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There’s a special kind of magic in the air during fall: The crisp breeze, vibrant leaves, and pumpkin-filled everything naturally set up fall activities for kids that spark learning and fun. Whether you want to boost your students’ energy or strengthen classroom community, these activities are bursting with movement, creativity, and festive spirit. From exciting outdoor adventures to cozy Halloween-themed crafts, there’s something here to keep every student engaged all throughout the autumn months.

Play and grow with fun fall games

As the weather cools, bring fall into your classroom with games that go beyond pumpkin Halloween activities. These seasonal games keep kids engaged, build a sense of community, and can be used for brain breaks, indoor recess, and morning meetings. 

• Roll to Build a Jack-o-Lantern: Assign each facial feature a dice number. In pairs, students roll and draw parts onto a blank Jack-o’-lantern.
• Pass the Leaf: Students sit in a circle and pass a leaf while music plays. When the music stops, the student holding the leaf shares a favorite fall memory.
• Find the Scarecrow: Hide paper scarecrow parts around the room. In teams, students collect the pieces and use a checklist to build a scarecrow.
• Throw the Pumpkin: Students roll plastic pumpkins to knock down cornstalks (e.g., stacked paper towel rolls) in a fall twist on bowling.

Use leaves for seasonal learning

Leaves are a rich, seasonal tool for hands-on learning. From observing how they change to playing engaging games, autumn makes a great background for educational activities. 

Fall Leaves Shape Matching File Folder Game
By Limars Stars
Grades: PreK-K
Standards: CCSSK.G.A.2, A.3

Students match leaves in various shapes to build shape recognition skills. This hands-on activity blends fall visuals with early geometry concepts.

Play whole-class fall games for kids

Change is in the air! Channel the energy of the season with a quick, fun fall group activity before lunch. Make memories together while boosting visual reasoning. 

Figure It Out Digital Game – Fall | What Doesn’t Belong Whole | Brain Break Game
By The Collaborative Class
Grades: 2nd-8th

This digital game features 30 fall-themed slides with four images per slide. Students choose which one doesn’t belong, often with more than one correct answer, encouraging critical thinking and discussion. Available in PowerPoint and Google Slides, it’s great for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any fall-themed brain break.

Get crafty with fall craft projects

Academic tie-ins like Halloween math activities and Constitution Day activities are abundant in autumn, but sometimes, students just need time to create. Grab the paints and construction paper: These nature crafts and recycled art projects work great for early finishers, art centers, or calming transitions. 

• Create a Fall Leaf Mosaic: Provide real leaves and fall-colored paints. Students arrange and paint to design a one-of-a-kind seasonal mosaic. 
• Design Apple Stamp Art: Cut apples in half and dip them in paint. Students stamp out fall scenes or patterns on paper.
• Construct Pinecone Critters: Collect pinecones during an outdoor walk. Use pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and craft supplies to turn them into forest creatures.
• Decorate a Harvest Headband: After a nature walk, students use gathered items and drawings to decorate a paper headband or crown.

Support speech and language through fall art

Go beyond spellings or writing prompts and use creative projects to strengthen pronunciation, word recognition, and language skills. 

Fall Craft Speech Therapy – Fall Articulation & Language Activity – Apple Craft
By Speak Play Love – Margaret Feldmann
Grades: PreK-2nd

Keep it simple with a no-prep activity that includes coloring, cutting, and gluing. This 52-page resource covers describing words, opposites, synonyms, blends, and fall vocabulary, with easy-to-follow instructions for targeting key language skills.

Bring math to life with a craftivity

Math isn’t always easy to tie into seasonal fun, but a little creativity goes a long way. Try bringing math to life with a scarecrow-themed activity that doubles as bulletin board decor.

Scarecrow Halloween Thanksgiving Fall Craft 5th Grade Math Hall Bulletin Board
By The Type-Bee Teacher LLC
Grades: 4th-6th
Standards: CCSS5.NBT.A.1, A.2, A.3

This fall-themed resource covers rounding, standard form, decimals, multiplication, and more. Students solve equations first, then color and cut to build a scarecrow.

Explore the outdoors with fall nature activities

Whether it’s picking the perfect pumpkin or enjoying the vibrant colors, encourage students to grab a jacket and explore the outdoors with fall activities for kids. Going outside keeps them moving and shaking to ward off the wiggles.

• Hunt for the Leaf Bingo: Fill out a Bingo card with fall colors before heading outside. Students go on a nature walk to find matching leaves that help them win a Bingo.
• Build a Fall Tree: Have students draw one big tree on butcher paper. Then, collect real leaves as a class to decorate it and create a collaborative fall tree.
• Roll the Pumpkins: Students use their feet or sticks to roll pumpkins in a fun, relay-style race.
• Create a Tree Bark Rubbing: Students use crayons to rub over tree bark, creating textured art. Add rubs of leaves and other autumn findings for more visual interest. 
• Play Shadow Tag: Use fall’s low light for a twist on tag. Students step on each other’s shadows to tag and “freeze” them.
• Find a Fall Object for Storytime: Each student finds a fall object, then joins a circle to take turns adding a sentence to a group story using their item.

Outdoor fall activities for active learning

There’s so much kids can discover just by stepping outside, from nature-inspired math to hands-on science and ELA connections. You can even work outdoor activities into your Halloween escape rooms. 

ENGLISH Outdoor Learning Activities for Fall (Distance Learning)
By The Kinder Nest
Grades: Pre-K-1st

Teachers have everything they need to play outdoors by finding objects that start with specific letters, collecting and sorting leaves, and finding symmetry in nature. The 23-page PDF works well for distance learning students, too. 

Try a fall scavenger hunt for engagement

Scavenger hunts help students connect with nature and boost engagement in any season. Add a festive twist by tying them into Veterans Day for kids activities or even Hispanic Heritage Month activities. The crisp air of fall is loaded with possibilities for learning on the move. 

Fall Scavenger Hunt | Outdoor Five Senses Nature Walk (in English & Spanish)
By Lisa’s Bilingual Lessons
Grades: Pre-K-2nd

This 20-page PDF includes scavenger hunt checklists in both English and Spanish, making it easy to reach all learners. It also features follow-up writing activities to help students connect their outdoor discoveries to science and language skills.

Embrace fall with cross-curricular fall activities

Halloween and Thanksgiving fit naturally into fall lessons, but don’t stop there. With the right approach, fall themes can reinforce core concepts in math, STEM, ELA, and art. From leaf-themed graphing to pumpkin engineering, it’s easy to align fun with the CCSS. You can even launch a fall-focused project for National STEM Day. Seasonal doesn’t have to mean off-topic, but it can mean unforgettable.

Target math with fall activities for kids

Numbers might not be the first thing you think of in fall, but corn mazes, leaves, and seasonal decor are full of math waiting to happen.

• Skip Count the Leaves: Either bring the leaves inside or take the kids outdoors and have them practice their skip counting with leaves.
• Create Colorful Fact Families: Use colorful fall leaf displays to have students create fact families you can display around the room.
• Plot Corn Maze Maps: Give students graph paper and have them create their own corn maze by plotting points to get through it. They can trade with a friend and try it out.

Addition & Subtraction Fall Math Activity
By Jamboree of Learning*
Grades: 3rd-4th
Standards: CCSS3.NBT.A.2, B.4

In addition to a tree template, you get two versions of leaves for students to solve and color. The six-page PDF also includes 2- and 3-digit subtraction to make sure students get ample practice. 

Fall Math Craftivity 4 digit by 1 digit Whole Number Division with Remainders
By Crystal Mencia*
Grades: 3rd-5th
Standards: CCSS4.NBT.B.6, CCSS5.NBT.B.6

You get instructions, candy corn expressions, blank templates, an answer key, and a grading rubric. Use this activity to check students’ understanding of division while creating a fun candy corn display.

Autumn Math Color By Number Code Fall Addition, 3 Addends Coloring Pages
By Irene Hines
Grades: 1st-2nd
Standards: CCSS1.OA.C.6, CCSS2.OA.B.2

No prep needed for this fun autumn addition coloring page. Students color by number to complete 10 puzzles, and answer keys are included.

Write fall into learning

Fall brings big feelings as summer fades and nature prepares for winter. Harness that emotion with thoughtful, reflective writing projects.

• Invent a Fun New Holiday: Embrace fall activities for kids by having them create their own fall holiday, complete with traditions, date suggestions, and a reflection on why this holiday would be important. 
• Turn a Pinecone into a Character: Have students find a pinecone and write a story about its life and where it has been. 
• Create a Fall Blackout Poem: Give students a fall flyer for any event going on in the community. Have them use the blackout technique to create a fall poem. 

Book Bites Book Tasting Resource | 3 Editions Spooky Halloween Fall Generic
By Your Thrifty Co-Teacher
Grades: 3rd-5th

Theme your classroom with a fun print-and-fold kit that includes student booklets, posters, number tags, speaker tags, and more. Decorate your space with genre signs like fantasy, science fiction, and realistic fiction to spark curiosity and excitement. 

Subjects and Predicates Fall I Have Who Has Game
By Primary Teachspiration
Grades: 2nd-4th

Get in on the ELA magic with a fun, fall-themed subjects and predicates game. This resource includes 32 cards plus clear directions for both students and teachers.

Spark inquiry with fall STEM activities 

Take advantage of your elementary students’ fascination with the color through entertaining STEM fall activities for kids, many of which align perfectly with NGSS. 

• Create a Pumpkin Volcano: Scoop out the innards of a pumpkin and add a little vinegar and baking soda to make volcano magic. 
• Design a Gourd Zipline: Have the students work as a class to engineer a zipline for a gourd. 
• Drop a Leaf Race: Using critical thinking skills and a little bit of engineering magic, have students work in teams to devise a system for a leaf to fall to the ground first. 
• Explore Shapes with Gourds: Bust out the tape measures and have students use area formulas to understand gourds. 

Apple Unit for Kindergarten | Apple Science | Apple Investigation
By The Brisky Girls
Grades: PreK-1st

Using a Microsoft PowerPoint format, this 43-page resource includes an apple science unit. It provides hands-on fall activities for kids and three low-prep crafts. 

Build expressive art projects for fall

Capture the beauty and wonder of fall with creative art. These projects pair perfectly with a fall color investigation.

• Paint Over Crayon: Have students draw a leaf using crayons, then paint over the design with watercolors. The crayon resists the paint, revealing a vibrant fall scene.
• Roll a Pinecone Painting: Dip acorns and pinecones in paint and roll them across paper to create an abstract autumn masterpiece filled with natural textures.
• Build a Fall Wreath: Head outside for a nature walk and collect fall treasures. Combine found objects with tissue paper to craft a festive seasonal wreath.
• Glue Candy Corn Art: Use candy corn as a fun and tactile art material. Students can glue pieces into patterns or shapes to design a sweet fall display.
• Design a Pumpkin Sculpture: Create 3-D pumpkins using construction paper, foam balls, and paint. These sculptures make great Halloween or harvest decorations.

Embrace autumn colors with fall coloring pages for elementary

Kids love to color, and fall gives them the perfect canvas. These pages work for art subs, filler during transitions, or during quiet time. You can even hold a coloring contest to create the best fall-themed display.

Colorea por sílaba otoño Fall in Spanish
By Jorja’s Dual Language Classroom*
Grades: K-1st

Help ELA students build phonics awareness through these Spanish coloring pages. The PDF includes 22 pages, and an answer key is available.  

Positive Self-Talk for Fall & Autumn – SEL Coloring Pages and Activities
By Pathway 2 Success
Grades: 2nd-5th

These coloring pages feature positive self-talk phrases to get students thinking about their emotional health. They’re designed to build confidence and support the development of healthy coping strategies.

Fall Activities Coloring Pages, Fall Writing, Thanksgiving Coloring Sheets Fall
By Miss M’s Reading Resources
Grades: K-1st

Teachers get 17 pages of fall activities for kids that include coloring projects and writing activities. Perfect for Thanksgiving, students color a scene and write about it. Try these alongside your gratitude activities for kids. 

Celebrate fall with activities for kids on TPT

As fall settles in, the days get shorter and the sweaters come out — it’s the perfect time to explore all that the season has to offer your classroom. From art to STEM, fall activities for kids can cover it all. Autumn resources from TPT Teacher-Authors keep your students learning and your classroom running strong through every fall theme and holiday.