Fall Learning Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers: 6 Simple Ideas
Updated: 1 day ago
Fall offers plenty of free learning materials: crunchy leaves, little pumpkins, and a whole season of new things to notice. A short walk outside and a few minutes at the table are enough to turn the season into learning.
Each activity below starts small, so your child can finish it and feel proud.
At a glance Best for: ages 2–5 You’ll need: a bag for collecting, leaves, small pumpkins (or paper ones), paper, and large crayons Each activity: one small goal with a clear finish line Safety: choose large items such as leaves, small pumpkins, and big pinecones. Skip acorns, berries, mushrooms, and small seeds, which can be choking hazards or unsafe to eat. Wash hands after outdoor play.
1. Go on a leaf walk
You’ll need: a bag
Set a simple goal: collect five leaves.
Count them together as they go in.
Try to find some big leaves and some little ones. You’ll use them in the next activities.
Try saying: “You found five leaves!”
If the leaves where you live don’t change color or haven’t fallen yet, any leaves will work. You can also cut simple leaf shapes from construction paper and “find” them around the house.
✅ Finish line: when the fifth leaf is in the bag.
2. Sort leaves by size
You’ll need: your leaves and two sheets of paper
Lay out two sheets of paper, one for big leaves and one for little leaves.
Hold up a leaf and ask whether it’s big or little.
Place it on the matching sheet.
Try saying: “Is this one big or little?”
If your child enjoys sorting, try colors next time. How to Teach Colors to Toddlers has simple ideas to get started.
✅ Finish line: when the last leaf is sorted.
3. Try a leaf rubbing
You’ll need: a flat, fresh leaf, thin paper such as printer paper, and a large, unwrapped crayon
Place the leaf under the sheet of paper.
Rub over it with the side of the crayon.
Watch the shape and lines of the leaf slowly appear.
Flat, fresh leaves work best, because dry leaves tend to crumble. Younger children may need you to hold the paper still. If your child wants to keep going, try a different leaf and a new crayon color.
✅ Finish line: one leaf rubbing makes a complete page.
4. Count pumpkins
You’ll need: three small pumpkins in different sizes (paper pumpkin shapes work just as well)
Set out the pumpkins.
Count them together, touching each pumpkin as you say its number, so each number goes with one pumpkin.
Try saying: “One, two, three pumpkins!”
For younger children, three is plenty. Older preschoolers can count five.
✅ Finish line: when every pumpkin is counted.
5. Line up pumpkins from small to big
You’ll need: the same pumpkins
Ask your child to find the smallest one and put it first.
Then find the smallest one that’s left and place it next in line.
Keep going until the biggest pumpkin is at the end.
Start with three pumpkins that are easy to tell apart. As your child gets comfortable, add another pumpkin or try it with leaves.
✅ Finish line: when the last pumpkin is in place.
6. Make a pumpkin patch page
You’ll need: paper and crayons
Draw three to five simple pumpkin outlines on a sheet of paper, fewer for younger children.
Invite your child to color each pumpkin, counting as they go.
Then let them add anything they’d like to the page, such as a sun, a scarecrow, or a purple pumpkin.
This follows the WonderSprout Way™: Learn • Practice • Create. Counting builds the skill, and the free drawing gives your child room to make the page their own.
✅ Finish line: when every pumpkin is colored, the pumpkin patch is complete.
Small fall finishes, big proud moments
Every activity here has a clear finish line: the fifth leaf in the bag, the last pumpkin in the line, the final pumpkin colored in. When your child reaches it, say what they did.
Try saying: “You lined up every pumpkin!”
If your child needs a break, it’s okay to pause and come back to it. Choosing a goal that fits your child, like three pumpkins instead of five, helps each activity feel achievable. Those small finishes add up to proud “I did it!” moments. Celebrate the trying along the way, too.
Keep exploring fall with our Thanksgiving book
If your child enjoyed collecting leaves and lining up pumpkins, our Thanksgiving Learning & Activity Book: Learn • Practice • Create is a cozy next step for the season. It explores 12 Thanksgiving themes, from autumn leaves and pumpkins to corn, turkeys, and family. Each theme has three pages: a Learn Page with a simple fact and a picture to trace, a Practice Page with matching, counting, patterns, or paths, and a Create Page to color.
Many pages build on the same skills from this article. Children match autumn leaves, find the pumpkin that’s different, and on the “Big, Medium, Small” page, match pumpkins by size, just like lining up pumpkins from small to big.
Like all our books, it’s Designed to Be Completed™, with clear directions, simple activities, and plenty of space for little hands. Reaching the last page, “Great job learning about Thanksgiving!”, is a proud “I did it!” moment to share before the holiday.
Not ready yet? Get your free learning pack for more screen-free learning and creative fun.
Looking for more ideas? Try How to Teach Shapes to Toddlers and Preschoolers.
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