Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall is the quintessential fall kids book. The bright, happy illustrations capture the season perfectly as the child in the story talks about all of the fun things you can do with the changing leaves! Raking, jumping, catching, comparing – what could be more fun!?
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If your kids love this book as much as ours did, why stop there? We LOVE it when a good book can inspire some creative movement and play! Read Fall Leaves Fall! and then try these gross motor, fine motor, and sensory activities to continue the fun! As part of our school-based therapy practice, we use sensory motor lesson plans just like the one below to target a whole range of developmental skills in a classroom setting – but you could just as easily try this set of activities at home!
Looking for another fun fall leaves activity to add into the mix? Try this fall leaf butterfly craft!
SENSORY MOTOR LESSON PLAN
MATERIALS LIST:
-Leaves
-Clothespins
-String
-Bucket or basket
-Adult boots
FINE MOTOR AND COGNITIVE ACTIVITY: LEAVES AND CLOTHESPINS
First, go on a leaf hunt! Be sure to get a good variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.
1 – Work with your child to categorize the leaves in different ways, placing them in a neat pile and clipping like leaves together with a clothespin (e.g. clip all of the yellow leaves together, clip all of the big leaves together, clip all of the maple leaves together).
2 – Have little ones use clothespins to hang their leaves on a string to make a pretty fall garland. Try incorporating a pattern for an added visual perceptual challenge!
3 – Put all of your leaves in a bucket or basket and set up a few clotheslines. Decide how you’re going to categorize the leaves (e.g. color, size, type) and have kids take turns choosing a leaf out of the bucket and hanging them on the correct clothesline (all of the yellow leaves together, all of the maple leaves together, etc.).
4 – Set up a real branch or a bunch of twigs inside (place a block of foam used to arrange flowers in the bottom of a pitcher and stick the branches inside) or outside (just bury the bottom section of the branch in the dirt) and have kids decorate the branches by clipping their leaves on.
Click here to check out other variations of this activity!
Try this nature craft for fall if you’re on the hunt for another leaf-themed activity for kids!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Fine motor skills, visual motor integration, visual perceptual skills, strength, cognitive skills
GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITY: BOOT SCOOT ‘N SHUFFLE
Find some boots that are bigger than what your child would actually wear. Set them loose in the yard and encourage them to shuffle their feet to make designs in the fallen leaves. Can they make a pumpkin? How about a lightening bolt? Keep in mind that this is a difficult activity for little legs in big boots. Be supportive and wait for the big smiles when they see the design they created!
Click here to check out other variations of this activity!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Balance, strength, sensory integration, proprioception, motor control
