Nothing says fall like a crisp, juicy apple, so bring some to preschool for a simple paint stamping craft. Give each preschooler paint on a paper plate along with paper to paint. Cut one apple per student in half. At this point you can choose to keep just the apple shape for your stamp or you can use a sharp knife to carve another shape, such as the letter A, into the flesh of the apple. Dip the stamp into paint and press onto paper to reveal the apple stamp shapes.
Explore the textures and patterns of fall by painting sheets of paper with corn cob rollers. Fold several layers of paper towels into a long rectangle and saturate with tempera paint to make a paint pad. Roll dried corn cobs over the paint pads and then over the paper to create unique works of art. Dip the ends of the corn cobs into the paint as well to create a flower shape. Large sheets of corn cob painted paper makes a clever backdrop for smaller works of art.
Whether you make your own play dough or use store-bought, add a fun fall scent by mixing cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice into your play dough along with autumn-colored food coloring if desired. Preschoolers can make apple or pumpkin shapes out of the dough while enjoying the fall aroma.
Amaze preschoolers and parents alike with leaves that really fall in this fun fall craft. Start by drawing and copying an autumn scene of two trees connected at the top by their leaves and at the bottom by grass with the trunks forming the sides of the paper. Helps preschoolers cut out a middle section just slightly smaller than a plastic sandwich-sized zip-top bag. Students color the grass, tree trunks and leaf areas. Cut or tear red, yellow and orange paper into small pieces and glue all over the leaf parts of the trees. Use a hole punch to make small circles from the colored papers and put 1 1/2 tbsp. into the plastic bag. Seal the bag, but leave a small amount of air inside the bag so the dots can move around. Trim the top of the sealed bag to just above the zipper. Move the circles to the middle of the sandwich bag and glue the bag to the back of the fall scene. Glue a blue rectangle of paper behind the plastic bag onto the back of the fall scene. Shake the fall scene to see the leaves fall.