Hobbies And Interests
Memory Games
Print several pictures of different shapes and colors of fall leaves (two of each leaf). Place the pictures face down on a table and have the preschoolers play a game of memory. The preschooler who finds the most leaf matches wins the game. For another memory game, hang five to seven leaves on the wall and tell the preschoolers to look at the colors. Have them put their head on their desk and remove one leaf. When you say "Look," the first child to tell you the color of the leaf that is missing wins the game.
Leaf Placemat Crafts
Cut out several leaves out of brown, red, yellow and orange construction paper. Give each child 10 leaves to organize on a piece of contact paper. Place another piece of contact paper on top of the leaves to create a fall leaf placemat for the children to take home. You can also take the preschoolers outside and let them find real fall leaves to use in their placemats. Press any wavy leaves in between heavy books to flatten them out before placing them on the contact paper.
Leaf Catching Game
Take the preschoolers outside on a windy day to try to catch a fall leaf that is falling from a tree. The children will have fun trying to catch the leaves before they hit the ground. Award a prize to each child who catches a leaf before it hits the ground. The children can also try to find two matching leaves on the ground. Most leaves have distinctive marks and are different in some way, so challenge the preschoolers to try to find two matching fall leaves.
Fall Leaf Mobile
Cut several red, brown, orange and red leaf shapes from construction paper. Poke a small hole in each leaf and give each child five or six leaves. Have the preschoolers tie yarn or fishing line through the small holes and attach each leaf to a clothes hanger. Tell them to hang the leaves at different levels to create a fall leaf mobile. The preschoolers can also use real leaves by tying the yarn or string to the stems of the leaves.