Have you tried a nuts and seeds preschool theme? Fall lesson planning offers some of the best preschool activities for autumn. Try these free nuts and seeds printable lesson plans for preschool where all the activities are centered around nuts and seeds!
The fall season is one of the most exciting times for preschool lesson planning.
I think this happens for two reasons. One reason is that in the US, back-to-school season is in the fall, and after a summer break we are more gung-ho about lesson planning. And secondly, fall is one of those amazing umbrella preschool themes that allows you to really teach in-depth about the season.
From leaves and apples and pumpkins to common fall animals and hibernation, a fall preschool theme is ever-so-popular.
But have you tried a nuts and seeds preschool theme?
Each year when I teach a fall theme in preschool, I always end up spending a few days on nuts and seeds. Nuts for the squirrel food as they prepare for winter (and also because they are a popular snack in autumn), and seeds for all the fall foliage that goes to seed in the fall.
You can tie in a nuts and seeds preschool theme in your farm theme lesson plans, too. After all, when a farmer is running his combine to harvest wheat, he is really harvesting the seeds that will soon be ground into flour.
You might like this: Harvest Collages Process Art for Preschoolers
These preschool lesson plans are free and printable–my favorite kind! They offer over 16 activities all centered around a nuts and seeds theme that are the perfect addition to your autumn lesson plans for preschool.
Frequently Asked Questions About Teaching a Nuts and Seeds Theme
You may have a few questions about teaching a nuts and seeds theme to preschoolers. We’ve got you covered with some answers about a nuts and seeds theme!
Using a story or visuals is a great way to explain how seeds change and grow to preschoolers. You can tell them how a seed is a tiny baby plant that will grow into a large, healthy plant. Or better yet, grab some seeds and dive into the growing process!
Besides learning about plants, children also gain knowledge in using various scientific skills like making observations and predictions. Planting seeds also teaches children about responsibility as they learn to care for their plants daily.
This fall theme is great for learning about pumpkins and their seeds. A scarecrow theme is always interesting since farmers need those scarecrows to keep their crops safe! Or fall leaves and their connection to those big and beautiful trees.
Important Info About These Nuts and Seed Lesson Plans
The Learn at Home Preschool Activity Plans are a set of free activity plans you can use to teach your preschooler at home.
Each set of lesson plans is centered around a weekly theme and includes a minimum of 16 activities that can be done throughout the week. They are designed to be done at home with parents, but many preschool teachers are using these lesson plans, too!
Just glance over the lessons each day, gather the very few materials needed, and you’re ready to go!
All the preschool learning activities are quick and easy to set up, requiring very little (if any at all) prep and only require the most basic of household materials. This makes them especially easy for parents to implement…and this makes preschool teachers happy, too!
These activities also work wonderfully in the classroom, and if you’re a preschool teacher who is remotely teaching you can send these lesson plans to your student’s parents.
Nuts And Seeds Activities to Add to Your Fall Preschool Lesson Plans
This week’s Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans are all about nuts and seeds. This may seem like a slightly untraditional preschool theme for fall, but these activities fit in so well! You can also use many of these activities in the springtime during a plant or gardening theme.
Literacy Activities for a Nuts and Seeds Theme
Seed Names – Write your preschooler’s name in large print on a piece of paper. Guide your preschooler to trace their name using liquid glue. Then add seeds on top of the glue to create their name written with seeds.
Nuts and Seeds Books – Go to Youtube and listen to the following stories:
- Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
- The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
- Nuts! by Lou Peacock and Yasmeen Imail
Invite your preschooler to share which story was their favorite and why. Ask questions about the characters, the problem, and how the problem was solved in their favorite book. This helps develop reading comprehension skills. You can read more about that in these posts:
- Making the Most of Reading Aloud
- Using Pictures to Model Comprehension
Ask your preschooler to draw a picture of their favorite part and label the drawing.
Don’t Forget the Picture Books!
Every theme needs great quality picture books so we have picked out our favorites for a nuts and seeds theme. Take a look at some of our choices below!
Math and Science Activities for a Nuts and Seeds Theme
Sneaky Squirrel Counting Game – This is a silly counting game that also teaches one-to-one correspondence and composing ten. Start by printing the ten frame printable and invite your preschooler to draw a number card. The squirrel then steals that number of acorns and places them on the tree stump. Your preschooler gets to keep however many are left on the ten frame.
Pumpkin Seed Counting – Grab a muffin tray, dice, and roasted pumpkin seeds for this easy counting game. Roll the dice and transfer the seeds to the muffin tin. The added bonus is that your preschooler can snack on the seeds after counting them. This is a good segue into talking about the kinds of seeds we eat.
Grow a Seed House – Grow a sprout using a sponge and some dried seeds. Cut a few slits into the sponge, invite your preschooler to put in the seeds, and dampen. Watch it sprout in a day or two!
Playful Learning Activities for a Nuts and Seeds Theme
Nature Walk – Head outside and go on a nature walk to find seeds from various plants and trees. You can find seeds just about anywhere in the fall. Talk about where on the plant you might find seeds. Some seeds are in casing and shells; be sure to talk about that too as your preschooler collects the different seeds. When you get home, invite your preschooler to sort the seeds in multiple ways, such as color, shape, size, and how they are different or the same. You can even create a seed collage!
Sidewalk Chalk – Draw a sidewalk chalk garden! What fruits and vegetables would your preschooler like to grow?
Transferring Nuts– Grab some old fashioned nutcrackers and some unshelled nuts and challenge your preschooler to use the nutcrackers like tongs to grab each nut and transfer it from one bowl into another. If you don’t have nutcrackers on hand, this can easily be done with fine motor tongs, or even kitchen tongs.
Cardboard Box Fun – Grab cardboard and let the creativity flow! Using preferred materials, make it something fun! Have your preschooler imagine the box as a flower or farmers market where they might sell seeds and nuts “freshly harvested” from the sidewalk chalk garden above.
Social-Emotional Activities for a Nuts and Seeds Theme
The Bad Seed – Go to YouTube and listen to the book The Bad Seed by Jory John. This book is about a “bad seed” who doesn’t listen, is mean and rude to others, and even cuts in line! But one day he decides he doesn’t want to be a “bad seed” anymore. This book does an incredible job teaching preschoolers that they have the power to be and do exactly what they want to be. Talk to your preschooler about how they are in charge of their own choices, how they treat others, and the decisions they make. Dive into empathy and ask your preschooler, ”How would you feel if you were The Bad Seed?”
Share Seeds – Learning how to share is a critical skill during preschool. Encourage your preschooler to make seed envelopes to share with others. Either using dried pre-packaged seeds or saving seeds from fruits and vegetables, create a specialized seed packet for friends and family. Consider writing a note and including a drawing to send through the mail. This activity will make your preschooler feel so special!
Just Plain Fun Activities for a Nuts and Seeds Theme
Nuts & Seeds Playdough – Grab some playdough, unshelled nuts, and some seeds and get creative! Make impressions using the unshelled nuts. Or invite your preschooler to mix the seeds into the play dough. Mixing the seeds into the playdough by hand is excellent hand-strengthening work, and picking the seeds back out is fantastic fine-motor work. Or turn it into a sensory bin with loose nuts and seeds!
Sunflower Seed Art – Make a simple sunflower using a paper plate, yellow paint, and black beans or unshelled sunflower seeds. Invite your preschooler to paint the plate yellow and glue the beans or seeds to the center to replicate a sunflower.
Make Your Nuts and Seeds Theme Even Better!
Sometimes adding fun-themed learning items into your centers and circle time can make your theme even more engaging and exciting! We’ve picked a few of our favorite add-ons so take a look at the items below that would fit in with your nuts and seeds theme.
Get Online Activities for a Nuts and Seeds Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the book The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. Explain that this book details the life cycle of a seed throughout the seasons. Fold a piece of paper into fours and label each fold with a season. Invite your preschooler to draw what happened to the seed during each season.
One Seed Song – Listen to the song One Seed by Laurie Berkner. This song teaches us how to take care of our planet and respect nature. It’s a great message for our preschool generation!
Can You Plant a Bean? – Get your little one singing and moving as they follow the movements and as they ”plant” a seed.
Get Your Nuts and Seeds Preschool Lesson Plans Below
Think you want to try out a nuts and seeds preschool theme for fall? Grab your free copy below. Just click the image, put in your email, and the PDF will be sent to you.
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I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
