Most 3 year old boys I know are.

I usually try to incorporate gross motor skills into most of his activities to help him stay interested.

I also find that if he uses energy during the first half of the activity, like the pumpkin scavenger hunt. Then he is more able to focus for the learning part of the activity, like with the name letter sorting.

Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt and Name Sorting Activity

So here is a super simple scavenger hunt and name practice activity idea for Fall.

You could change this up easily to match any season you want.

For This Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt You Will Need:

• Small Pumpkins (as many as there are letters in your child’s name)
• Paint (or a Permanent Marker)
• Basket or Bag to gather pumpkins in

Preparing Your Pumpkin Hunt & Name Sorting Activity

First off I wrote one letter of my sons name on each mini pumpkin.

I used small pumpkins for this hunt so he would be able to carry all 7 of them in a mesh bag.

Next I painted the letters on in a fall color as I planned to display this activity on my fireplace mantel when we were finished.

If you want this to be a fall keepsake you can save for years you could easily use fake pumpkins.

I didn’t use all capital letters because I am trying to teach my son what his name looks like when he is going to be writing it.

So this isn’t a learning letters activity for him as much as to learn to spell his name.

I let the paint dry overnight.

Lastly I hid the pumpkins around the backyard for the hunt.

Charlie isn’t the best at finding things that are hidden yet so I tried to make it fairly easy to find with small hints.

Now for the Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt

This is the fun part. And a great way to get out some energy with gross motor.

I gave Charlie a mesh bag and told him I had hidden pumkins all over the yard and he needed to go find them.

To be honest at first he wasn’t so sure he wanted to do the pumpkin hunt.

But when I told him I had clues for him and that the first clue was to check his treehouse… he was off to the races!

And of course little Maisie was right on his tail the whole time.

So, I gave her a bag with a few pumpkins I had left over also.

A Few Tips:

I made a point of sending him in opposite directions each time to get the maximum exercise possible from this pumpkin hunt.

For older kids you could add reading practice and have the hints written out. And have the pumpkins hidden a little better.

For younger kids you may want to have them hidden closer together so they see the next one easily to keep their interest.

Time for Pumpkin Name Sorting

Once we had all the pumpkins collected we brought them to the table and dumped them out.

This turned out to be quite funny because most of them rolled right off the table and had to be found again.

But this was perfect for Maisie to help with as she knew exactly where they had rolled. And so did Pappa.

I pulled out an old piece of cardboard that had his name written on it for reference in case he needed it.

Mostly he ignored that and went by the name of the letter I was telling him to find next.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much he has been retaining from our name spelling activities.

Most of them are just games with a small learning twist, but they seem to be doing the trick!

I love how proud he gets when he is able to accomplish these things.

As soon as we finished he wanted to do it again! So we did.

We also tried a little stacking which would have worked if I took the stems off.

Might be fun to try next time to do his name as a tower and hot-glue it together to display.

Finally we displayed our masterpiece on the mantel.

I will definitely be doing more activities like this pumpkin hunt name sort. He Loves them and doesn’t even feel like he is learning.

Learning through play is our go to. I’m always amazed and how much he is developing just through small activities every day.

Adapt the Activity for Multiple Ages to Enjoy Together

Do you have a younger child?

If you have a toddler and preschooler like me, you don’t have to always do their activities separately.

Little ones are happy if they just have a small version of what big brother is doing.

For this activity maybe just have a little basket with 2 or 3 spare pumpkins for them to play with also.

Draw a happy face of them, or the first letter of their name.

Maisie just loved having a few of her own to explore and put in and out of her own little bag.

Do you have an older child?

For older kids you could have them do the writing on the pumpkins themselves the night before.

You could have a clue written and hidden under each pumpkin to send them off to find the next one.

Share with us in the comments!

What are some of your favorite learning through play activities?

What name practice activities do you enjoy the most?

We love hearing from you.

Shadow Match Activity with Building Blocks

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Click here to read Shadow Match Activity with Building Blocks on Hands On As We Grow®

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Work on spatial skills while you have your preschooler match the shadow with building blocks in this super simple activity.

This match the shadow activity might be my new favorite activity!

It incorporates so much into one activity… but only if you want it to!

I’ve been wanting to try shadow tracing for a long time with the kids.

I struggle though because anytime I want to do it we never seem to have sunlight pouring in the windows.

So for this shadow activity we used a flashlight.

I used this new multi-function flashlight from Energizer® that has a built in tripod to stand it upright and a tilting head to get the perfect shadow.

But you can do shadow activity with a regular flashlight and tape it in place so it doesn’t move.

Setting up Your Shadow Matching Activity

I taped a long piece of butcher paper to our floor with painter’s tape.

You don’t want the paper to move! Or things will not match up later.

I did this underneath a table and draped blankets over two of the sides to darken the area a bit since it was daylight.

You could try doing it in a darkened room or wait until nightfall.

To get this shadow activity started, I built the first tower.

And set up the flashlight on a chair to cast the perfect shadow.

I went on to trace it, but this is definitely something a preschooler can do to practice handwriting!

This part was all completed before I called Louis to join me.

I really wanted to focus this shadow activity on matching the shadow again by building the blocks to match it.

But if you have an older child, or your child has already done the activity, they might enjoy the setup process, too!

Time to Get Building to Match the Shadow!

So this is where it gets fun. I knocked over the tower I built and we started over!

I kept only the blocks I used out and set the rest aside so there wouldn’t be too much to choose from.

Louis got right to work building the blocks to match the shadows that I traced on the paper.

We noticed a few things when he rebuilt the tower:

• Colors don’t matter with shadows
• Shadow sizes don’t always match the block sizes, depending on the angle of the light
• And cylinders and rectangle blocks leave the same shadow

Cool learning, huh?

I loved the thoughtfulness and focus Louis had as he built!

A block slightly off made a big difference in the shadow, especially the higher up it got!

We did this a few times, moving the chair and the flashlight each time to cast a shadow in a different place on the paper.

The biggest rule is to not move the light after the initial tracing has begun.

If the light gets bumped, the shadows won’t match up again, and there will be frustrated kids and parents. Trust me.

Louis took turns building a tower and his own shadows too.

I think this one ended up looking like a haunted house.

Then he knocked the tower down and swiped the blocks away.

And started the process again to match the shadow. Placing each of the blocks in just the right spot.

Getting started is the hardest.

So Louis would start building the block tower, but I adjusted the base of the tower to make sure the shadows were spot on (because if they’re not, the rest of the tower ends up way off).

Learning Possibilities with Shadow Matching Activity

This matching shadow activity is fantastic for spatial skills. But also just basic knowledge of shapes.

It’s great for hypothesizing and testing to see what works, and trying again when it doesn’t.

A shadow might look like a square, but it’s really a rectangle that makes that shadow.

Let’s try to find out!

Keep the building going with 44 block activities for preschoolers.

Twists for This Shadow Match Activity

If matching the shadow is a little too difficult, or advance, you can simplify this activity to just matching the block towers like we’ve done in the past.

Or just make this a shadow activity to trace the shadow! Tracing is fantastic for pre-writers to practice their handwriting skills. And this is a fun non-worksheet way to do it.