The Fall season is a time for harvest – when farmers and agricultural workers collect crops that were planted the previous Spring. Many cultures around the world mark the completion of harvest with festivals and celebrations of gratitude for the food that has been harvested. This time of year also presents an opportunity to include topics like farming, harvesting, autumn produce, and seasonal celebrations in your early learning curriculum. To help you get started, we’ve put together harvest-themed activities and children’s books to enjoy with the little learners in your care.
This invitation to play is also a sensory activity that offers children an engaging and interesting way to explore the textures, colors, and shapes of seasonal produce. To prepare for this activity, pick up a few different gourds, squashes, and mini pumpkins at your local supermarket (or, ask families if they have any that they are willing to bring into the class), and either purchase playdough, or make your own using one of these playdough recipes. Invite the children to flatten the playdough and create patterns and designs by pressing the gourds onto the playdough. They might also enjoy using the playdough to decorate the gourds! Encourage the children to compare and contrast the gourds’ shapes, colors, sizes, weights and textures.
This simple process art activity requires just a few items: tempera paint, construction paper, and ornamental corn (which can be found during this time of year at local grocery stores and pumpkin patches). Start out by offering a corn cob to each child so that they can explore its texture, patterns, and colorful kernels. Then, place a few drops of paint onto the paper and invite the children to create unique designs by rolling the corn through the paint. As the children create their designs, talk with them about the way the corn feels under their hands and the designs that its texture leaves on the paper.
Encourage children to play and learn about harvest activities with this simple sensory bin activity. All you will need is a bin and the following materials to place inside the bin: popcorn kernels (these can be found at grocery stores), pretend shovels, scoopers (such as measuring cups), and pretend tractors. You might want to add other harvest-themed items, such as colorful fall leaves, mini pumpkins, and acorns. Then, invite the children to play and explore the texture of the popcorn kernels, by moving the tractors through the corn, scooping the corn into shovels and scoopers, and creating piles of corn!
This children’s book, written by Kate DePalma and illustrated by Martina Peluso, explores harvest festivals from cultures around the globe! Children will learn about different traditions, from rice harvests in India to friendly food fights with tomatoes in Spain. Find a free read-aloud of this story on Youtube.
This Autumn book, written and illustrated by Anne Hunter, tells the story of an opossum who wakes up one evening to the full harvest moon, and decides to throw a party before the long winter. The book’s story of friendship and celebration is paired with unique and engaging illustrations. Find a free read-aloud of this story on Youtube.
This children’s book, written by Wendy Pfeffer and illustrated by Linda Bleck, explores the change of seasons while describing celebrations of the fall equinox in various cultures throughout the world. Through this engaging story, children will learn about the science behind seasonal changes in weather, and the history of different traditions and celebrations. Find a free read-aloud of this story on Youtube.
