Kids are always ready for outdoor play. Here are some preschool fall activities that use their imagination to create great projects and gifts for friends and family members.
It does not take a lot of direction or inspiration to assist preschool children with arts and crafts. If an adult helps set the tone of a project, they will find that they have dozens of willing hands that are eager to bring autumn magic to the class or home environment.
Collecting Leaves
This is a simple and fun activity that can be accomplished in a back yard, at a park or with a walk around the neighborhood. You can have your children collect leaves that they find attractive and interesting. Once you have the leaves, give each child 2 pieces of wax paper, and let them create the leaf design they want between these sheets of paper.
Then you can press the top paper with an iron that is on a very low setting. This will cause the papers to fuse together around the leaves. The children can use craft scissors to create zigzag or wavy borders if they wish. Do not cut too close to the leaves. These papers can be used for placemats or you can fasten several of them together with ribbon to create memory books of autumn leaves.
Acorn Decorations
There are always millions of acorns littering the ground in parks and yards. Your children can collect these in small bags or boxes and create some great fall and winter decorations. Use Styrofoam balls as your base and let the children attach the acorns onto the balls.
You can let the children do it with craft glue or adults can do it for them with a hot glue gun. If you place the acorns very tightly together and cover most of the ball, you will be surprised at how heavy it becomes. These make great desk paperweights, or add a ribbon and create tree decorations.
Apple Turkey
Big, red apples are great to create your table turkeys. Place the apple on its side with the stem end of the apple to be used for the display of Tom Turkey feathers. Make a group of turkey feathers from construction paper. Cut strips of different colored construction paper in ½ inch x 4 inch pieces. Glue them onto the stem end of the apple in a fan design.
You can even add colorful stripes to these feathers with crayons or markers for more turkey dazzle. Use a soft brown piece of craft foam for the neck and glue this in an appropriate area to support the head. Let the children make turkey heads from brown construction paper. Adults can help make a small opening in the foam to hold a construction paper turkey head, or just use craft glue to do the job. Glitter, felt, ribbons, even fake feathers can all be used to make your Apple Turkey more festive.
Autumn means fun for children of all ages, but particularly for preschoolers. These preschool fall activities should keep them busy when the rainy weather keeps them indoors.