Everybody loves the beauty of fall leaves. Happily, there are many wonderful books written on this subject for preschoolers. One of my favorites is Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson. The story tells of Mouse and his sister Minka’s journey outside on a cool fall day. They discover leaves of all colors and all shapes and sizes. Mouse learns about all the different experiences the fall season can bring.
After listening to the book, my class is always excited to make their own fall trees. Each child is provided with a tree trunk that has been glued onto a piece of paper and a variety of colored popcorn. The popcorn is colored beforehand with powder tempera paint. The easiest method is to put the paint in a baggie, add the popcorn, and then shake it up until it’s coated. I only had orange, red, and yellow, but purple, green, and brown also make beautiful trees. I then prompt the children to glue their “leaves” onto the tree. This activity encourages creative expression, provides color recognition practice, and strengthens fine motor skills.
MATERIALS USED:
– Construction paper
– Popcorn
– Ziploc Storage Bags Gallon, 75 Count
– Powder tempera paint ( I only had orange, red and yellow, but purple, green, and brown also make beautiful trees).
– Glue
– Scissors
– Our free tree template
This fish match up game is a quick and easy way to teach colors and provide visual discrimination practice. It can be used as an independent table top exercise, or as a small group activity. In addition, it makes a fun and interactive circle time activity. Pass the fish pairs out, then go around the circle and ask each child to find their fish’s friend. Next direct the children to place their fish pairs side by side on the flannel board. Another alternative is to have the teacher place a fish on the board, and then have the child with the matching fish come up and complete the pair.
Children love to use the flannel board, and I give them that opportunity as often as I can. This table top board is perfect for a small group. I like to gather two or three children and have them work together to create a scene. Once the activity is completed, preschoolers practice pre-reading skills by telling oral stories (about their picture) and acting them out. The possibilities are endless. This springtime activity also teaches color recognition, association, and helps improve visual perception skills.
We're Gigi and Zoey. We teach a two-year program (preschool and pre-k), and we're passionate about Early Childhood Education and the philosophy that children learn through play. Our goal is to prepare children for kindergarten while making learning fun.
We hope that our resources inspire you, and that you will share them with your little ones.
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