Fall is a magical time of year, filled with crisp air, vibrant leaves, and pumpkin-themed everything. It’s a season that naturally lends itself to fun and educational activities for kids. Whether you’re looking to boost energy levels, foster a sense of community, or simply have some festive fun, there are plenty of engaging activities to keep students entertained throughout the autumn months.
Play and Grow with Fun Fall Games
As the weather cools down, bring the essence of fall into your classroom with creative and engaging games. These seasonal games not only keep kids entertained but also help build a sense of community. They can be used for brain breaks, indoor recess, or morning meetings. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Roll to Build a Jack-o-Lantern: Assign each facial feature a dice number. In pairs, students roll and draw parts onto a blank Jack-o’-lantern.
- Pass the Leaf: Students sit in a circle and pass a leaf while music plays. When the music stops, the student holding the leaf shares a favorite fall memory.
- Find the Scarecrow: Hide paper scarecrow parts around the room. In teams, students collect the pieces and use a checklist to build a scarecrow.
- Throw the Pumpkin: Students roll plastic pumpkins to knock down cornstalks (e.g., stacked paper towel rolls) in a fall twist on bowling.
Use Leaves for Seasonal Learning
Leaves are a wonderful tool for hands-on learning during the fall season. From observing how they change to playing engaging games, autumn provides a great backdrop for educational activities. One example is the "Fall Leaves Shape Matching File Folder Game" by Limars Stars, where students match leaves in various shapes to build shape recognition skills.
Play Whole-Class Fall Games for Kids
Change is in the air, and what better way to channel that energy than with a quick, fun fall group activity? The "Figure It Out Digital Game – Fall" by The Collaborative Class is a great option. Featuring 30 fall-themed slides with four images per slide, students choose which one doesn’t belong, encouraging critical thinking and discussion.
Get Crafty with Fall Craft Projects
While academic tie-ins like Halloween math activities are abundant in autumn, sometimes students just need time to be creative. Nature crafts and recycled art projects are perfect for early finishers, art centers, or calming transitions. For example, students can create a Fall Leaf Mosaic using real leaves and fall-colored paints.
Support Speech and Language Through Fall Art
Creative projects can be a great way to strengthen pronunciation, word recognition, and language skills. The "Fall Craft Speech Therapy – Fall Articulation & Language Activity – Apple Craft" by Speak Play Love – Margaret Feldmann is a no-prep activity that covers describing words, opposites, synonyms, blends, and fall vocabulary.
Bring Math to Life with a Craftivity
Math may not always seem like a natural fit for fall, but with a little creativity, you can make it work. The "Scarecrow Halloween Thanksgiving Fall Craft 5th Grade Math Hall Bulletin Board" by The Type-Bee Teacher LLC covers rounding, standard form, decimals, multiplication, and more. Students solve equations, then color and cut to build a scarecrow.
Explore the Outdoors with Fall Nature Activities
Encourage students to get outside and explore the vibrant colors and beauty of fall with outdoor activities. From leaf bingo to building a fall tree, there are plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning and fun in nature.
Outdoor Fall Activities for Active Learning
There’s so much for kids to discover just by stepping outside, from nature-inspired math to hands-on science and ELA connections. The "ENGLISH Outdoor Learning Activities for Fall" by The Kinder Nest includes activities like finding objects that start with specific letters, collecting and sorting leaves, and finding symmetry in nature.
Try a Fall Scavenger Hunt for Engagement
Scavenger hunts are a great way to connect with nature and boost engagement, especially in the fall. The "Fall Scavenger Hunt | Outdoor Five Senses Nature Walk" by Lisa’s Bilingual Lessons includes checklists in both English and Spanish, as well as follow-up writing activities to help students connect their outdoor discoveries to science and language skills.
Embrace Fall with Cross-Curricular Fall Activities
While Halloween and Thanksgiving naturally fit into fall lessons, don’t stop there. With the right approach, fall themes can reinforce core concepts in math, STEM, ELA, and art. From leaf-themed graphing to pumpkin engineering, there are endless possibilities for fun and educational fall activities.
Target Math with Fall Activities for Kids
Numbers may not be the first thing that comes to mind in fall, but there are plenty of opportunities for math activities. From skip counting leaves to creating colorful fact families, there are numerous ways to integrate math into your fall curriculum.
Write Fall Into Learning
Fall is a season of transitions and emotions, making it a great time for reflective writing projects. Encourage students to invent a new holiday, turn a pinecone into a character, or create a fall blackout poem to explore their creativity and language skills.
Spark Inquiry with Fall STEM Activities
Take advantage of students’ fascination with fall colors by engaging them in STEM activities. From creating a pumpkin volcano to designing a gourd zipline, there are plenty of hands-on STEM projects that align perfectly with NGSS.
Build Expressive Art Projects for Fall
Capture the beauty and wonder of fall with expressive art projects. From painting over crayon drawings to designing pumpkin sculptures, there are endless possibilities for creative expression in the fall.
Embrace Autumn Colors with Fall Coloring Pages for Elementary
Coloring pages are a great way to engage students and celebrate the beauty of fall. Whether it’s a Spanish coloring page like "Colorea por sÃlaba otoño Fall in Spanish" by Jorja’s Dual Language Classroom or a positive self-talk coloring page like "Positive Self-Talk for Fall & Autumn" by Pathway 2 Success, coloring pages can be a fun and educational activity for kids.
Celebrate Fall with Activities for Kids on TPT
As fall settles in, explore the wide range of autumn resources available on TPT. From art to STEM, there are plenty of activities to keep your students engaged and learning throughout the fall season.
In conclusion, fall is a wonderful time to engage students in fun, educational activities that celebrate the season and foster learning in a creative way. From outdoor adventures to craft projects and STEM activities, there are endless opportunities to make the most of the autumn months in the classroom.
