Fall Activities for Kindergarten Language Enhancement
- Take a walk in the crisp fall air. Look for a tree with colorful autumn leaves. Stop to observe the tree and ask children to describe the colors. If you are working on a second language, have the children practice saying the colors in that language. If you are enhancing English skills, introduce words that can describe the colors, such as burgundy rather than red. Teach the children some adjectives; ask for volunteers to describe the colors. For example, a yellow leaf may be bright or dull. Gather leaves and create a "fall vocabulary" bulletin board to remind children of what they've learned. Pin the leaves on the bulletin board and write two attributes ("dark red") under each leaf.
- The more children practice speaking, the better they will speak. It can be difficult for some children to speak aloud, but it helps if they are given something to talk about, and if they can use their imagination. Give each child a small pumpkin and tempera paint, and have them paint a face on the pumpkin. (Use markers if paint is too messy and unwieldy.) Invite each student to share his pumpkin with the class. Encourage the children to use their imaginations to tell a story about their pumpkin if you are developing primary language skills. If you are working on a second language with children, an easier activity might be to describe the pumpkin using the second language.
- Number and measurement words are some of the first words children use when learning a second language. Collect a large pile of colorful fall leaves and give each child a handful. Instruct them to create patterns with the leaves. Use numbers and size words such as "make a group of three big leaves." If you are working on enhancing primarily language skills, make the groups more complicated (such as a pattern with "spiky" leaves alternating with "smooth" leaves). Compare the groups using vocabulary such as "greater," "less than" and other words from math.
- Create a class poem about fall and practice using adjectives and vocabulary that relate to the five senses. Go outside on a brisk fall day and take in the season's sights and sounds. Talk about what people see, taste, hear, smell and touch in the fall. Write the answers on the board. Some examples might include seeing fall colors and rain, hearing people play football, hearing leaves burning, smelling hot cocoa, tasting Thanksgiving dinner and touching crumbling leaves. Have the class vote on favorite words in each category. Write a class poem about fall, leaving blanks where adjectives should be; insert an adjective that describes the season's sensations for each blank in the poem.
