5 Free Preschool Activities for Fall

Science: Float or Sink?
This is a great free preschool activity to get little brains thinking, does it float or sink? They will create a hypothesis and then test their hypothesis. When the children create their hypothesis they will be using observation skills.

Needed supplies for ‘Float or Sink’:
* A large container that can be seen through.
* Water
* Variety of fall items (pumpkins, gourds, corn, pine cones, leaves, acorns, harvest vegetables)
* A way for children to vote.

(One option for voting: if the children think the item will float have them stand up. If they think the item will sink have them sit on the floor.)

Steps in the activity:
1. First you will want to fill your container with water.
2. Determine what you are going to test first. Let the children inspect the items.
3. Ask them questions about the item.
4. Ask them to vote if they think the item will sink (go to the bottom of the water) or float (stay on top of the water).
5. Test the item.
6. Repeat with all items.

Science Exploration

After you test everything for floating or sinking properties let the children further explore the items. Cut the items in half and give the children small magnifying glasses to further explore the items. They will be able to experience the fall items with most of their senses.

Art: Corn Kernel Painting

This is not your normal kind of painting. Here is what you will need.

* Corn Kernels
* Old Socks
* Paint
* Water
* Paper
* Bowls
* Newspaper

Fill the old socks 1/4 of the way with corn kernels. Knot the sock or use a rubber band to secure the sock, keeping the corn inside. Put some paint in a bowl and water it down a little. If your paint is already thin, you can skip this step. Cover the floor with newspaper. You may want to tape it in place. Lay a piece of paper on the newspaper. Dip the sock into the paint and drop it onto the paper. Create one sock for each color of paint to avoid getting brown paint.

GET MOVING! – Leaf Play

Don’t be concerned if the leaves are not falling yet. Don’t be concerned about potential allergies. Don’t be concerned about wild animals using nature’s restroom.

What you will need for the ‘Leaf Play’ free preschool activity.

* Bag of silk leaves (we spent $8 at our local Dollar Tree to get our leaves)

There are no steps. Let the children play!

Language Development: A to Z Trees

This language development activity can be used for letter recognition or writing practice.

Steps:
1. Create a tree and a bunch of leaves for each child.
2. Have the children color the leaves and tree.
3. Cut the leaves and tree out.
4. Writing practice file, write the letters on the leaves.
5. Glue the tree on a backing piece of construction paper.
6. Glue the leaves on to the tree and falling to the ground.

For letter recognition – tell them which letter you would like them to glue next.