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Autumn Preschool Activities
September is here, and with it comes all things autumn! This time between the back to school craziness and Halloween – which ushers in the chaos of the holiday season – is special because it offers a little time to slow down and settle in. I love exploring autumn in the classroom as a way to encourage paying attention to our environment and noticing all of the changes that are happening around us. Here are some easy, printable activities to support your autumn preschool learning.
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Apple Picking Vibes
Nothing says autumn quite like apple picking! There are so many cute outfit ideas for a trip to the orchard, but I’m all in for a casual look. Give me a sweatshirt and some sneakers, and I’m there. Here are my 2025 Apple Picking favorites. All links are affiliates.
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Creative ways to use pumpkins in preschool
Pumpkin exploration is synonymous with Halloween in preschool. But if you’re ready to try something other than painting pumpkins and sending them home, then check out this list!
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Autumn Scribble Art
If you’re looking for an easy, low prep, and super powerful art experience this post is for you! Scribble art is developmentally appropriate for every age and can be done with materials that you already have. To make this really fit the fall season I stuck with traditional autumn colors, but it can be done with any color scheme which makes it an experience that you can revisit multiple times throughout the year with very different results each time. You’ll need paper, black markers or crayons, and colored markers or crayons. You can choose to have each child create their own art or use a larger sheet of paper for…
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Gross Motor Activities with Apples
Sometimes we have to get a little creative in order to support gross motor skills, but when it comes to exploring apples, there are tons of ways to incorporate practicing these skills! Here are some of my favorite ideas. Apples are ball-shaped (for the most part) which makes them perfect for tossing and catching – gently of course! They can also be rolled back and forth or used in games like bowling. Apples with stems can be tied to a piece of yarn and hung from a tree so children can practice reaching and pulling (or “picking”). They make excellent items for relay races – balance them on wooden spoons,…
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Fine Motor Activities With Apples
You can’t escape the apple theme this time of year, and for good reason! Apples are a wonderful way to explore the science behind plant life and nutrition, but they can also be a great way to exercise some fine motor skills. Here are some of my favorite ways to use apples: Use a rotating apple peeler (like this one – affiliate link) to encourage wrist movement. It’ll fascinate the children and make quick work of slicing all of those apples so that you can taste them or bake with them. Of course, it does have a sharp blade, so this is a one-on-one activity that should only be done…
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All the Fall Vibes
Labor Day is over and it’s like someone flipped a switch because I am totally ready for fall! I thought I’d share some of my favorites so that you can get into the mood with me. I’ll dive into fall fashion soon, but if you’re already feeling it make sure to check out my top must-haves from last year! All links are affiliates. Chunky Color Block Cardigan – I can’t do life without cardigans, and fall options are definitely my fave. The colors and textures are a whole vibe. This rust and pumpkin one has a variety of different stitches and could easily be paired with jeans or a chambray dress.…
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Easy Classroom Applesauce Recipe
I made applesauce at home last week, and it reminded me that it’s been a while since I’ve shared my favorite classroom apple recipe! This easy crockpot applesauce is a fall favorite that is perfect for an apple investigation or holiday meal. Here’s the original post from 2014, and the download with the recipe: I'm not sure when it was decided that autumn means an in-depth study of apples in every single early childhood classroom in the country, but I'm certainly not one to buck tradition. One of my favorite apple activities to do with my preschoolers is to make homemade applesauce. Children love this activity because they get to eat…
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October themes for classrooms that don’t celebrate Halloween
I love holidays and celebrating them in the classroom, but there are many completely valid reasons for not incorporating these into your lesson plans. When it comes to Halloween there can be religious considerations, cultural implications, and economic concerns. Every school has it’s own policy, but if you don’t celebrate holidays in the classroom it can be a real challenge to look for new lesson plan ideas and only find the ubiquitous Halloween ideas. I have a list of 35 fall themes that can be a great starting point for your planning, but these few October themes fit closely enough to Halloween that you can use many of the Halloween…
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Autumn Bucket List for the Classroom
Happy Friday! I have another freebie for you this week. I started creating seasonal bucket lists for my family when my daughter was very young. I was always looking for things that our family could enjoy and I would find myself saying “oh, we should have done that” after a seasonal opportunity passed. These bucket lists kept us busy and gave us plenty to look forward to. I realize that there are a ton of these available on pinterest, but it’s really hard to find options that work for the classroom. Most include a lot of outings, baking or cooking ideas, and movies. The one that I’ve put together is…
