Welcome, fall! The autumn season gives us a great excuse to help our children re-explore their neighborhoods using all their senses. On a family walk, talk about different smells in the air or how the temperature feels cooler than it did in the summer. Then, play a game of I Spy to point out all the new colors on your block and use nature finds as artistic inspiration. When little artists paint with nature or make a fall leaf suncatcher they are opening up opportunities to not only to build and create, but also explore their thoughts, express their feelings, and learn important lessons about flexibility and resilience. (There is no “right way” or “failure” in the art process!)
Questions to Ask Your Child
- Help your child “notice” fall. What colors do you see in the fall that you didn’t see in the summer? Does it feel or smell different?
- Ask your child what their favorite season is and why. My favorite season is the fall because of the beautiful colors of changing leaves! And I like cuddling under a warm blanket when it’s cooler outside.
- As you collect leaves for projects, take a closer look at the differences between them. Do they have different shapes? Colors? Are they smooth or bumpy?
Play and Learn Together With Children 2 to 5
On a fall walk, encourage young children to explore the colors and shapes of leaves. Pick up some leaves, sticks, rocks, and other nature finds along the way — you can use them for multiple art projects! Have your child sort what they found onto a color wheel, matching up reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. Then, use the same pieces to create nature stamps or leaf rubbings. At the end of the week, combine the artwork into a nature book and ask your child to share what they created with the whole family!
Learn Along Bingo for Ages 2-5: Celebrating Fall
Play and learn with this activity packet all about celebrating fall!
Take a Nature Walk and Make Art With Leaves
30 min activityGo on a nature walk with your child and make an easy art project that inspires curiosity about colors, textures and shapes.
Create Leaf and Bark Art
30 min activityCheck out the trees in your neighborhood while creating beautiful, nature-inspired artworks.
Spring and Fall Color Wheel
Find flowers, plants, and trees outside that match the colors in this color wheel.
Paint With Nature
Use natural objects as brushes or stamps to paint creative art projects.
Make a Book of Trees
This hands-on activity will connect your child with the trees in her backyard and neighborhood.
Build It From Nature
Elinor is fascinated by the hook-and-loop fastener on Ari’s new watch. How do the two ends stick together, she wonders? Try this activity to get your child thinking about how nature inspires the human-made world.
Leaf Napkin Ring
30 min activityTurn some index cards and a paper towel roll into Leaf Art Napkin Rings this Thanksgiving in just a few simple steps!
7 Fun Activities to Celebrate Fall
The bright colors of autumn are the perfect inspiration for some fun fall crafts to do together with your kids!
Play and Learn Together With Children 6 to 8
Have older children explore the changes in texture that fall brings. Do the leaves that changed colors feel different than the leaves that stay green? What about leaves on the ground compared to leaves in the trees? Talk about how the items have different textures (smooth, bumpy, prickly, etc) and ask your child to predict what the paint strokes of each brush might look like. Use any remaining leaves for a kitchen science experiment or create leaf suncatchers to explore how different leaves let light through. At the end of the week, encourage your child to use what they learned to design a plant super hero!
Learn Along Bingo for Ages 6-8: Celebrating Fall
Play and learn with this activity packet all about celebrating fall!
Design Your Own Plant Super Hero
Examine different types of plants and how they clean the air to make it better for us to breathe.
Kitchen Science With Fall Leaves
This simple science activity uses water, a few kitchen items, and fall leaves to help your child learn to ask questions like,“What will happen if…” and then develop an experiment to answer the question.
Make Art With Nature
Your child can explore the world around them and express creatively using materials they find in it.
Fall Leaf Suncatcher
Capture the beauty of fall by adding some handmade decor to your house.
Nature Art Picture Frames
60 min activityYou've created a nature-iffic piece of art, but something is missing. Could it be a picture frame?
Play and Learn By Myself
Super Seasons Snapshots
In this online game, your child can explore a park to learn how animals and plants change during spring, summer, fall and winter. Use the camera feature to snap a photo of each animal to earn Hero Elementary badges.
Food Farmer
Grow giant vegetables on Earth, Moon and Mars.
Corn Maze Craze
Your child can practice the fundamentals of engineering and programming in this maze-building game!
Weather Surprise
In this matching game, your child can learn about outside environments and temperatures by helping put plants, animals, and people in the right outside location.
Find the Match: Simple Fall Leaf Puzzles
With fall in full swing, use the changing colors of leaves to spark interest in nature and math!
Seasons Spinner
Spin up some fun with Abby and Rudy while exploring and learning about all four seasons…winter, spring, summer, and fall!
Read More
13 Children’s Books for Celebrating Fall
Fall has arrived! As we say goodbye to summer, let’s share the wonders of autumn with these 13 fall-themed children’s books.
Explore Nature With These Fun Fall Activities
Embrace fall, make family memories, and take a break from screens with these fun fall activities for the whole family.
Connecting With Kids Through Art
Browse these ideas on how exploring the world of art can bring parents and children closer together.