As the season of crunchy and fresh leaves and crisp air descends upon us, there’s no better time to explore the wonderful world of leaves with your little ones! Let’s embark on a leaf-matching adventure that promises not just giggles and fun but a rich learning experience. Here’s how you can set up a leaf matching activity that will be a hit with both toddlers and preschoolers.
WILL YOU TRY THIS LEAF MATCHING ACTIVITY WITH YOUR CHILD? PIN IT FOR LATER!
What You Need
- A Variety of Leaves: Either gather different types of leaves or the same type in various sizes — the choice is yours! The more, the merrier.
- A Sheet of Paper: Where the magic will unfold!
- A Marker: To trace the contours of your collected leaves.
How to Set Up the Leaf Matching Activity
Leaf Collection: Head out on a leaf-collecting expedition with your little explorer. Engage them in the process, letting them choose the leaves they find interesting. Choose leaves that aren’t too crunchy as they will dry when you bring them inside. You don’t want leaves that will break apart while your child is doing the activity. We used fresh but fallen leaves in early fall late summer
Let’s Trace: Once you have your leaf collection, place them on a sheet of paper and trace their outlines with a marker.
Matching Time: Spread out the leaves beside the paper and invite your child to match the leaves to the traced outlines.
Skills Developed
This simple activity is a powerhouse when it comes to skill development:
- Observational Skills: Matching the leaves to their outlines fosters keen observational skills.
- Fine Motor Skills: Handling and matching leaves helps in developing fine motor skills.
- Cognitive Development: Recognizing the different shapes and sizes aids cognitive development.
Tips for Success
- Personal Touch: Encourage your child to personalize the activity sheet by coloring or decorating it once they have successfully matched all the leaves.
- Talk About It: While matching the leaves, engage your child in a conversation about the different types of leaves, their colors, and textures.
- Level Up: As your child gets better at matching, increase the difficulty level by introducing leaves with more complex shapes or adding more leaves to the mix.
The leaf matching activity is a fantastic way to usher in the fall season with young kids. It combines the joy of exploration, the wonder of nature, and the rich learning experiences that hands-on activities offer. So, grab a basket, step out into the golden hues of fall, and let the leaf matching adventure begin!
Remember, it’s not just about the matching; it’s about the joyful moments of discovery, the little triumphs over matching a tricky leaf, and the warm hugs of success that make this activity a cherished memory in the making. Let’s make learning fun, one leaf at a time!
Age Suitability
This activity is good for toddlers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.
Mess Level
The mess level for this activity is low.
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.
The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids
Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.
Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!
Shop our ready made play kits here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
WILL YOU TRY THIS LEAF MATCHING ACTIVITY WITH YOUR CHILD? PIN IT FOR LATER!