Autumn Leaves Sensory Bin for Preschoolers

Ready to bring fall into your preschool classroom? Look no further than our fall leaf sensory bin. Even though this sensory bin idea is made up of silk leaves, it still offers a fall palette of colors, unique textures, and fun sounds. This autumn sensory bin is just one of many fall preschool activities we include in our autumn preschool lesson plans.

Like all our sensory bins, this one is intriguing and will be sure to captivate your preschoolers and toddlers. It also offers different ways to practice math and fine motor skills, too!

This sensory bin is brightly-colored, resembling the hues of autumn: burnt oranges, reds and yellows, with a little bit of green still hanging in there. There’s nothing but leaves in this sensory bin.

In this leaf sensory bin, preschoolers can use their fingers to pick up and sort different types of silk leaves. They can practice grasping and pinching, which enhances their fine motor skills. Preschoolers can also strengthen their hand strength by using jumbo tweezers, too.

Additionally, by categorizing the leaves by size, shape, or color, they work on sorting and classifying, which are essential early math and cognitive skills.

This fall sensory bin pairs well with out Cozy Fall Preschool Centers, too! See the details of the literacy component in our post Fall Math Activities for Preschoolers.

Books About Leaves for Preschool

Picture books are a great way to teach preschoolers about fall leaves. These books have colorful illustrations and stories that help kids learn about the changing leaves and appreciate the beauty of autumn.

Fall Leaves Sensory Bin

I’ll show you all the materials I used for my autumn leaves sensory bin, but truth be told, you can add any leaves to your sensory bin! I use a combination of materials. What’s more important is that the materials are interesting to your preschooler.

Materials

• assorted silk leaves of autumn colors
• acrylic leaves
• leaf table scatter or leaf confetti
• jumbo tweezers
• leaf shaped trays
• sensory bin

The Set Up

The set up for this sensory bin could not be easier! You can throw this autumn sensory bin together in less that five minutes!

1. Place a layer os silk leaves on the bottom of the sensory bin.
2. Add the acrylic table scatter over the top.
3. Sprinkle the leaf confetti all over the bin.
4. Place the leaf trays next to the sensory bin with the jumbo tweezers.

Now, invite your preschoolers to come and enjoy this leaf sensory activity!

Autumn Leaf Sensory Bin

I invited my kiddos to join me at the sensory bin, and they didn’t hesitate to dive in and begin exploring. This was not their first sensory bin, so I didn’t need to give the children any direction.

There was a lot of skill practice that took place during this autumn sensory play, which isn’t uncommon. Preschoolers and toddlers both tend to being doing what they feel most comfortable with when using a sensory bin, and then they start taking learning risks.

This sensory bin was no different.

Fine Motor Practice

One of my preschoolers immediately grabbed a pair of jumbo tweezers and tried using them to grab the leaves so she could sort them.

Jumbo tweezers offer a lot of tension. Some preschoolers have enough strength to use their fingers, while others will grasp the tweezers with their whole hand. Both ways are correct because both will encourage hand and finger strength that will further lead to fine motor skills development.

Sorting Leaves by Color

It’s natural for preschoolers to sort by color. I think this is due to preschoolers always looking for ways to take control of their environment and organize it.

Some preschoolers picked through the sensory in looking for specific colors and added them to the corresponding colored leaf tray. Other preschoolers grabbed handfuls of leaves and then sorted them out.

Sorting by Type of Leaf

After a bit, it seemed as though the preschoolers tired of sorting the leaves by color. They had sorted, then dumped the leaves back into the bin, and then sorting again. It was like they were on repeat, until they weren’t.

Then the preschoolers began searching the bin for all the “shiny” leaves and placed them in a leaf tray.

The preschoolers put all the leaf confetti leaves into a single lead tray, and then added the acrylic leaves to another lead tray.

Eventually, all the leaves were sorting by type and placed into specific leaf trays, before being dumped back into the fall leaf sensory bin.

Fall Sensory Bin for Toddlers

With supervision, this is an excellent fall sensory bin for toddlers, too!

My toddler class practiced transferring the different leaves from the sensory bin to any of the trays and back again.

While there was no color sorting that took place, they had to do a bit of problem solving as they tried to get entire handfuls of leaves to fit into a leaf tray that was too small.

While I love offering my preschoolers and children real materials as often as possible, the advantage to using silk leaves for this sensory bin is that they are practically mess free! There is no risk of having to clean up little bitty pieces of dried up leaves.

Mostly, my toddler class just “played” with the leaves.

A fall leaf sensory bin filled with silk leaves can benefit toddler skills in various ways:

1. Sensory Exploration
   • Toddlers can engage in tactile exploration by touching and feeling the different textures of silk leaves, stimulating their sensory development.
2. Fine Motor Skills
   • Picking up, manipulating, and sorting silk leaves with their fingers can enhance fine motor skills, including hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity.
3. Language Development
   • As toddlers play in the sensory bin, they also talk! With prompting from an adult, they can expand their vocabulary and improve language skills.
4. Creativity and Imagination
   • Silk leaves can spark imaginative play, encouraging toddlers to use the leaves in pretend games and storytelling, enhancing creativity.
5. Emotional Regulation
   • Sensory play, like exploring silk leaves, can help toddlers self-regulate their emotions by providing a calming and soothing experience.

Leaf Sensory Activities

In preschool, using different leaf-themed sensory activities can be a lot of fun and a great way to learn. Here are some other creative leaf sensory ideas.

• Leaf Playdough Impressions
• Fall Bubble Foam Sensory Bin
• Leaf Auditory Processing Ideas
• Leaf Water Table Idea