As the leaves start to change to vibrant hues of orange, red, and gold, it's the perfect time to harness the magic of the season and ignite curiosity with your little ones. Don't let those leaves pile up untouched in your yard! Instead, dive into the world of fall foliage with some of these simple, yet meaningful ideas for your toddler or preschooler.

1. Leaf Rubbings

What You’ll Need:

• fallen leaves

• crayons

• paper

• optional: a clipboard

What to do: Invite your child(ren) to remove the outer paper of a few crayons (note: your kids will most likely LOVE doing this, and it’s great fine motor practice!). Next, invite your child to arrange one or more leaves on a flat surface or clipboard and place a sheet of paper on top of the leaves. If using a clipboard, secure the stem of the leaf in the mouth of the clipboard and then place the paper on top. Once ready, model how to hold a crayon horizontally and rub it back and forth on the page to create the leaf rubbing effect. Repeat this process using different colored crayons and/or leaves and then reveal their masterpiece!

2. Fall Leaf Soup

What You’ll Need:

• fallen leaves

• pots and pans

• cooking utensils (e.g., ladles, spoons, etc.)

• large rectangle container (or plastic baby pool if you have one!)

What to do: On a walk or while playing outside, take some time to be present in nature and appreciate the magnificent colors of fall that are around you. Invite your child(ren) to collect fall leaves for making “Fall Leaf Soup”. Once they are satisfied with what they’ve gathered, offer a few pots and pans and cooking utensils in a large rectangle container or baby pool and invite them to make “fall leaf soup”. For even more fun, fill the pots and pans with water to make it extra soupy and memorable!

3. Making Leaf Confetti

What You’ll Need:

• fallen leaves

• child-sized scissors or hole punchers

• large rectangular bin, tray, or baby pool

What to do: Offer fallen leaves and child-sized scissors or hole punchers in a large rectangular bin, tray, or baby pool and invite your child(ren) to practice cutting, crumpling, and/or hole punching the leaves to make tiny bits of leaf “confetti”. Tip: Complete this activity first, then use your leaf confetti to make Fall Leaf Soup (see above for details!).

4. Leaf Mandalas

What You’ll Need:

• fallen leaves

• sidewalk chalk

• a flat surface

What to do: Celebrate the vibrant fall nature around you through the soothing process of making leaf mandalas together with your child. To begin, use sidewalk chalk to draw a few circles on your driveway or sidewalk in a bullseye shape. Next, gather various leaves together and invite your child(ren) to lay the leaves around the circle to make a design. Model how to create patterns using different colors and sizes of leaves and encourage experimentation to see what patterns and colors your child is drawn to.

Tip: As you create together, find moments to identify colors and shapes and make comparisons for simple and meaningful learning opportunities.

5. Leaf Sorting

What You’ll Need:

• fallen leaves

• optional-sorting trays or baskets

What to do: Collect an assortment of leaves in varying sizes, shapes, and colors. Then, in an open space, model and encourage your child(ren) to sort and classify the leaves by color, size, or shape using prompting questions like: can you put all the red leaves together in a pile? What about the yellow leaves? Etc.