Autumn has arrived! The days are cooler. The leaves on the trees have begun to fall and change colors. With the change in seasons also comes a change in activities to explore with your child. Children learn about their world by exploring with their senses – hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting and smelling. Fall offers many new opportunities to engage your child’s senses. When you join in on these experiences, you maximize your child’s enjoyment and learning.
Here are some fall activities to get you started:
- Take a nature walk. Grab a basket or bag and have your child pick up items along the way like leaves of different sizes and colors, acorns and twigs.
- Create a collage. Display the items from your walk by gluing them onto paper or pressing them onto sticky contact paper. As you work together, have your child count the number of items found and describe how the items look and feel.
- Experiment with fall colors. Offer your child red, yellow and orange paints. Allow them to paint with their fingers, a paintbrush or items you found on your nature walk. This is a fun way to experiment with mixing colors and to develop your child’s fine motor skills. Additionally, ask your child to tell you about their creation to learn about their ideas and promote their language skills.
- Try new flavors. Stores are stocked with new pumpkin and apple flavored foods and drinks. Enjoy a snack with your child and let them describe the new flavor and discuss whether or not you both like it.
- Cooking. Fall is a great time to involve your child in cooking and trying new foods. For some yummy pumpkin recipes, visit frogmom.com/pumpkin-recipes-for-kids/. For delicious apple recipes, visit mommysbundle.com/15-kid-friendly-apple-snacks/.
- Arts and Crafts. Children love to create, and fall offers many fun and educational activities to choose from. Beware that some projects use small parts that can be choking hazards. Visit www.candokiddo.com/news/fall-baby-play to learn of fun and safe activities for infants and young children. Visit www.thebestideasforkids.com/pumpkin-slime/ and try making this pumpkin slime with your older children. Visit our Pinterest page for other great ideas at www.pinterest.com/ccaks/.
- Visit your library. Take a trip to your local library and have your child explore the many seasonal books available. Reading is a wonderful way to spend time together while introducing your child to new ideas and words.
By spending quality time with your child and exploring all that the fall season has to offer, you are creating a positive relationship with your child while contributing to their sense of importance.
