As the summer sun starts to fade, it’s time to start thinking about fun and engaging fall activities to motivate your elementary students throughout the fall season. From pumpkin crafts to leaf identification, there are plenty of ways to incorporate the season into your lessons. So, whether you’re a seasoned pro or a new teacher looking for inspiration, read on for some great ideas and free resources to help you make the most of the autumn season in your classroom.
Looking for fun ideas to use with your students this fall? Fall activities can be a blast! Check out these fall activities, ideas, and free resources to keep your students engaged and motivated throughout the fall season.
Fall Activities for Kids: Math
1. FREE Place Value Scarecrow
One fun activity to try with your elementary students this fall is creating place value scarecrows. This hands-on project combines math and art as students build their scarecrows. It’s a great way to reinforce essential math skills while allowing creativity and self-expression. Plus, the finished products make for adorable classroom decorations!
You can get the printable template for creating your own scarecrow in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY.
2. Place Value Trees
Another fun fall-inspired activity to explore with your elementary students is creating place value trees by Michelle Hudgeons – Smitten with First. This place value activity can be used with first and second-graders. These adorable trees help build foundational math skills that students will need to be successful in math.
3. Fall Place Value Activity
Do you need a fall math activity perfect for this time of year? This second grade math activity focuses on skills like adding and composing numbers up to 1000, which many students need extra practice. With the Math Scarecrow Craft, you can practice second grade math concepts such as place value and composing numbers. You can get the directions from The OT Toolbox.
Fall Activities for Kids: Literacy and Writing
4. Fall Vocabulary Freebie
Looking for Fall-themed grammar activities that require no prep? Look no further! This free Shades of Meaning worksheet and acorn craft by Linda Kamp at Around the Kampfire is a great addition to your lesson plan. Make sure to check out her website for more fun fall activities.
Understanding shades of meaning is essential for elementary kids to develop because it allows them to express themselves more precisely and effectively. Children can expand their vocabulary and get more nuanced ideas by learning to differentiate between words that convey similar but slightly different meanings. This skill also helps them to become better readers and writers, as they are better equipped to understand and analyze texts with complex language. Additionally, understanding shades of meaning can help kids become more confident communicators, as they can choose the right words to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely.
5. More Fall Vocabulary Activities
Would you like more fall activities for your classroom? These adorable shades of meaning acorns would make a lovely fall bulletin board. This activity is a great way to incorporate using a thesaurus. Click on the picture of the fall acorns to get the template.
6. Free Fall Writing Craft
Here’s a fall writing activity that’s fun and easy to do. Hang them together to create a beautiful fall bulletin board. Click the picture of the fall writing activity below to get your free copy.
7. Fall Super Sentences
Do your students need help to write interesting sentences? If so, you can use these autumn-themed super sentences to help them add more detail to their writing. First, we brainstorm ideas for when, who, and what; I model many times and complete the super sentence before letting my students do it themselves. You can get a free copy in my FREE Resource Library by clicking the fall super sentence below.
Fall Activities for Kids: Science and STEM Activities
Get ready to explore a range of captivating fall activities that will encourage elementary-aged children to become more engaged with science. These hands-on projects and experiments are open-ended and designed to spark curiosity and creativity.
8. Dancing Corn STEM Activity for Fall
Autumn is an excellent opportunity to try out new things with pumpkins, apples, and corn! A fun experiment involving dancing popcorn showcases an interesting chemical reaction. Both children and adults enjoy witnessing these fascinating reactions. You can read more about this fall activity at Little Bins for Little Hands.
9. Pumpkin Patch Bridge
My kids had a blast with this fun STEM challenge: getting pumpkins back into the patch after they rolled out. The task was to create a bridge using blue paper to cross the water and retrieve the pumpkins. Watching them work together to find a solution was delightful. Seeing the endless possibilities kids can develop to solve this type of STEM activity is fantastic. Click the picture below to read more about this fun fall STEM activity by Hands on Teaching Ideas.
10. Growing Germs with an Apple
You can conduct a science experiment involving germs using apples, and you won’t even need any special equipment. My class was shocked when they discovered how dirty their Chromebooks were. This experiment let’s students understand the importance of washing their hands thoroughly throughout the day. It’s worth trying to see where your classroom’s dirtiest areas are!
You can get the directions for this simple experiment at Playdough to Plato.
Do you need more ideas? Check out this fall post.
I would love to hear what your favorite fall activities are that you do with your students.
