Preschool and Kindergarten Fall Lessons and Activities

Lesson Plans Align With Common Core Standards

  The emergent readers and follow-up literacy and math activities have been created to assist teachers in meeting their common core outcomes.

Kindergarten Emergent Reader 1- Down at the Pumpkin Patch

Focus Letter Sounds:  "Pp" for pumpkin and "Ss" for stars

Possible Sight Words:  we, see, funny, down, in and the

Sample Page from the reader "Down at the Pumpkin Patch"

Another Version
This version was created in response to my own students having trouble identifying numbers.  This reader focuses on numbers 2-6.  The students are required to draw the amount of pumpkins indicated in the text during guided reading time.

Kindergarten Emergent Reader 2- Scarecrows Looking At Me

Focus Letter Sounds:  "Ss" for scarecrows

Possible Sight Words:  look, at, me, is and it

Sample Page  from the reader "Scarecrows Looking at Me"
 

Kindergarten Emergent Reader 3 - Autumn Time


Key Focus of the Reader

Introduce the signs of Fall


Sample Page from the reader "Autumn Time"

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Kindergarten-Preschool Literacy Centers 

Kindergarten-Preschool Fall Crafts

The book Mouse's First Fall would be used to introduce the concept of the changes that occur at this time of year.

Craft Tips - Prevent Paper From Curling When Painting

Place painter's masking tape around the picture on a piece of cardboard.  The tape can be peeled off when the picture is dry.  The white border remaining can stay as an accent piece or can be cut. This prevents the picture from curling.
 

Mouse Hiding in the Leaves Craft - Displayed Above

The children would cut the mouse and place this in the center of brown construction paper.  They would sponge-paint the leaf templates and cut them out.  This would be glued over the mouse showing it hiding in the leaves. 

It's Fall by Linda Glacier is another good literature selection to introduce the concept of the changes that occur during this time of year.

Follow-up Craft Activity

Falling Leaves Scene

The children paint the background blue for the sky, green for the grass and brown for the trunk.  After, leaves would be painted as displayed in the picture.

All the templates to complete these craft projects are found within the the theme unit.

Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall would be used as another reader discussing the changes that take place in the Fall.

Follow-up Craft Activity

Silhouette Leaf Collage Displayed above - The leaf templates would be made into tracers. Plastic lids from margerine containers are great to use as tracers as they can be reused.  Children would arrange the tracers on the paper, securing them with sticky tac.  Red, green, yellow, orange and red paint would be used to sponge-paint over the tracers.  After, the tracers would be removed.

The activity outlined on the right would be a great follow-up to reading the story Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert.  This is a delightfully illustrated book where the leaf man travels across the land driven by the wind and he sees all kinds of characters in the form of leaves.  The children will really enjoy closely looking at the pictures in this book and after creating their own leaf characters.
 

Funny Leaf Person Craft Follow-up Activity -Pour a little water in 3 different plastic cups. Add red, yellow and green food coloring , children extract the colored water using an eye dropper, drop onto a coffee filter or paper towel (make sure you place a protector underneath) allow this to dry. After, the children cut out the colorful leaf body. They can draw or add other body parts using construction paper or felts. The poem can be cut and added to the scene

Funny Leaf Person Poem

 I see something green, red and yellow.  It is a funny, colorful leafy fellow.   He floats through the air.  Where he lands, he doesn't care.  Wouldn't you like to find, a leaf of this kind?

Groundhog Stays Up Late by Margery Cuyler would be used in Week 2 Plans where the focus is on what animals do in the fall to prepare for the winter ahead.  This book does a good job of introducing this concept.

Groundhog Sleeping on Leaves Craft - Displayed Above

The background surrounding the groundhog would be painted black.  The groundhog template would be painted brown.  The templates for the leaves would be sponge-painted, cut and glued underneath the groundhog.

Templates to complete these projects are found within the theme unit.

The Busy Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri would be another literature selection used for children to understand what animals do in the fall to get ready for winter (specifically squirrels).

Follow-up Craft - Squirrel Puppet

The children could make a squirrel paper bag puppet using the templates provided and act out the changes that occur at this time of year.
 

 Simple Version - Squirrel Puppet

The squirrel template would be painted, cut and a craft stick glued on.  Tissue paper could be cut, scrunched and added for the fur as shown in the photograph above.

The templates for the squirrel crafts is found in the theme unit.

The book The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown could be used for  this theme.  This book offers a repetitive story line and an opportunity to introduce sharing and cooperation.

Follow-up Craft - Scarecrows

 Scarecrow Craft 1 - The scarecrow template would be colored, cut and assembled as displayed in the photograph.  A child's photograph could be added or the children could draw their own scarecrow face using the template provided.
 

Scarecrow Craft 2 - Paper Plate Scarecrow - paper shred and yellow construction paper would be glued on the paper plate.  The hat would be painted and the bow tie colored.  This would be glued to the paper plate.  After, facial features would be added.

Harvest Time by Merer Mayer could be used to introduce what farmers are busy doing in the fall season.  

Follow-up Craft - Harvest Time Silhouette

Strands of orange and yellow would be painted on the paper, the base would be painted black. Q-tips would be used to paint the stalks.

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