Autumn Adventures in Literacy

There’s something almost magical about autumn—leaves turning gold, crisp air, and the promise of cozy learning moments indoors... SWEATER WEATHER!   For toddlers and preschoolers, fall offers a natural invitation to explore language, stories, and curiosity. Here’s how to ride that seasonal wave and help little ones build literacy foundations as pumpkin patches and leaf piles appear.

1. Use the season as your theme

Kids connect better to learning when it ties into their real world. Use leaves, apples, acorns, squirrels, or pumpkins as prompts for conversation, drawing, and stories. Using words and items that are so prevalent this time of year in the Northern hemisphere, helps children form stronger literacy connections.

2. Leaf walk + language walk

Go on a leaf hunt—gather a few leaves and chat about them. What colors do you see? Which ones are smooth, wiggly, crinkled? Encourage children to tell you a story about “that leaf” or to describe its shape. That narrative thinking and vocabulary talk is gold for oral language.

3. Autumn-themed reading aloud

Bring in fall-themed books. Stories about apple picking, migrating birds, or woodland creatures can spark interest  (oh yes, and you know I have some great titles!  HA! https://www.amazon.com/author/cassie_veselovsky) . After reading, ask fun “what if” or predictive questions: “What if that squirrel lost his acorn?” or “What might happen next?” Retelling strengthens comprehension.

4. Play with sounds (phonemic fun!)

Use fall words for rhyming games: leaf / reef,  fall / tall, tree / bee. Let kids make up silly rhymes. This strengthens their ability to hear and play with sounds in words, a key precursor to reading.

5. Creative cut-and-paste stories

Cut leaves, acorns, or paper pumpkins. Let children glue them onto paper and narrate: “This is a leaf… it fell from the tree… squirrels come later.” The physical act of building their “fall picture” while telling what’s happening helps them merge print ideas and vocabulary.

Takeaway: Fall isn’t “just another season.” It’s full of natural, joyful literacy moments. With leaves swirling and apples around, it’s the perfect time to turn everyday gestures into language and stories.