Preschool Fall Party Activities

Autumn Themed Age Appropriate Ideas for Young Children

Oct 7, 2008 Kelly Pfeiffer

Preschoolers and party hosts will love this list of fall party activities, all of which put age appropriate fun as the priority of the party planning process. These autumn themed ideas are full of hands on, sensory, art and dramatic play activities. Keep young children engaged in educational play with party activities that teach preschoolers about fall activities, fall smells, fall shapes and fall colors.

Orange Spice Play Dough

Recipe:

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• red and yellow food coloring (2 part yellow to 1 part red = orange)
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

In a saucepan mix flour, salt and cream of tartar. Add water, oil, food coloring and pumpkin pie spice. Cook on medium heat, stirring until mixture pulls away from sides of pan. Knead immediately. Store in an airtight container.

Place orange spice play dough on a child sized table along with a few simple play dough toys such as plastic knives, pizza cutters and rolling pins.

Autumn Themed Color Scavenger Hunt

Supplies Needed:

• paper bag or small basket – 1 per preschooler
• 1 inch squares of paper in fall colors – orange, red, yellow, brown, green

1. Tape one square of each color together so that all of the colors are visible at the same time. Tape the group of colored squares to the paper bags or to the baskets.
2. Give each preschooler a paper bag or small basket.
3. Tell preschoolers to search a specific area such as a yard, park area or room indoors for items that are the same color as the squares of paper. Tell preschoolers to put one item in their bag that matches each of the squares of paper.

Example:

Preschoolers might search a back yard area and put an orange leaf, a red berry, a yellow leaf, a brown nut and a green piece of grass in the bag.

For and indoor scavenger hunt, adults may need to add some fall colored items to the area to be searched before the party.

Vegetable Stand Dramatic Play

Supplies needed:

• an assortment of fruits and vegetables, either plastic play food or real food such as small pumpkins, gourds, corn, apples.
• an assortment of baskets and/or small paper bags
• a small table

Optional dramatic play items:

• straw hats
• a toy cash register
• play money
• paper and markers for preschoolers to make signs if they choose

Preschoolers love dramatic play and will stay busy for hours buying and selling fruits and vegetables at a pretend fruit stand.

Apple Art Prints

Supplies Needed:

• 2 apples
• non-toxic paint in the colors of apples – green, yellow, red
• sheets of plain paper
• 3 plates (paper, plastic, tin) to hold paint

1. Cut one apple in half from top to bottom. Set one half aside.
2. Cut the other half down the middle. Set aside both pieces.
3. Cut the second apple from left to right so that a star shape is visible in the middle. Set aside.
4. Pour a thin layer of each color of paint into each of the plates.
5. Cover the work space with newsprint or plastic.
6. Set out apple pieces, plates of colored paint and plain sheets of paper.
7. Supervise preschoolers as they use the apple slices as stamps to make apple impressions on the paper.

Young children might also enjoy a cooking activity such as making nut butter or a sensory activity such as an apple tasting. For a successful fall party for preschoolers, plan age appropriate activities that keep young children busy with hands on fun.

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Preschool Fall Science Center Ideas