Keeping your toddler busy while stuck at home can be a struggle, but there are ways to both occupy them while helping their little minds to grow and learn. You need some simple fall activities for toddlers in your plans this season.
Now that fall is here, it’s time to start teaching your little one about the new fall sights, sounds, and tastes! With these fall activities for toddlers, they will improve fine motor skills, gain sensory experiences, and learn about new concepts and vocabulary.
From the leaves changing colors to Halloween and Thanksgiving, you can find a fall activity that’s perfect for this time of year. Most of these fall activities include simple, at-home items or a quick sheet to print out.
Related: Apple Number Match: Free Apple Printables
30 Fun and Simple Fall Activities for Toddlers
1. Read Fall Books
Toddlers and preschoolers love reading books, so grab some fall themed books to enjoy together! Read books about fall leaves, going to pumpkin patches, and spooky Halloween books.
Related: 30 Pumpkin Books for Preschool Read-Alouds
2. Candy Corn Tissue Paper Activity
Use tissue paper or construction paper to make this candy corn activity with your toddler or preschooler. It works on fine motor skills and color recognition, as well as learning about a new fall element- candy corn!
3. Magical Dancing Corn Experiment
I love doing fun science activities with my kids, and this dancing corn experiment is perfect for the fall season. It uses baking soda and vinegar for a chemical reaction, but you also can switch it up and try other materials.
Find the directions over at Little Bins for Little Hands.
4. Fall Busy Binder
I created this Fall Busy Binder to give little ones a lot of learning and exploring. This busy binder is available at my shop on Teachers Pay Teachers. It requires some set up as the pages should be laminated and pieces will adhere using Velcro, however once it’s set up, you’ll have plenty of time for learning and fun!
5. Sponge Paint Sensory Tree
Try this easy peasy fall sensory tree painting craft that’s perfect for little hands! Explore fall colors and the changing leaves using just a few materials like small sponges and paint.
6. Marble Painting
Here is another one of the simple fall activities for toddlers. All you need is some fall colored paint, marbles, paper, and a box.
Put some paint on the paper and let your child move the box around, spreading the paint with the marbles. Later, you can count out leaf shapes from the marble painting!
5. Fall scavenger hunt
If you’re headed to a pumpkin patch this fall, take a fun, fall scavenger hunt with you so your toddler can practice identifying the fall elements.
8. Handprint Turkey
Try this handprint turkey activity with your toddler or preschooler. Simple and easy to make with your little one.
9. Leaf Suncatcher Craft
Fall is the perfect time to add some pretty crafts to brighten up your windows. A fall leaf sun catcher is easy to make with a template and simple supplies you might already have on hand!
All you need is tissue paper, clear contact paper, glue, scissors, and construction paper.
10. Fluffy Ghost Halloween Craft
Fluffy Ghost Halloween Craft for toddlers is very easy to make and the kids would definitely enjoy making this. This craft practices fine motor skills by using clothespins or tongs to pick up cotton balls.
11. DIY Fall Wreath with Painted Leaves
Make a DIY fall wreathe with your toddler by painting leaves, acorns, and pine cones and attaching them to a cut out paper plate or piece of cardboard. Although it may not be pretty enough to hang on your door, your toddler will love their fall creation.
12. Tissue Paper Fall Tree
I just love all the trees made by tracing the hand and arm for the trunk! Here’s a handprint fall tree craft using tissue paper for the leaves. It’s a great Autumn craft for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners.
13. Fall Leaf Printable
Use these fall leaf printable with your toddler to color, count, and practice fine motor skills. You can use tissue paper or stickers to decorate them, dot markers to fill in the circles, or glue contstruction paper pieces to fill them in.
14. Leaf Rubbing
Leaf rubbing is one of my kids’ favorite fall activities for toddlers, and if you can get fall leaves, then it’s nearly free.
Collect leaves on a nature walk and bring them inside. Use this time to talk about why the leaves change colors during the season.
Put the leave under a plain white paper and place a crayon on its side, rubbing over the leaf and watch how the pattern of the leaf transfers onto the paper.
15. Thankful Turkey
Make a thankful turkey with your toddler. Cut out the turkey body and write their responses on each feather. You’ll love hearing about the things that make your child so happy.
Related: Feed the Turkey Thanksgiving Toddler Activity
16. Caramel Apple Craft
Make a fun fall caramel apple craft with the littles. Then you can even take it a step further and make some real caramel apples with them! Extra sprinkles, please!
17. Apple Printing
This is one of the classic fall activities for toddlers and preschoolers. Dip apples into paint and press them onto paper. It’s a fun way to paint.
18. Fall Sensory Bin
A sensory bin is a fun way to get your toddler to explore new textures and objects. Through in some typical fall items like corn, pine cones, and leaves, and they’ll have a great time touching and playing. They can be a little messy so always supervise!
19. Make Pumpkin Slime with Real Pumpkin
Pumpkin slime made with pumpkin guts is a great sensory fall activity for toddlers. Kids love to be involved in the creating slime process. Since you make the slime in a pumpkin, you can do this when you carve pumpkins together!
Use this awesome pumpkin slime recipe!
20. Edible Pumpkin Play Dough
Have FUN with your kids this fall with this Allergy-Friendly Edible Pumpkin Play Dough DIY that your toddlers will love to sink their hands (and teeth) in.
21. Pipe Cleaner Spider
Make a little spider with your toddler or preschooler with just construction paper, google eyes, and pipe cleaners!
22. Leaf Threading
Threading is a great fine motor skill for toddlers, and you can use all of those fall leaves outside as a practice for your toddler. Grab a thin stick and show you child put to put the leaves onto the stick.
This would a great counting activity or pattern making activity as well.
23. Fall Rock Painting
Have your little ones paint some rocks for fall, then display them to their delight! Painting rocks doesn’t have to get too fancy. Simply give them a brush, some paints, and let them have fun. You can also do the same thing with pumpkins.
24. Simple Fall Bingo
This free printable fall bingo is low-prep fun for the whole family. Even toddlers and preschoolers can play because no reading is required.
25. Halloween Itsy Bitsy Spider
This simple spider craft is perfect for decorating your house for Halloween or even if your little one is obsessed with the Itsy Bitsy Spider song (like mine is). All you need is some construction paper, googly eyes, some hands to trace and a pencil to create these Itsy Bitsy Spiders.
26. Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Get outdoors with this fun fall scavenger hunt! Don’t forget to pack your favorite snack to cover your spaces!
27. Fall Gross Motor Dice Game with Free Printable
This free printable fall gross motor game is a great way to get the wiggles out or take a brain break. Pick from differentiated instruction cube inserts or free printable dice!
28. Bobbing for Apples
Kids love bobbing for apples, but most toddlers and preschoolers don’t want to put their faces in the water. Who can blame them?
This is a simple twist to this traditional game. Put apples in a plastic tote and get some kitchen utensils for scooping like ladles, strainers, and pots. Then, let your kid have fun scooping out the apples.
29. Playdough Tree
If you’re looking for a playdough craft perfect for fall, you won’t want to miss out on this autumn sensory activity!
30. Handprint Spider
A simple handprint spider activity for your toddler. Simply paint their hands with finger paint and watch them love their Itsy Bitsy Spiders!
I hope you enjoy these fun fall activities for your toddler. With a little creativity and some imagination, your child will love learning all the new fall things and have some messy fun while doing it!
