Bring squirrels, owls, hedgehogs, deer and bears into your classroom with these fall animals circle time activities for preschool. This five-day theme combines songs, movement, picture book discussions, nonfiction posters, crafts and printable activities to help children explore animals and the changing season.
Children can gather pretend acorns, make an owl with autumn leaves, add clothespin spines to a hedgehog, wear deer antlers and crawl into a classroom bear cave. Along the way, they practice sorting, counting, matching, pencil control and sharing their ideas.
Teachers and homeschoolers can follow the daily plans for a complete fall animal week or choose individual activities to add to an existing autumn theme.
Five Days of Fall Animals Circle Time Activities for Preschool
The weekly plan introduces one animal each day:
- Day 1: Squirrels — food gathering, an acorn hunt, color and size sorting, and a maze.
- Day 2: Owls — nighttime animals, an owl leaf craft, an owl mask, and night and day matching.
- Day 3: Hedgehogs — spines, hibernation, a clothespin craft, and prewriting practice.
- Day 4: Deer — woodland animals, an antler headband, and shape matching.
- Day 5: Bears — preparing for winter, bear cave dramatic play, and size ordering.
Each daily lesson includes an introduction, a song with actions, a suggested read-aloud, discussion prompts and a main activity. The additional worksheets can be used during small groups or another part of the day, depending on the children’s interests and attention spans.
Fall Animal Circle Time Song and Puppets
The “Autumn Animal Parade” song connects the five daily themes. Sung to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus,” it introduces a different animal and action in each verse: squirrels run, owls hoot, hedgehogs curl, deer leap and bears growl.
The pack includes a complete song poster, five individual verse posters and matching printable animal props. Attach the props to craft sticks so children can hold up the animal as its verse is sung.
Introduce one verse each day and revisit the earlier verses as the week continues. By Friday, children can join in with the complete animal parade, recalling the sounds and movements they have practiced.
Day 1: Squirrel Activities for Preschool
Begin the week by talking about squirrels and the food they collect in fall. Invite children to share whether they have seen a squirrel running, climbing or carrying something in its mouth.
The suggested read-aloud is The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri. After reading, discuss why the squirrel was so busy and how gathering food helps squirrels prepare for winter.
Squirrel Song and Information Poster
Display the squirrel verse and hold up the matching puppet. Children can move their feet quickly on the spot or make their puppets run as they join in with the repeated “run” action.
Use the squirrel information poster to look closely at the animal’s bushy tail and the food it is holding. The short nonfiction text introduces food gathering and hiding food for later. Ask children where a squirrel might hide an acorn and why it might need that food in winter.
Preschool Acorn Hunt
An acorn hunt adds movement and counting to these fall animals circle time activities for preschool. Hide the printable acorns around the room and invite children to collect them in a basket, pretending to be squirrels gathering food.
When the hunt is finished, count the collected acorns together. Children can touch or move each acorn as they count, helping them connect one number word with one object.
The same acorns can then be used for the color and size sorting activities below.
Acorn Color and Size Sorting
For color sorting, children place each acorn on the mat with the matching color. Begin with a few colors, then add more as children become familiar with the activity.
For size sorting, introduce the mats labeled big, medium and small. Compare acorns of the same color first so children can focus on size. Then mix the colors and invite them to sort the whole collection.
Ask children to explain their choices: “What makes these acorns belong together?” or “Which acorn is smaller?” These conversations connect early math with descriptive language.
Squirrel and Acorn Maze
The Find the Acorns maze gives children a simple pencil-control task linked to the day’s theme. Children follow the path to help the squirrel reach the acorns.
Encourage children to try the route with a finger before drawing it with a pencil. Looking ahead and changing direction provide practice with visual tracking and problem solving.
Day 2: Owl Circle Time Activities for Preschool
Day 2 introduces owls and the idea that some animals are active at night. Talk about what children notice outside during the day and after dark.
The suggested read-aloud is Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. Discuss how the little owls felt while their mother was away and how their feelings changed when she returned.
Owl Song and Information Poster
Sing the owl verse while children hold the owl puppet, gently flap their arms or join in with the “hoot” sound.
The owl information poster provides a closer look at an owl’s eyes, feathers and beak. Introduce the word nocturnal and explain that many owls are active at night. Children can also talk about the small animals owls hunt for food.
Owl Craft with Autumn Leaves
Collect autumn leaves for the owl’s feathers. Print the owl template on brown paper, or print it on white paper for children to color before cutting it out.
Children glue overlapping leaves onto the lower part of the owl and add googly eyes to the marked spots. They can compare the leaves’ colors, shapes and sizes while deciding where to place them.
The finished owls make a seasonal classroom display, with each child’s leaf choices giving the craft its own appearance.
Printable Owl Mask
The owl mask offers another opportunity for creative work and pretend play. Children color the mask and add feathers around the edges. Help with cutting out the eye openings and attaching elastic to fit comfortably.
The completed masks can be used when revisiting the owl song or pretending to fly through a nighttime forest.
Night and Day Matching Worksheet
The Night and Day Matching worksheet asks children to connect each picture with either the sun scene or the moon scene.
Name the pictures together before children draw their lines. Invite them to explain their choices, using words such as day, night, light and dark. The activity combines picture classification with vocabulary and pencil control.
Day 3: Hedgehog Activities for Preschool
On Day 3, children explore hedgehogs, their spines and how some hedgehogs prepare for winter hibernation. Introduce hibernation as a time when an animal’s body slows down to conserve energy.
The suggested read-aloud is The Very Helpful Hedgehog by Rosie Wellesley. Talk about how the hedgehog receives help and what the story shows about friendship.
Hedgehog Song and Information Poster
The hedgehog verse invites children to curl up small. Demonstrate the action, then let children curl their bodies or move the puppet as they sing.
Use the information poster to observe the hedgehog’s pointed spines and small face. Discuss how the spines help protect the animal and why a sheltered place is useful during winter.
Hedgehog Clothespin Craft
Print the hedgehog template on cardstock and cut it out. Children paint the body, then allow it to dry before clipping wooden clothespins along its back to make spines.
Opening and placing the clothespins gives children practice using their fingers while holding the hedgehog steady with the other hand. The pins can be removed and added again, turning the finished craft into a reusable fine motor activity.
For a counting extension, invite children to count the spines as they attach them.
Hedgehog Prewriting Worksheet
A hedgehog craft adds fine motor practice to your fall animals circle time activities for preschool. Print the template on cardstock and cut it out. Children paint the body, let it dry, then clip wooden clothespins along its back to make spines.
Point out the starting dots and arrows before children begin. They can trace the paths with a finger first, then use a pencil or crayon. The different line patterns provide practice with the changes in direction used in early drawing and writing.
Day 4: Deer Circle Time Activities for Preschool
Day 4 focuses on deer, their woodland homes and the foods they eat as the seasons change. Ask children what they notice about a deer’s legs, ears and antlers.
The suggested read-aloud is Little Deer Lost by Janet Bingham. Invite children to predict how the little deer will find its way home, then revisit their ideas after reading.
Deer Song and Information Poster
Sing the deer verse and invite children to make small leaps in their own space or move the deer puppet through the air.
The deer information poster introduces antlers and foods such as leaves, grass, twigs and acorns. Children can describe the antlers in the photograph and compare the deer’s appearance with the animals already introduced during the week.
Deer Antler Headband Craft
Children color and cut out the antler templates, then attach them to a strip of brown paper. Fit the strip around each child’s head and secure it with glue or tape.
The finished headbands can be worn during the deer song and animal pretend play. Children can also revisit the earlier verses while deciding which movements belong to each animal.
Deer Shape Matching Worksheet
The Deer Shape Match worksheet features deer faces shaped like a circle, triangle, square and rectangle. Children cut out the pictures and paste each deer beside its matching shape.
Name the shapes together and compare their features before gluing. Ask which shapes have corners and which has a curved edge. The activity brings shape recognition, visual comparison and cutting practice into the deer theme.
Day 5: Bear Activities for Preschool
Finish the week by exploring how bears prepare for winter. Talk about the extra food bears eat in fall and how stored energy helps them during hibernation.
The suggested read-aloud is Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. After reading, discuss what the other animals did while Bear slept and what happened when he woke up.
Bear Song and Information Poster
Introduce the bear verse and let children join in with a gentle growl while holding the bear puppet or pretending to move like bears.
The bear information poster connects fall feeding with winter hibernation. Look at the photograph together and name some foods mentioned in the text, such as berries, fish, insects and nuts.
Bear Cave Dramatic Play
Finish your fall animals circle time activities for preschool with a classroom bear cave. Drape a blanket over sturdy chairs, leaving an open entrance large enough for children to crawl through. Add a blanket on the floor and place the printable Bear Cave sign beside the entrance.
Set out the included food cutouts nearby. Children can pretend to be bears looking for food, collecting the pictures and pretending to eat before settling into the cave for a winter rest.
During the play, talk about how eating extra food in fall helps bears store energy in their bodies. Children can name the foods they find and explain what their bear is doing.
This activity gives children a shared setting for using new vocabulary, taking turns and developing their own animal stories.
Bear Size Ordering Worksheet
The Size Order worksheet asks children to cut out three bears and arrange them beneath the labels big, medium and small.
Encourage children to compare all three pictures before gluing. They can identify the biggest and smallest bears first, then decide where the medium bear belongs. Coloring, cutting and arranging the pictures provide additional fine motor practice.
Fall Animal Matching Activities for Preschool
The matching cards can be used throughout the week or as a final review. The set contains six pairs: squirrel, owl, hedgehog, deer, bear and fox.
Begin with the pictures facing up so children can find identical animals. For a memory game, turn a few pairs face down and take turns looking for matches. Add more pairs when children are ready.
After revisiting the song, ask children which animal on the cards did not have its own verse. The fox gives them an extra detail to notice while recalling the five animals from the week.
Fall Animal Books for Preschool Circle Time
These five suggested read-alouds accompany the daily plans:
- The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
- Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
- The Very Helpful Hedgehog by Rosie Wellesley
- Little Deer Lost by Janet Bingham
- Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Keep the books near the circle time area so children can revisit the pictures and retell familiar parts of the stories. The books are suggested read-alouds and are not included in the printable pack.
Preparing Fall Animals Circle Time Activities for Preschool
Organize the materials by day so the song, poster and related activity are ready together. You can prepare the full week in advance or print only the pages you plan to use.
- Print the song posters, information posters and reusable activity pieces on cardstock.
- Laminate the matching cards, acorns and sorting mats for repeated use.
- Cut out the animal props and attach them to craft sticks.
- Print the worksheets and craft templates on suitable paper or cardstock.
- Gather crayons, pencils, paint, glue, scissors, googly eyes, feathers, wooden clothespins and brown paper strips.
- Collect autumn leaves for the owl craft and prepare chairs and blankets for the bear cave.
What Is Included in the Fall Animals Circle Time Pack?
The printable resource brings the daily teaching plans and activity pages together in one pack:
- A weekly overview and five daily lesson plans
- The complete Autumn Animal Parade song and five individual verse posters
- Five printable animal song props
- Five nonfiction animal information posters
- Six pairs of animal matching cards
- Acorn hunt pieces and color and size sorting mats
- A squirrel and acorn maze
- An owl leaf craft template, owl mask and Night and Day Matching worksheet
- A hedgehog clothespin craft template and tracing worksheet
- Deer antler templates and a Deer Shape Match worksheet
- A Bear Cave sign, printable food pieces and a bear size ordering worksheet
Download Free Fall Animals Circle Time Activities
Add to your fall animals circle time activities for preschool with these free printables! Click the button below to download.
Get the Complete Fall Animals Preschool Circle Time Resource
These fall animals circle time activities for preschool bring animal learning into songs, stories, art, math and pretend play. Use the daily plans together for a themed week, or return to the individual activities when your class is exploring woodland animals, fall or hibernation.
Find the complete Fall Animals Preschool Circle Time resource using the links below.
Happy Teaching! 😊
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