Fall is the perfect season for sensory play, with so many interesting colours, textures, sounds and smells to explore.
These fall sensory activities are perfect for a fall/autumn or leaves theme. They go beyond sensory bins to engage all the senses through nature exploration, messy play, art, movement and hands-on activities.
The first few are outdoor ideas, followed by some indoor sensory play.
1. Leaf Play
At the top of the list, every fall theme should include some free time for children to play in the leaves outside and have some real fun.
Let them jump into piles, throw leaves into the air, crunch them under their feet, scoop them up and feel their different textures. This simple outdoor activity provides plenty of sensory input while giving children the freedom to explore and move.
2. Rolling in Leaves
Encourage children to lie down and roll through a pile of dry leaves.
The rolling movement stimulates the vestibular system, helping children develop their sense of balance, movement and body position.
3. Listening Walk: The Sounds of Fall
Take the children out on a nature walk and invite them to listen carefully to the sounds of nature. They might hear:
- Rustling leaves
- The crunching of dry leaves under their feet
- Birds singing
- Wind blowing through trees
- Twigs snapping
- Acorns, conkers or pinecones dropping
- Squirrels or other small animals moving through leaves
4. Nature Collection Walk
Give each child a small container and go on a nature walk to collect natural items found during fall, such as acorns, pinecones, conkers, twigs, bark, seed pods, stones and dried grasses.
Save what the children collect for the following activities.
5. Fall Nature Sensory Bin
Create a sensory bin with some of the items collected on your nature walk.
Provide scoops, tongs and small containers, and invite the children to handle, scoop, pour and compare the different natural materials as they explore.
6. Leaf Sorting
Set up a leaf sorting station where the leaves can be organised into separate bins or trays based on colours, shapes, textures, sizes or types.
7. Explore a Leaf Up Close
Using a magnifying glass, the children can study leaf veins and patterns. They can also trace the veins with their fingers, making this a good tactile and visual activity.
Discuss why leaves have veins and explain that they help transport water and nutrients around the leaves.
8. Crushed Leaf Collage
Create beautiful multi-coloured, crushed-leaf art by providing a large cutout of a leaf shape or having the children draw a large leaf on cardstock.
Let them crush different coloured leaves into tiny pieces in a tray, then stick the pieces onto their leaf shapes with liquid glue.
Crushing the dry leaves and spreading the sticky glue add extra sensory elements to the art activity.
9. Finger Painting with Fall Colours
Let the children enjoy some messy process art by providing red, orange, yellow and brown finger paint on a tray.
Encourage them to explore and mix the colours freely, create their own pictures, or add fingerprint leaves to a simple tree outline.
10. Leaf Printing
For this simple painting activity, let the children dip leaves of different shapes and sizes into fall-coloured paint, then press them onto paper to make leaf prints.
Encourage them to notice the different shapes, edges and vein patterns that appear.
11. Playdough Leaf Prints
Roll out some playdough and let the children press leaves into the surface to make impressions. Peel the leaves away carefully to reveal the shapes, veins and patterns left behind.
Try leaves of different shapes and sizes and compare the prints they make.
12. Fall Nature Soup
Read or watch a version of the traditional story Stone Soup, then make your own pretend fall soup using some of the natural materials collected earlier.
Fill a large tub or pot with water and let the children add leaves, acorns, pinecones, twigs and other fall treasures. Provide large spoons, ladles, cups and containers for stirring, scooping and pouring their nature soup.
Children can take turns adding an ingredient, just like the characters in the story.
Here is a read-aloud version of Stone Soup.
13. Pumpkin Sensory Exploration
Cut open a pumpkin and let the children explore what’s inside. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp with their hands or spoons, feeling the different textures and noticing the distinctive pumpkin smell.
Provide bowls or containers for separating the seeds from the pulp, or simply let children squish, scoop and explore freely.
After exploring, use the pumpkin to make a simple pumpkin soup together, turning the sensory experience into a cooking activity.
Here are more pumpkin theme activities for preschoolers.
14. I Spy
Play a game of I Spy with My Little Eye outdoors and encourage children to look carefully at their surroundings. Take turns spotting fall colours, shapes, natural objects and things that are moving, such as falling leaves or swaying branches.
This simple visual sensory activity encourages children to notice details in the environment around them.
For more fall ideas, try these fall songs and fingerplays and the full set of fall leaves activities for preschoolers, with simple ideas for art, literacy, maths, science and more.
Next, explore more seasonal fun with these Halloween theme activities or browse the full list of preschool themes and activities for year-round ideas.