Fall Gross Motor Activities
As the days grow shorter and the weather cools off, it’s a great time to get outside and enjoy some fall gross motor activities. These activities are perfect for getting your kids moving and helping them burn off some energy. Rainy, blustery, day? No problem there are plenty of ideas to get the kids moving indoors too!
Outdoor Gross Motor Fall Activities
There are so many active fall adventures for kids. Try taking a walk outdoors and hunt for different colored leaves – squatting down to pick them up. Once you have found several leaves, have the child throw the leaves up in the air and try to catch some.
Raking is not only a great chore for kids it is a wonderful gross motor activity! Children have to use their entire body and lots of skills – coordination, motor planning, core strengthening and more!
Raking leaves can be lots of fun too! Using a child-sized rake, have the child rake a small pile of leaves. Practice jumping in the leaves. Practice jumping forwards, backward and sideways over the pile of leaves. For even higher level skills try jumping over the pile of leaves on one foot. For lower-level skills practice stepping over the leaves forwards, backward and sideways. Place the leaves along the ground as a path and have the child try to step from leaf to leaf.
Have you ever tried tree bark rubbings? Look for a tree with bumpy bark on it. Provide the child with paper and a crayon. Place the paper on the tree and using the crayon do a tree rubbing facilitating proprioceptive input for the hands and arms and upper extremity muscle strengthening.
Fall Fine Motor Activities
Fall-Themed Gross Motor Activities
There are plenty of ideas for autumn gross motor activities and here are a few simple ones to get started!
Falling Leaves
Need a quick printable FREE activity in a hurry? This is a fun activity to promote fine motor skills, gross motor skills, balance, motor planning, and coordination. Just print and play!
Download your Falling Leave Gross Motor Activity.
Apple Gross Motor Printable for Fall
Fall is the best time for apple picking. Picking apples is a great gross motor activity – children are reaching up high, squatting down low, and walking all around looking for the perfect apples. Take the fun indoors too with this FREE apple themed brain break.
Fall Movement Game
Fall Gross Motor Movement Game – This is a super easy print and play game perfect for indoor fun!
Fall Football Fun
Fall ABC Football Outdoor Activity – Your kids can train just like the athletes with this fun challenge. No cones? Grab whatever you have available – a few small piles of leaves will work just fine too! Of course, another option is just to toss a football around.
Fall Visual Motor Bundle
Fall Gross Motor Activities for Preschoolers
Hokey Pokey with a Pumpkin
Using a orange ball or plastic pumpkin, sing the Hokey Pokey song. Instead of sticking your arms,legs, head inside the circle, place your pumpkin in and out of the circle. For example – put your pumpkin in, put your pumpkin out, put your pumpkin up, put your pumpkin down, put your pumpkin right, put your pumpkin left, etc.
Pretend Pumpkin Games
You will need hoops, orange paper, and paper bags filled with crumpled paper and tied shut for pretend pumpkins.
The preschoolers can decorate their own bag pumpkin. Provide the student with a brown or orange paper bag and draw a jack o lantern face on the pumpkin. Take scrap paper and crumple it up using one hand. Place crumpled paper inside bag to stuff pumpkin. Tie it shut with green or brown yarn.
Station #1: Place the paper bag pumpkins scattered around the floor. Have the child jump or step over the pumpkins without smashing the bags or scooter board around the pumpkins.
Station #2: Place the plastic pumpkin several feet away from the child. Have the child try to throw the hoop around the plastic pumpkin.
Station #3: Ask the children to close their eyes. Hide all the paper pumpkins around the classroom. Have the children find them.
Fall Fine Motor Activities
Boot Shuffle
This activity is super cute and would be great for preschoolers! Grab some big boots and your camera.
Fall is a great time to get outside and enjoy some gross motor activities. These activities are perfect for getting your kids moving and helping them burn off some energy. Whether you’re looking for ideas to do outdoors or indoors, we’ve got you covered!
