Inside: Easy Fall Preschool Activities you can do at home with your toddler! Sensory play, learning activities, fine motor work and more!
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If you’ll be at home with your toddler or preschool-aged child this Fall, these simple activities will be a game-changer for your daily routine.
Being at home with a toddler doesn’t have to be boring or monotonous!
I’ve found that with a solid daily routine and some fun seasonal activities thrown in, toddler mom life is something to look forward to, rather than dread.
Whether you’re doing preschool at home or just looking for some activities to fill in the gaps, the Fall Preschool Activities shared here include:
- Arts & crafts
- Fine motor skills practice
- Sensory play
- Pumpkin and leaves activities
I’ll also share with you my go-to preschool at home curriculum which includes all the lesson plans and printables you’ll need to have a successful preschool year at home.
For me, the best thing about using a curriculum that’s planned out is that it’s one less thing on my plate.
I use and absolutely love The Preschool Playbook.
- The units are broken up into weekly themes (everything from Apples to Outer Space to Bugs to Thanksgiving
- Each theme comes with lesson plans for the week
- The plans include activities for each day
- The activities range from learning to sensory play, crafts and simple cooking ideas (like assembling food)
- This program is perfect for kids ages 2.5-5
You can quickly choose a theme, preview the activities for the week, and not have to waste any time searching for resources, printing things out, or putting anything together.
The Preschool Playbook is all done for you. All you have to do is pick the time of day you want to do the activities.
- I prefer to do our learning activities in the morning as I find this is when everyone is in the right mindset for learning
- I like to save the crafts and sensory play for the afternoon when we need a calming activity or a way to fill the time between nap and dinner
Free Fall Activities for Preschoolers
While I love (and recommend) using a preschool curriculum, especially if you need some more structure, you can easily replicate these activities at home!
Aside from the lessons/activities themselves, you can use supplies you have at home, or make a quick trip to the dollar store for some arts and crafts supplies.
Get my preschool supply list, here.
Read: How to Organize & Store Preschool Activity Supplies
Fall Preschool Activities at Home
Below you’ll find some of my favorite seasonal activities to do at home with a toddler or preschooler in the Fall. Use these activities during your morning routine, after naptime, or whenever you need them most.
Mom-to-Mom Tip: When filling out my planner for the week, I like to write down which activity we’ll do on which day. This just helps so I don’t forget. It’s always on those hard days that you look back and think, “why didn’t I pull out that Fall sensory bin stuff??” It’s easy to get caught up in the day (especially at home with a toddler), so I find that writing it all out helps a lot! This makes the difference between “I saw this idea on Pinterest” and “I actually used that idea I found on Pinterest!”
Sensory Play
Fall Sensory Bin
What you’ll need:
- a wide, shallow bin (mine is Sterilite brand)
- paper muffin cups
- foam pumpkins, acorns & leaves (Michael’s sells these in a set)
- dried bean mix (I use the harvest blend from Trader Joe’s)
- scoops, measuring cups, and spoons
What you’ll need:
- Dried pumpkin-shaped pasta
- Fake Fall leaves and acorns
- Crumpled tissue paper (I used green, orange and yellow)
- Small pretend pumpkins and gourds
- Pumpkin patch notepad (from The Magic Playbook)
My sensory play table is linked here.
Fall Crafts
DIY Fall Wreath
Supplies:
- Paper plate
- Scissors / glue
- Fake Fall leaves
- Optional: hole puncher & string (to hang it up)
Fall Snack Box
What you’ll need:
- Snack boxes
- Goldfish (or other orange crackers)
- Halo or Cutie orange
- Trader Joe’s Halloween O’s or Halloween Oreos
- Cubed Colby jack cheese
Related: Toddler Morning Activities (Screen-Free)
Learning Activities
Apple Tree Color Sort
Instructions:
- Left: draw 3 trees and add a circle (red, yellow, and green) to each. Set apple stickers or dot label stickers on the side for your child to sort.
- Right: use the template in the Preschool Playbook and add dot label stickers or small manipulatives (these are from a Lovevery playkit).
- Talk about the color apples as they are added
- When finished: count how many apples for each color tree
Pumpkin Color & Trace
Instructions:
- Draw pumpkins or use the Preschool Playbook template
- Invite your preschooler to first trace the pumpkins either using stickers, a marker or highlighter, and then color them in
- To extend the activity: have them practice cutting out the pumpkins
Fall Leaves Roll & Count
Instructions:
- Draw a bare tree with branches or use the template included in the Preschool Playbook
- Include leaf stickers and large dice (I found both at Dollar Tree)
- Invite your child to roll the dice and add the corresponding number of leaf stickers to the tree (for example if they roll a 4 – add four leaf stickers to the tree)
Apple Tree Counting
Instructions:
- Draw 10 trees and number them 1-10 or use the template in the Preschool Playbook
- Provide a red marker or apple stamp (or use red dot label stickers)
- Invite your preschooler to add the corresponding number of apples to each tree
- Practice counting out loud with them as they add each stamp
- More advanced: make each tree an addition or subtraction problem
What to Read Next:
- Themed Morning Baskets for Preschoolers
- Spooky Fun Halloween Activities for Preschoolers
- 3 Year Old Preschool Activities at Home
- Homeschool Routine for a 4 Year Old (Pre-K at Home)
- Free Printable Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
- 10 Healthy Halloween Snacks for Toddlers
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