Autumn Busy Bag Ideas for Toddlers & Preschoolers
- The Know & Play Space
- Sep 30
- 4 min read
Busy bags are super useful resources to prep ahead of time, ready to whip out when you just need a focused 5 minutes.
Here at the 6 I've prepped to far this autumn:
WATCH MY REEL HERE to see them all set up, prepped, and how to do the activities.
I've linked the resources below that you can get on The Know & Play Space Shop. Any of the printables are FREE for Know & Play Members! Not a member? CLICK HERE to become one!
Autumn Loose Parts Sorting
What will you need?
2 sorting containers
1 container for the mixed loose parts
Tweezers/ Tongs
Autumnal loose parts (2 types - I chose acrylic leaves and faux acorns)
What is the activity?
Use the tweezers or tongs to take a loose part from the central bowl and sort it into the correct container. My two containers corresponded to the loose parts I used, but if you don't have trays that will do this for you, use little picture labels attached to the containers you are using.
Make it easier by having two very simple and distinctively different loose parts eg. conkers and acorns.
Make it more challenging by having three sets of loose parts to sort, or by having items that are the same type of object, but look different eg. toy insects (ant, grasshopper, ladybird - all insects but all different) and woodland animals figurines (badger, fox, bat - all woodland animals but all different).
Leaf Number Match
What will you need?
Numbered & Dice Formation Leaves (1 set cut out, 1 set as a matching base board)
What is the activity?
Take a leaf and match it to the correct number. There are multiple versions of this available, however I chose to match dice formation dot quantities to digits.
Make it easier by having a single base board instead of two, and match same to same eg. matching numbers to numbers.
Make it more challenging by playing it as a matching pairs game instead. Cut out two sets of leaves and lie them all face down. Turn over two and see if they match. Turn back over if they don't, or collect them as a pair if they do.
Loose Parts Fine Motor
What will you need?
Acrylic Autumn Gems (or you could use faux leaves too!)
Tweezers/ Tongs
Small container
What is the activity?
Using tweezers or tongs, place a leaf gem on top of the correctly coloured corresponding dot.
Make it easier by using fingers instead of tweezers or tongs, or use a version where only one colour of dots is present so that colour matching isn't an element of the activity.
Make it more challenging by putting elastic bands over a plastic tub, vertically and horizontally like a web, so that your child has to manouver the tongs into the tub to get a leaf gem, instead of just taking them out of a pot.
Autumn Picture Puzzles
What will you need?
What is the activity?
Match the numbered strips to the correct number on the base board to form an autumnal picture.
Make it easier by only using one picture, instead of two mixed together as shown in the pictures. Also, print two copies of the photo instead of a blank base board so that your child can match picture strip to picture strip, as well as the number.
Make it more challenging by removing the blank base board so that they have to sequence 1-5 independently. Try it with a third picture mixed in, instead of the two mixed together as pictured.
Autumn Number Pegging
What will you need?
Pegs
What is the activity?
Count the autumn items on the pictures and peg the peg onto the corresponding number eg. 2 acorns - peg on number 2. This eventually will become a subitising activity (meaning your child won't have to count the objects as they'll just be able to 'see' how many are shown).
Make it easier by only using cards with 1-3 objects on instead of 1-5.
Make it more challenging by having envelopes or bags labelled 1-5 in the busy bag too, so that once they've pegged the card, they have to put it in the right numbered bag as well.
Leaf Shape Sorting
What will you need?
Shapes on Leaves (cut out as individual leaves)
What is the activity?
Pick a leaf. Have a look at which shape is on the leaf, then put it in the correct envelope of corresponding shape.
Make it easier by only having 2 shapes to sort into two envelopes. Or, instead, you could have one envelope with one shape on, and your child has to only put leaves with that shape on into it eg. having circles and squares on the leaves, but only putting squares in an envelope and discarding the circles into a pile.
Make it more challenging having more varieties of shapes to sort. For a real challenge, you could sort by property eg. shapes with straight sides, 4 corners etc.
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