Fall Sensory Activities for Homeschool Families
You know how your kids get more and more restless as the day progresses and can’t sit still or concentrate on their schoolwork?
It’s because their bodies need some sensory input!
Learn how you can easily give them the sensory input that their bodies need to focus on learning with these fall sensory activities.
The kids have played outside all summer and they’re tired of all the regular outdoor activities.
It’s getting too chilly for swimming and running through the sprinkler, but the afternoons still have enough warmth for messy or wet play outside.
Even if they can make a bit of a mess, sensory bins really can save your sanity at the end of a long day!!
Fall sensory activities provide the sensory input that your kids crave on days when they’ve concentrated on their schoolwork and now need a brain break!
The ultimate fall sensory activity would be a trip to a pumpkin patch! They often have huge dried corn or soybean sensory play areas as well as many other fun exploration stations. Read these tips to have the best day at the pumpkin patch with kids.
Fine motor skills practice complements sensory play. Use these fall tracing worksheets to help your littles practice tracing lines.
Jump ahead to one of these Fall and Autumn Sensory Activities:
S’Mores Sensory Bin
Pumpkin Spice Sensory Bin
Pumpkin Guts Sensory Play
Traditional Fall Sensory Play with printable “My Leaf Report”
Fall Harvest Sensory Bin
Natural Autumn Sensory Bin for Nature Study
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S’Mores Bonfire Sensory Bin
For this S’mores Bonfire sensory bin, I first sent the kids outside to look for a few skinny sticks to break into 3 to 4-inch pieces to use as a base filler.
For the fire, I cut out a piece of orange felt to look like flames. Use the S’Mores Bonfire Outline in the Free Resource Library as a pattern.
Next, I tossed in a small package of shiny gold pom-poms for more flames.
Then, I dug out some felt graham crackers from the kids’ play kitchen toys. You can also just cut out a few squares of tan felt.
I cut out a few squares of brown craft foam and drew lines on them with a marker to look like chocolate bars.
Finally, I added the foam marshmallows which I found in the crafting section at Wal-Mart.
Your kiddos will probably also want to do the Camping and S’mores Unit Study that goes with this sensory bin.
Pumpkin Spice Sensory Bin
Every time your kids play with this bin, it will make your house smell like fall!
Start by cutting up a few sheets of yellow and orange tissue paper into strips, about 1 by 2 inches for the base of this fall sensory bin.
Add in some real leaves or fabric or felt leaves from the dollar store.
Next, toss in a few acorns and gourds. If you don’t have access to oak trees and acorns, you can find fake ones at dollar stores.
This is a great bin to add some scent with essential oils. You can use either cinnamon essential oil or my son’s favorite, sunshine spice oil blend.
To make it smell like pumpkin spice add a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon from your spice cabinet into the bin and stir. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, just use equal amounts of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
You can also put a couple of drops of vanilla or cinnamon extract (from the spice aisle of the grocery store) onto the leaves and tissue paper.
Your kids may also like this fall leaf sensory bin from Mommy Evolution that uses popcorn kernels as a base.
Sometimes kids find a real leaf out in the yard that they become especially attached to and want to preserve it. Use these instructions from Red Ted Art on how to preserve leaves and then let them write a Keepsake report about their leaf using this free printable.
Pumpkin Guts Sensory Play
Exploring pumpkin guts is as easy as cutting open a pumpkin and letting your little ones see inside. It’s safe for them to use all of their senses, but don’t be surprised if they think it’s cold or slimy. LOL
Fall Harvest Sensory Bin
I bought a boot tray like this one to use as a container for this fall harvest sensory bin. I knew my little ones would want to have a lot of space to drive the tractors around and this large, shallow tray is perfect! A pet bowl mat or extra-large baking tray or cookie sheet would work equally well.
Next, I found some deer feed at the local farm and home store to use as the main filler. I choose it because it contains what most American farmers grow: corn, soybeans, sunflowers, and milo (aka millet or grain sorghum).
If you can’t find anything similar in your area, look for whole or cracked corn or sunflowers meant for wildlife (think birds and squirrels). You can usually find that at most discount stores like Wal-Mart or even at grocery stores.
FYI, the deer feed was $15 for 25 pounds and whole corn was $7 for 40 pounds. You don’t need the whole 25 or 40 pound bags, so if you have a friend or two to split it with, even better!
We plan on putting the leftover out for the local wildlife this winter when there’s snow on the ground. (Hey, sounds like a good nature study topic: “What do animals eat in the winter?”)
Finally, add in some play tractors or farm toys. Or even a couple of mini hay bales or straw.
Check out this one for an apple-themed Fall Harvest sensory bin
Traditional Fall Sensory Play
Let your kids rake the leaves in your yard. (See what I did there? I put your kids to work and made them think they were playing! HA!)
Jump and play in the leaf pile! This is the most fun when the air is crisp and you can follow up your work and play with some apple cider!
If your kids want to save a “special” leaf that they’ve found, use these instructions for How to Preserve Leaves.
Then they can also fill out a keepsake “My Leaf Report” for a fun, no-prep nature study.
The My Leaf Report has 3 different levels of difficulty for pre- and early readers, Elementary, and Middle School.
Download your printable My Leaf Report for {FREE} in the Whole child Homeschool Resource Store.
Not a member of the Whole Child Homeschool Tribe yet? Sign up in the pink box above for immediate access to all the {FREE} printables in the Resource Library.
Natural Autumn Sensory Bin for Nature Study
This nature study sensory bin is full of items straight from nature.
We started with a base of tiny twigs and added in a few different leaves.
We gathered a fox tail, a piece of bark near a rotting tree with some fungi, and a few flowers. With the exception of the flowers, everything that we gathered had already fallen to the ground.
Next, we tossed in a few acorns (from two different types of oak trees) and a walnut that we’d gathered from beneath our walnut and oak trees. If you don’t have any nut-bearing types of trees, ask your neighbors or look at local parks. You’ll often find oak or hickory nut trees in parks.
You could also add in a few pine cones and a few interesting looking rocks.
More Fall Sensory Activities
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