Help with fall activities/crafts for 2 1/2 year old?

[dliver316]

Hey guys! It is getting to be a little cooler weather here and I know it wont last long before it is full blown COLD....so I want to do as much with my little boy as possible during this time.

Anybody have any ideas for me? This can be crafts, outdoor/indoor activities, new songs, food to make....anything! I love Fall!!

He is going to be 3 in December. Thanks everyone!

[taylordvd]

One of the things they say is really good for preschool aged kids is easel painting and shaving cream painting. It helps develop those arm muscles that are important for learning how to write. Take a day and go pumpkin picking or apple picking. You could start playing the game memory with him. I started, at that age, leaving the pieces turned up and then having them match them. Once they get good at that, then you can start with a few cards, maybe 8, and take turns finding the matches with them face down. I don't know if you started doing sidewalk chalk with him this summer, but my kids love to do that. Start with trying to teach him how to draw circles. Those are some of the things my kids like to do. My ds is 3.5. Oh and I can find this one mom's blog that does all these great things with her kid...way more effort than I ever put in. She has themes of the day and the week and letters of the day, etc. PM me if you want me to find it.

[dliver316]

One of the things they say is really good for preschool aged kids is easel painting and shaving cream painting. It helps develop those arm muscles that are important for learning how to write. Take a day and go pumpkin picking or apple picking. You could start playing the game memory with him. I started, at that age, leaving the pieces turned up and then having them match them. Once they get good at that, then you can start with a few cards, maybe 8, and take turns finding the matches with them face down. I don't know if you started doing sidewalk chalk with him this summer, but my kids love to do that. Start with trying to teach him how to draw circles. Those are some of the things my kids like to do. My ds is 3.5. Oh and I can find this one mom's blog that does all these great things with her kid...way more effort than I ever put in. She has themes of the day and the week and letters of the day, etc. PM me if you want me to find it.

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions....that shaving cream painting thing...what do you paint on? the easel?I need to get one of those.
Is that blog called...no time for flash cards?? If so I love that one too! I just love hearing other peoples ideas.

Thank you thank you!

[taylordvd]

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions....that shaving cream painting thing...what do you paint on? the easel?I need to get one of those.
Is that blog called...no time for flash cards?? If so I love that one too! I just love hearing other peoples ideas.

Thank you thank you!

No, it's actually a girl I went to high school with. It is just her own personal blog but she does some great things. You could even do the shaving cream on a big piece of paper on the driveway or on an easel.

[mrsjschultz]

I'd like to know the name one the blog too :)

We do a lot of stuff from these 2 blogs:

1+1+1=1...For Tots

little learners lounge

[cintinative]

You could collect fall leaves and press them in a book. You would have to do the pressing part. You could make some pine cone bird feeders. You take a pine cone, cover it in solid butter, and then sprinkle birdseed on it and hang it outside. My kids like to do nature hunts--we look for acorns, walnuts, pretty leaves, or just whatever. They love just looking for things. Sometimes we gather nuts to "help" the squirrels. LOL. I did try once cutting out leaves and having them glue on pieces of tissue paper (small squares I cut out) using glue sticks--it wasn't quite as pretty as I hoped but they had fun! =)

Not a fall idea but my boys liked this. We picked pictures out of magazines/ads of food and they made "menus" (I did the writing part, they glued them on with glue sticks) and we use them to play restaurant at home (we have a play kitchen and food).

Baking is always fun with kids too--just keep it simple, like mixes, or lots of help and do easy things like cookies, pumpkin bread, etc.

[dliver316]

Great ideas cintinative! I love the menu idea especially. And I think he would love the pinecone birdfeeder.

mrssjschultz- I looked at those two websites and they will give me lots of ideas too.

Just a question, is it normal for little boys of this age to want to tear up absolutely everything???? I love for my son to color but all he wants to do is either break the crayons or take the paper off of them...doesnt seem too too interested in coloring or drawing. He does love to paint though.

Keep the ideas coming guys...I really appreciate it.

[mrsjschultz]

Great ideas cintinative! I love the menu idea especially. And I think he would love the pinecone birdfeeder.

mrssjschultz- I looked at those two websites and they will give me lots of ideas too.

Just a question, is it normal for little boys of this age to want to tear up absolutely everything???? I love for my son to color but all he wants to do is either break the crayons or take the paper off of them...doesnt seem too too interested in coloring or drawing. He does love to paint though.

Keep the ideas coming guys...I really appreciate it.

IMO??? Yes!!! LOL.

DS was only 2 in June but he is SUCH a boy - he's not a fan of sitting and painting/coloring/playdough. He will do it was short amounts of time but it's almost too much of a PITA for me to set everything up and then have him wanting to go do something else less than 5 minutes later....

He also loves stickers but HATES when I actually peel and try to stick them. He throws a fit, lol. He likes to *look* at them

[dliver316]

IMO??? Yes!!! LOL.

DS was only 2 in June but he is SUCH a boy - he's not a fan of sitting and painting/coloring/playdough. He will do it was short amounts of time but it's almost too much of a PITA for me to set everything up and then have him wanting to go do something else less than 5 minutes later....

He also loves stickers but HATES when I actually peel and try to stick them. He throws a fit, lol. He likes to *look* at them

Oh good to know! And about the stickers....we go to Kroger and they will give him a row of stickers. By the time we get home he has one on every body part. Including the center of his forehead. He is a walking advertisment for Kroger...and then he eats them...well at least he tries.

[Kulis]

We had a lot of fun with shaving cream. I learned to put just a little bit in a tray -- like a jelly roll pan -- for less mess.
When you're stuck inside, you can start working with scissors. Use construction paper or magazine pages to cut small squares of a single color. Use a glue stick to paste them on top of a clip art picture. My ds did this in preschool with a big picture of a thanksgiving dinner: the turkey leg was brown, sweet potatoes were orange, etc.
You can also make cool art by taping a piece of paper into the lid of a gift box, dipping a marble or two in paint, then dropping it in the box and giving it a good shake.