There is something rather wonderful about leaves. They are everywhere, completely free and perfect for turning an ordinary walk to the park into a little outdoor adventure.
This free printable Leaf Spotter Activity Set is packed with simple ways for children to explore, identify and get creative with leaves. Just print the pages, pop on your wellies and head outside!
It is a lovely activity for autumn, but you can use it throughout the year to help children notice how leaves change with the seasons.
Free Printable Leaf Spotter Activity Set
The printable pack contains eight leaf-themed activities:
- A make-your-own Leaf Spotter frame
- A leaf scavenger hunt
- A “My Leaf Investigation” worksheet
- A labelled diagram showing the parts of a leaf
- A worksheet for labelling the parts of a leaf
- A guide to different leaf shapes
- A leafy fish craft
- A leafy butterfly craft
There is a nice mixture of outdoor play, observation, early science and crafting, so you can use the whole pack for a leaf-themed afternoon or choose one page whenever you need a quick activity.
Make a Leaf Spotter
The Leaf Spotter is such a simple way to make a nature walk feel like a proper expedition.
Print the page onto card, cut around the spotter and handle, then carefully remove the centre of the frame. Attach the handle with glue or strong tape and your little explorer is ready to go.
Children can hold the frame over the leaves they discover and compare them with the illustrations around its edge. See how many different colours, shapes and sizes they can find.
The printable includes maple, oak, elm, sweetgum, birch, chestnut, aspen, hawthorn, beech, poplar, rowan, sassafras, hickory, basswood, willow, holly and ginkgo leaves. Not every tree will grow in every area, of course, but the pictures are useful prompts for comparing the leaves available locally.
You could also take photographs through the empty frame and create a seasonal leaf gallery.
Go on a Leaf Scavenger Hunt
Give each child a copy of the scavenger-hunt sheet and head to the garden, park or woods.
They can tick each leaf as they find it or work together to look for the closest matches. Encourage them to look closely before picking anything up. Can they find a leaf with jagged edges? One shaped like a hand? A long, narrow leaf? A leaf with several smaller leaflets?
Remind children to collect only fallen leaves and to leave unknown plants, berries and fungi untouched.
Investigate a Leaf
Once you have collected a few fallen leaves, use the Leaf Investigation page to examine one in more detail.
Children can:
- Draw their chosen leaf
- Give it a name
- Record its colour
- Write where it came from
- Describe how it looks and feels
- Count its stems, edges and veins
- Explain what makes it special
- Make a leaf rubbing
To make the rubbing, place the leaf beneath the paper with its veins facing upwards. Remove the wrapper from a crayon and gently rub the side of the crayon across the page. The pattern of the leaf should gradually appear.
This is one of those wonderfully simple activities that still feels a little bit magical.
Learn the Parts of a Leaf
The pack includes a labelled leaf diagram introducing vocabulary such as the midrib, margin, tip, veins, leaf blade and petiole.
Start with the completed diagram and look for the same features on a real leaf. Older children can then try the labelling worksheet using the word bank, while younger children can trace the veins with a finger or point to the different parts as you name them.
There is no need to turn it into a formal lesson. A short conversation and a good look through a magnifying glass can inspire plenty of curiosity.
Explore Different Leaf Shapes
Leaves come in far more shapes than we tend to notice. The printable guide introduces lobed, cleft, acicular, linear, obovate, scale, sagittate and reniform leaves.
See whether your children can find anything similar outside. You could sort collected leaves into groups, arrange them from smallest to largest or compare their edges and vein patterns.
Do not worry if you cannot identify every leaf. Looking carefully, asking questions and spotting differences are the important parts.
Make Leafy Fish and Butterflies
When you return home, use some of your collected leaves to complete the leafy fish and butterfly pictures.
Arrange the leaves over the templates to make fins, scales, wings or patterns. Once everyone is pleased with the design, glue the leaves in place and add colour with crayons, pencils or paint.
Freshly fallen, fairly flat leaves work best. If the leaves are damp, leave them to dry before using them. You can also press them between sheets of paper beneath a few heavy books.
Bear in mind that natural leaves may curl and change colour as they dry, but I think that is part of their charm.
What You Will Need
You do not need much for these activities:
- The free printable Leaf Spotter Activity Set
- A printer
- Paper or lightweight card
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue or tape
- Crayons or coloured pencils
- A magnifying glass, if you have one
- A bag or basket for fallen leaves
Card is the best choice for the Leaf Spotter, while ordinary printer paper is fine for the remaining activity sheets.
More Ways to Play With Leaves
If your children still have a basket full of leaves, try using them to:
- Make a rainbow by sorting them according to colour
- Create faces, animals or funny little leaf people
- Measure and order them by size
- Count how many points or lobes they have
- Make leaf prints with washable paint
- Create a nature collage
- Thread sturdy leaves onto string to make a garland
- Compare green leaves with dry autumn leaves
You can also repeat the Leaf Spotter activity in another season and talk about what has changed.
Download the Free Leaf Printable
Download and print your free Leaf Spotter Activity Set below.
Download the Free Leaf Spotter Activity Set
Please print as many copies as you need for your own family, classroom or group. Adult supervision is recommended when children are cutting out the spotter frame or exploring outdoors.
Then all that is left to do is pull on your boots, grab the printable and see what leafy treasures you can discover!