Preschool Songs for Autumn: Leaves, Pumpkins and Halloween

Song #1

To the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down

Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down
Autumn leaves are falling down, red, yellow, orange and brown

Song #2

To the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

I am a pumpkin, orange and round.
You will find me on the ground.
Sometimes big, and sometimes small,
You will find me when it's fall.
I am a pumpkin, orange and round.
You will find me on the ground.

Song #3
To the tune of I'm a Little Teapot

I'm a Jack-o-lantern, look at me
I'm as happy as I can be
Put a candle in, and light the light
Don't be frightened, it's Halloween night.



Song #4

To the tune of Sing a Song of Six Pence

First you take a pumpkin, big and round and fat
Then carve the top off, and that will make the hat
Then you carve the nose out, the mouth and the eyes
Show to the children for a Halloween surprise!


Song #5

To the tune of Frere Jacques


Trick or treat, trick or treat,
Halloween night, Halloween night
In our costumes playing,
You will hear us saying
Trick or treat, trick or treat

Fine Motor Pumpkin Activity: Hammering Nails

Mastering fine motor skills as well as hand eye coordination is an integral component of every child's development. Therefore, when creating an environment that meets the needs of the whole child, providing opportunities for young children to use their fingers in fine motor movement is essential. Most early childhood curriculums will include many fine motor activities such as beading, lego, and coloring. The following article provides some different ideas for providing opportunities for children to master their skills with the use of some pumpkins.

Pumpkin Activity: Hammering Nails

Hammering nails into a pumpkin is an attractive activity for children of all ages. For preschool ages, the skin of the pumpkin provides enough strength to hold the nail, yet soft enough for the hammering to be easy for the little hands holding the hammer. This activity works well at a table set for two with one child on either side of the table. But, it can also be enjoyed in any household environment as the photo displayed illustrates.

The material required :
large pumpkin
large amount of small nails
two small hammers: metal OR plastic hammers
spoon or butter knife (to remove the nails)
plastic safety goggles(optional)

Once the items have been collected, a beneficial way of starting this fun activity is to demonstrate to the young children how the hammering will occur and discuss ways of being safe. For instance, the adult should show the child how to gently nail towards the pumpkin without flinging the hammer way into the air. One tactic would be to ask the children how to be safe with hammering. Many children will be eager to tell others what they may have already learnt about using a hammer. In a preschool or daycare setting, this activity may be providing young children their first opportunity to use a real hammer and real nails. In an early childhood environment, guidelines or "rules" should be thought through and established before the event.

Alternative Ideas for Pumpkin Hammering with Preschoolers

There are different ways to set up this activity for young children:

Draw a face on the pumpkin before hand for children to follow

Leave the nails in the pumpkin, and then take out the insides of the pumpkin and put in a candle

Use string tied to selected hammer to create a fun design on pumpkin

Use golf tees instead of nails

Pumpkins provide fun activities for preschoolers beyond the traditional carving into a Jack o Lantern for Halloween. Hammering nails into pumpkins will definitely be enjoyed by children of all ages!