Fall colors

Fall colors

Activities for toddlers and babies

The fall foliage is fascinating for young children. Imagine all the discoveries they can make as they explore yellow, red, green, orange, and brown throughout the season.

AREA SETUP

Display colourful fabric leaves throughout your daycare. Hang them from the ceiling, add them to your bulletin board, stick leaves on your windows, etc.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

Colourful observation activity
Purchase different colors of clear paper (sold in roll form, a lot like cellophane paper, but thicker) in various fall hues. Cut each color into squares. Use heavy adhesive tape to create a frame around the outside of each piece of paper to avoid cuts. During diaper changes or waiting periods throughout the day, encourage children to explore the colourful paper. Let babies and toddlers manipulate them (supervision required). They will enjoy admiring the pretty fall colors.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (touch)

Fall textured modeling dough
Purchase yellow, red, orange, and brown modeling dough or make your own (see Creative recipes section on educatall.com). Add a small quantity of couscous to each color to create a special texture children will enjoy manipulating. Simply knead the dough to fully integrate the couscous. Give children who may be tempted to put the modeling dough in their mouth their pacifier. Of course, beware of allergies.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (look)

Exploration bottles
Insert a variety of red, yellow, orange, brown, and green items inside clear plastic bottles. You can, for example, use a mixture of water and food coloring, paint and a marble, torn leaves and water, acorns and glitter, etc. Seal the bottle caps with hot glue and invite children to manipulate the bottles and observe the contents.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Fall drawings
Deposit a large piece of paper on a wall or directly on the floor. Provide different types of crayons, choosing mainly fall-related colors (red, yellow, orange, brown, green). Let babies and toddlers explore the material. Write "Fall Colors" at the top of the paper and display their artwork in a hallway for everyone to see.

Painted leaves
Leaves can very easily be painted. They represent a great alternative to regular paper. Find a large leaf for each child. Of course, the leaves mustn't be too dry. Provide fall paint colors and let children completely cover their leaf with the colors they prefer.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Let's wear fall colors
Select a day and ask parents to dress their child with fall-coloured clothing items. Name the colors each child is wearing during the day. Photograph children individually and as a group while they are manipulating red, orange, brown, and yellow leaves (fabric or real).

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Colourful leaves in my plate
Print several fall leaves (red, yellow, green, orange, and brown). Use adhesive paper to stick the leaves on the bottom of children's plates and bowls. During meals and/or snacks, deposit the foods you serve on top of the leaves. As children discover the leaves, have fun naming the colors.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Playing in fall leaves (filling and emptying)
Rake a huge pile of colourful fall leaves. Let babies and toddlers play in the leaves. After a while, provide various types of containers (cardboard boxes, buckets, plastic margarine containers, gift bags, etc.). Encourage children to fill the containers with leaves and empty them over and over again.

Chantal Millette
Early childhood educator

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