Table Time Activity: Pumpkin Name Puzzle
Skill Check
This activity focuses on letter recognition and fine motor skills.
Growing My Skills
Trace pumpkin shape on orange paper and let the child cut out.
Spell the name on the pumpkin with help of child.
Divide pumpkin into parts by letters of name.
Have the child cut out pieces and past them onto black paper in correct order to spell name.
Floortime Play Activity: Pumpkin Patch
Skill Check
Set up a pretend pumpkin patch! If you bought pumpkins and gourds, explore and label the textures, shapes, and colors with your child. If you made pumpkins – explore and label the pumpkins by labeling the size, color, and shape.
Growing My Skills
To expand on this activity, make this a pretend play activity and actually pretend that you are going to the pumpkin patch! You can have your child be the worker at the pumpkin patch or the person who is buying the pumpkins. Make some fake money for your child to “pay” with. We have some little visuals for your “pumpkin patch”: Pretend Play Open Flashcard and Pretend Play Pumpkin Flashcard. During the play, focus on back and forth interactions and being able to maintain the play theme!
Relaxation Time Activity: Fall/Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is to help your child engage and explore in their environment, while also exploring all senses they have been learning/talking about throughout the week.
Growing My Skills
Gather materials.
Ask your child about their senses (where is your nose, mouth, ears, hands/fingers, etc.)
Ask your child if they can smell anything (model sniffing with your nose) ask your child if they can hear anything (model touching/listening with your ear, etc.)
Helping your child process and engage in their environment can help them become more present and learn new things!
Asking them questions like; what do you see? and making comments to point out objects like, I see ___!
While pointing at that object, or stopping to take a closer look at something your child seems interested in can help them feel more connected while also introducing them to new things!
Creative Time Activity: Pumpkin Paper Plate Craft
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is all about building your child’s creativity and fine motor skills.
Growing My Skills
Gather materials.
Cut out different mouths and eyes for emotions (happy, sad, mad, silly, angry).
Have your child choose which eyes/mouth they want their pumpkin to have.
Help your child glue on/decorate their paper plate into a pumpkin.
Movement Time Activity: Monster and Skeleton Walks
Skill Check
The goal of this week is to focus on grading of force to do big monster stomps or have quiet skeleton feet!
Growing My Skills
Monster walks: walking forward while taking big, heavy, and loud stomping steps.
Skeleton walks: walking forward with very quiet and light steps.
They may need help by you demonstrating the difference between the two first or doing it with them.
Give them verbal reminders for, “Big stomps! Let me hear your monster feet!” vs. “Quiet feet! Don’t let me hear your skeleton steps!”
Mealtime Activity: Cooking with Pumpkin Seeds
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is to use leftover pumpkin seeds from carving for a healthy snacking alternative.
Growing My Skills
To do: wash hands! Carve pumpkin, save the pumpkin seeds, wash and rinse. Preheat the oven to 350* F, melt butter and add salt, toss the seeds in the butter, spread across a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Language Time Activity: Halloween Vocabulary & Crafts
Skill Check
The goal of this week is to target receptive and expressive language skills through Halloween and pumpkin based activities. Create various Halloween crafts to expand their vocabulary.
Growing My Skills
Walk around the neighborhood, point out all the festive decorations like pumpkins, scarecrows, spiders, ghosts, witches, etc.
Tissue Paper Pumpkin Craft: Draw a pumpkin on a white piece of paper, glue pieces of green and orange tissue paper to cover the pumpkin. Use tissue paper to request “more orange/green paper”, discuss pumpkins, their shapes and how they can be different sizes.Jumping spider craft: Make a “jumping” spider and have your child follow directions to complete the craft. Have your child request for “more jumping”, “jumping up”, “jumping down”, etc.Paper plate ghost craft: Make a ghost using paper plate, marker and white streamers. Target receptive language by following directions to complete the craft. Target expressive language to encourage language; “more streamers”, “ghost says boo!”, “ghost flies up/down.”