Crafting with leaves is a fun activity for kids all of ages, but more so toddlers! Finding new ways to keep kids entertained with supplies found in the backyard is an excellent way to engage your kids in learning more about their world and keeping them from saying “I am bored” 100 times a day!
Today we’re featuring some of the best leaf activity ideas for kids to enjoy. Now that summer is just around the corner, we felt it important to share some nature activities to get your kids outside enjoying that fresh air!
Color Sort
Get outdoors and have the kids gather some leaves off the ground. They can place the leaves in buckets or bags. Then have the kids sit down in the yard or inside to sort each of the piles of leaves collected into similar colors.
This is an excellent activity for toddlers who need to practice color recognition. You can take this activity one step further by having them sort the piles of colored leaves by texture, too!
Size Sort
Another fun way to enjoy playtime with leaves is to have your kids collect a bunch of leaves from the great outdoors and sort them by size. They can have their own mini-piles of leaves in the yard or indoors on the playroom floor sorted by size.
This will help your toddlers start to recognize the differences in sizes and shapes.
Leaf Rubbings
Your kids will enjoy this fun leaf activity! Gather up some crayons, paper and your favorite leaves from the collection your kids have gathered. Each kid will take one leaf, place it behind the paper, and use a crayon to rub/color on the other side of the paper to have a “leaf” shape appear.
Leaf rubbings are a fun way to create spring wall décor for your family playroom or just enjoy some quality time together with crafts.
Sensory Bins
There are many sensory bin options using leaves that your kids can enjoy. Gather up some leaves from the yard and place them in a sensory bin with other outdoor items. Let the kids touch, hold, and smell the various leaves to experience a little of the great outdoors.
Sensory bins are an excellent way to help your kids calm during overstimulated days, and just enjoy the touch, and smell of the items like leaves from the great outdoors.
These are just some of the fun leaf activity ideas for kids that most families enjoy doing during the fall and summer season. If you don’t have any leaves in the backyard, you can easily purchase some fake leaves at a local retail shop or craft store.