🍂 Fall Fun with Big Bird!

Preschool Lesson Plan

Join Big Bird on a fall adventure! With a playful story, colorful craft, tasty snack, and fun activities, this lesson brings autumn leaves, friendship, and learning together for preschoolers.

📘 What We’re Learning

In this lesson, preschoolers will:

• Explore nature and seasons by noticing fall leaves and their colors.

• Practice color recognition and sorting with red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves.

• Strengthen fine motor skills through gluing, coloring, and leaf-handling activities.

• Build language skills by learning new descriptive words like “crunchy” and “twirl.”

• Develop social skills through group play and shared storytelling with Big Bird.

• Express creativity by designing their own Big Bird leaf craft.

• Engage in movement and sensory play by flapping like a bird and feeling the textures of fall.

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📖 Story: “Big Bird’s Fall Leaf Adventure”

Big Bird was walking down Sesame Street when he saw the leaves turning bright red, orange, and yellow. He stretched out his wings and twirled around as the leaves floated down around him.
“Wow!” said Big Bird. “Fall makes the world look like a big, colorful painting!”
He picked up a big crunchy leaf and showed it to his friends. They all laughed as the wind blew the leaves into the air like confetti.
Big Bird decided to collect a pile of leaves so everyone could jump in together. With help from his friends, they made the biggest, crunchiest leaf pile ever. At the end, they sat on the pile and said, “Fall is fun when we share it together!”

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🎨 Craft: “Big Bird’s Leaf Collage”

Supplies:

• Yellow construction paper (cut into a big bird shape)

• Real leaves (or leaf cutouts)

• Glue sticks

• Crayons/markers

Directions:

1. Give each child a big yellow bird cutout.

2. Have them glue real leaves (or paper leaves) around the bird’s wings like feathers.

3. Let them color a big orange beak and happy eyes.

4. Write “Fall with Big Bird!” on top.

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🍎 Snack Idea: “Leaf Crunch Trail Mix”

Supplies:

• Pretzels (sticks like twigs)

• Goldfish crackers (bird food!)

• Raisins (little fall seeds)

• Dried cranberries (red leaves)

Mix everything in small cups. Explain that it’s like a fall snack pile for Big Bird and his friends.

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🖍️ “Fall with Big Bird!” Coloring Page

This preschool coloring page features a friendly Big Bird standing with a pile of autumn leaves. Children can color the large, bold outlines in their favorite fall colors. Perfect for circle time, classroom fun, or at-home seasonal activities. You could let the kids glue on fake small leaves on this coloring page.

Download the free pdf coloring page here at this link: CLICK HERE

🎵 Song: “Leaves Are Falling Down” (to the tune of London Bridge)

“Leaves are falling all around,
All around, all around,
Leaves are falling all around,
Fall is here today!”
(Add in actions like twirling, clapping, and stomping.)

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🎲 Game: “Fly Like Big Bird”

Spread paper leaves around the floor. Play music and let the kids flap their arms like Big Bird, pretending to fly. When the music stops, they pick up a leaf and shout its color.

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✏️ Learning Activity

Leaf Sorting: Collect red, yellow, and brown leaves (real or paper). Have kids sort them by color, size, or shape. Count together: “1 red leaf, 2 yellow leaves…”

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💬 Let’s Talk About It (Teacher/Parent Prompts)

• What colors do you see on the leaves outside?

• What sound do leaves make when you step on them?

• How do you think Big Bird feels when he plays in the leaves?

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📚 Parent Resource

Encourage parents to take their child on a short fall nature walk. Collect leaves, acorns, or pinecones and talk about the colors of fall together.

🍂 Educational Standpoint of “Fall with Big Bird” Lesson

1. Seasons & Nature Awareness

Children learn to recognize the signs of fall (changing colors, leaves falling, crunchy textures). This helps them connect what they see outside to what they learn in class.

2. Color Recognition & Sorting

Activities like leaf sorting and the craft encourage children to notice, identify, and group colors (red, yellow, orange, brown). This builds early math and observation skills.

3. Fine Motor Skills

• Gluing leaves in the craft

• Coloring the coloring page

• Picking up and sorting leaves in the game
  These strengthen hand–eye coordination and prepare children for writing.

4. Language & Storytelling Skills

The story and teacher prompts build vocabulary (e.g., crunchy, colorful, pile, twirl). Asking “What colors do you see?” and “How do leaves sound when you step on them?” develops descriptive language.

5. Social Skills & Cooperation

The leaf pile story and the “Fly Like Big Bird” game emphasize working together, sharing space, and having fun as a group.

6. Creative Expression

Children express individuality in the craft and coloring page, choosing how to decorate their Big Bird with fall leaves and colors.

7. Movement & Sensory Play

Pretending to flap like Big Bird and handling real leaves gives kids multi-sensory experiences—important for early learning.

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In short:
The child is learning about fall and nature, while also practicing colors, sorting, fine motor skills, cooperation, movement, and language development—all wrapped in a fun, friendly Big Bird theme that keeps preschoolers engaged.

 

💛 How Everyone Can Join In

Every child can take part in the Fall With Big Bird Lesson in their own way!

• Story: Children can listen and join in by making the sounds of fall — saying “whoosh” for the wind or “crunch” for the leaves.

• Craft (Big Bird Leaf Collage): A helper can glue leaves where the child points with their eyes or directs with words. They can also choose leaf colors and tell where to place them.

• Snack (Leaf Crunch Trail Mix): The child can pick ingredients by nodding, pointing, or saying the names, while a peer or adult assembles the cup.

• Game (Fly Like Big Bird): Instead of flapping arms, the child can wiggle, nod, smile, or call out leaf colors when music stops.

• Leaf Sorting & Counting: Use big picture cards of leaves on a tray. The child can be the “leaf caller,” telling others which pile a leaf belongs to.

• Coloring Page: A buddy can color alongside, while the child chooses colors or directs where each one goes.

✨ The focus is not on what children can or can’t move — it’s on giving them a way to share choices, voices, and joy so they’re included in Big Bird’s fall fun!