As the crisp breeze of fall sets in, it’s the perfect time to immerse your children in the wonders of nature while engaging their cognitive skills. One delightful activity that combines the beauty of autumn with a fun and educational twist is this Fall Natural Puzzle. This activity not only provides an opportunity for kids to explore the outdoors but also encourages them to practice their matching and fine motor skills. Here we’ll guide you through the steps to create and enjoy this engaging nature-inspired game.
WILL YOU SET UP THIS FALL NATURE PUZZLE WITH YOUR CHILD? Pin it for later!
Supplies You’ll Need for Fall Nature Puzzle:
- Assorted leaves in various shapes and colors
- Acorns, Chestnuts, Pinecones, fall flowers, branches, berries, stones or other natural items with unique shapes
- Piece of cardboard or thick paper
- Marker or pen
- Glue (optional)
Instructions Fall Nature Puzzle:
- Nature Collection Adventure:
- Begin by taking a leisurely stroll outdoors with your child. Encourage them to gather a variety of leaves, acorns, chestnuts, and other interesting natural items that they find on the ground. The diversity of shapes, sizes, and colors will make the game more engaging.
- Cardboard Preparation:
- Lay the piece of cardboard flat on a clean surface. This will serve as the base for your fall nature puzzle.
- Creating the Outlines:
- For each type of natural item you’ve collected, place one of the items onto the cardboard.
- Using a marker or pen, trace the outline of the item onto the cardboard. Make sure the outline is clear and easy to identify.
- Repeat for Each Item:
- Repeat the process for all the different types of natural items you’ve collected, tracing the outline of each item onto the cardboard.
- Remove Items:
- Carefully lift and remove the natural items from the cardboard. You should now have a set of outlined shapes representing the leaves, acorns, and chestnuts and the various other items you find.
- Matching Game Time:
- Invite your child to participate in the matching game. Place the collected natural items in a pile next to the cardboard with the outlines.
- Matching Fun:
- Encourage your child to pick up each natural item and find the corresponding outline on the cardboard. They can place the items within the outlines, using their observation and matching skills.
- Learning and Play:
- As your child matches each item to its outline, you can talk about the different characteristics of the items – the colors, shapes, and textures. This adds an educational element to the activity.
Tips for Success:
- Collect a Variety: Encourage your child to collect a variety of natural items to make the matching game or puzzle more interesting and challenging.
- Gluing Items: If you want a more permanent display, you can glue the collected natural items onto the cardboard within their respective outlines.
- Language Development: While playing the game, discuss the characteristics of the items and their unique features, fostering language development.
- Adapt to Skill Level: Adjust the complexity of the game based on your child’s age and skill level. For younger children, you can start with just a few items and outlines.
- Outdoor Exploration: Take advantage of this activity to explore the beauty of the fall season and encourage your child to appreciate nature.
Creating a Fall Natural Puzzle Matching game is a wonderful way to embrace the autumn season, engage your child’s senses, and enhance their cognitive abilities. This activity not only promotes learning but also provides quality bonding time between you and your child. So, grab your markers, cardboard, and the treasures of fall, and embark on an adventure of learning, matching, and connecting with the beauty of nature!
Age Suitability
This activity is good for toddlers aged children 18 months old and up with adult assistance.
Mess Level
The mess level for this activity is high.
Difficulty to Create
Low.
Skills Developed
Language development, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.
Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
Materials
- Assorted leaves in various shapes and colors, Acorns, Chestnuts or other natural items
- Piece of cardboard or thick paper
- Marker or pen
- Glue (optional)
Instructions
- Nature Collection Adventure:Begin by taking a leisurely stroll outdoors with your child. Encourage them to gather a variety of leaves, acorns, chestnuts, and other interesting natural items that they find on the ground. The diversity of shapes, sizes, and colors will make the game more engaging.
- Cardboard Preparation:Lay the piece of cardboard flat on a clean surface. This will serve as the base for your natural item matching game.
- Creating the Outlines:For each type of natural item you've collected, place one of the items onto the cardboard.Using a marker or pen, trace the outline of the item onto the cardboard. Make sure the outline is clear and easy to identify.
- Repeat for Each Item:Repeat the process for all the different types of natural items you've collected, tracing the outline of each item onto the cardboard.
- Remove Items:Carefully lift and remove the natural items from the cardboard. You should now have a set of outlined shapes representing the leaves, acorns, and chestnuts.
- Matching Game Time:Invite your child to participate in the matching game. Place the collected natural items in a pile next to the cardboard with the outlines.
- Matching Fun:Encourage your child to pick up each natural item and find the corresponding outline on the cardboard. They can place the items within the outlines, using their observation and matching skills.
- Learning and Play:As your child matches each item to its outline, you can talk about the different characteristics of the items – the colors, shapes, and textures. This adds an educational element to the activity.
Notes
WILL YOU SET UP THIS EASY FALL NATURE PUZZLE WITH YOUR CHILD? Pin it for later!
