Children love leaves. Babies inspect leaves carefully between their fingers and toddlers rush into piles of fallen Autumn leaves. Preschool children may use leaves to create elaborate artworks and ask questions about plants.
Leaves link to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) which supports children connecting with natural materials (4.4) that teach respect for the environment (2.4).
Leaves can inspire children to be curious, imaginative and creative (4.1). Children can learn about leaves through inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating (4.2).
Learning experiences
Paint leaves
Collect dried leaves from your garden and paint them using acrylic paint. Educators can help children sew a piece of cotton through one end of the leaf. Tie the cotton into a loop so the leaf can be hung as a decoration.
Make a leaf mosaic
Collect a wide variety of leaves of different colours, shapes and sizes. Glue these onto a piece of paper. The children may wish to arrange the leaves to create collage pictures (e.g. animals, people) or repetitive mosaic patterns.
Follow a path
Encourage a small group of children to collect leaves and arrange them in a long line between two locations in your outdoor area. They should look like a path. Once this has been completed, ask another group of children to follow the path of leaves.
Make a pile of leaves
Everybody knows the joy of jumping into a deep pile of fallen leaves, throwing them into the air, and watching them scatter. However, not all early childhood services have piles of leaves for children to play in.
Set up an indoor leaf-play experience by filling a tub with fallen leaves. Let the children dig their fingers in and even jump in the tub. This wonderful sensory experience is perfect for babies and toddlers who need to stay indoors for long periods of time.
Build children's vocabularies by describing the leaves:
- Do they feel smooth, rough, fuzzy, bumpy, leathery, soft, delicate, stiff, brittle or velvety?
- Do they smell fresh, earthy, musty or sweet?
- What happens when you squeeze or stomp on them? Do they rustle, crackle or crunch?
Experiment with leaves
Observe changes in a plant's leaves when they don't receive light.
- Place a pot plant in a sunny position and keep it appropriately watered.
- Gently wrap half the leaves with pieces of foil, so they can breathe but not receive light.
- Leave the plant in the sun. Each day, remove the foil from one leaf and observe any changes.
Resources
Picture books
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- Koalas Eat Gum Leaves by Laura Bunting
Videos
Victoria State Government: Leaf colours: playing with language