Use a leaf graph to teach children about sorting. Bring in real fall leaves or cut leaves out of colored paper. Divide a piece of poster board into columns based on color, shape or size. For instance, if you're going to sort leaves based on color, label one column "orange," one "red" and so forth. Hold up one leaf at a time and ask children to tell you which column it belongs in. Tape each leaf into its respective column. When the graph is finished, ask children to count up how many leaves are in each column.
A felt or flannel board is a large piece of cardboard covered in, as the name suggests, felt or flannel. These boards can be found in craft stores or made at home. Small pieces of felt or flannel will stick to the board but can also be easily moved around. Use a felt board to help children count or teach them about fall trees. Stick a brown felt tree trunk in the center of the board then attach a few dozen small felt leaves. Invite one child at a time to come up and move one leaf to the bottom of the board. Explain why this happens in autumn and ask children to count the number of fallen leaves.
From waxy and crumbling to vein-covered, fall leaves come in a variety of textures. Use them to teach preschoolers to recognize and describe different textures. Gather up a bag of leaves, real or fake. Pass one leaf around the circle at a time. Let each child gently touch and examine each leaf. Once everyone has touched it, ask for volunteers to describe the leaf. Children may be able to name texture words such as "rough," "smooth" or "soft," but you can also provide some descriptive words.
Circle time is an ideal opportunity to teach preschoolers about the alphabet since you have everyone's attention and you'll only need to repeat the lesson once. Combine a lesson about letters with your leaves theme by cutting out paper leaves and printing a letter of the alphabet on each one. To use the leaves, put them all in a bag and pass it around the circle. Ask each child to pull out one leaf and name the letter. You can also create words by tacking several leaf letters to a portable bulletin board. Pass it around so children can see the word close up.