5 Low-Prep Fall & Autumn Activities for Kids 🍂

Simple, low-cost activities for cosy days together, using things you probably already have at home.

5 Low-Prep Fall & Autumn Activities for Kids 🍂

Some of my favourite activities with little ones are usually the simplest ones.

They don't need a long list of supplies or an afternoon spent preparing everything beforehand. Sometimes a handful of leaves, a little Play-Doh and whatever you already have tucked away in the craft cupboard is more than enough. 🤎

Fall is such a lovely season for slowing down, heading outside together and noticing all the little changes happening around us. And when the weather keeps everyone indoors, there are plenty of simple ways to bring a little bit of autumn inside too.

Here are five low-prep Fall and Autumn activities you can try with your kids this season.

🍁 1. Leaf Colour Sorting

You'll need:

A collection of fallen leaves and a few bowls, baskets or simply some clear space on the table.

Head outside together and collect leaves in as many different colours, shapes and sizes as you can find.

Back home, let your child sort their collection. You could group leaves by colour, size or shape, or simply let them decide how they'd like to organise them.

There doesn't need to be a right answer. Half the fun is hearing why they've decided two completely different-looking leaves apparently belong together. 😂

Learning through play: colour recognition, comparing, sorting, observation and language.

🖍️ 2. Leaf Rubbings

You'll need:

Fallen leaves, plain paper and crayons.

Place a leaf underneath a sheet of paper with the veins facing upwards. Gently rub the side of a crayon over the paper and watch the shape and tiny details of the leaf appear.

Try different leaves and colours or overlap several rubbings to create an autumn picture.

It's simple, wonderfully low-prep and one of those activities that still feels a little bit magical when the leaf suddenly appears. 🍂

Learning through play: fine-motor skills, texture, observation, colour and cause-and-effect.

🌿 3. Play-Doh Nature Prints

You'll need:

Play-Doh and a few safe nature finds such as leaves, small twigs, seed pods or pinecones.

Roll out your Play-Doh, press a nature treasure gently into the surface and peel it away.

Then take a closer look at the pattern it leaves behind.

Try different objects and talk about what you notice. Which made the deepest mark? Can you see the veins in the leaf? Which print feels rough or smooth?

Or forget the questions entirely and let them experiment. 🤎

Sometimes the learning happens beautifully without us needing to direct it.

Learning through play: sensory exploration, fine-motor skills, patterns, observation and curiosity.

🍎 4. Apple Stamping

You'll need:

An apple, washable paint and paper.

Cut an apple in half, dip the cut side lightly into washable paint and press it onto the paper.

Little ones can make patterns, experiment with different colours or simply stamp away and see what they create.

You can also take a moment before painting to look inside the apple together. Notice the skin, flesh, core and seeds.

And yes, perhaps keep another apple nearby for eating rather than handing over the one that's just been dunked in paint. 😂🍎

Learning through play: creativity, patterns, colour recognition, fine-motor control and simple observation.

🍂 5. Sticky Nature Collage

You'll need:

Paper or cardboard, child-safe glue and little nature treasures.

Collect fallen leaves, small pieces of grass, petals or other safe finds while you're outside.

When you come home, spread them across the table and let your child arrange their favourites into a picture or collage.

There's no particular way it needs to look. They might make a picture, create a pattern or enthusiastically glue everything into one enormous leafy mountain.

All acceptable artistic directions. 😂

Learning through play: creativity, decision-making, fine-motor skills, textures and exploring natural materials.

🌿 Learning doesn't have to be complicated

Activities like these are one of the reasons I love learning through everyday life.

A walk outside can become a colour-sorting activity. An apple can start a conversation about seeds. A handful of Play-Doh and some leaves can turn into an afternoon of experimenting with patterns and textures.

Printables can be wonderful tools, but they're only one little piece of childhood learning.

There are opportunities to explore, create and discover tucked into ordinary family life everywhere.

Sometimes we just have to notice them. 🤎

Georgia

Hazel & Fern Printables

(Formerly known as Sketch Ink Studios)

Printable learning through everyday life.