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Leaf theme for toddlers: a week of activities

A leaf theme lesson plan for toddlers: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (two or three minutes, on laps), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.

Plan this week for toddlersThe whole leaf week

A day of the leaf theme with toddlers

  1. Arrival and free play on the floor.
  2. Sing “Pease Porridge Hot” with actions; repeat it while you change and feed.
  3. Hold and pass something real for the week (leaf), and say its name.
  4. Snack: a toddler-safe version of yogurt parfait (check the recipe's lines for under-4s).
  5. Outside: a short walk looking for tree.
  6. Read A Nest on the Hill on laps, pointing and naming.
  7. Nap, then the song once more at pick-up.

Leaf circle time

  1. Hello song: sing hello to each child by name.
  2. Look out of the window together: sun, rain or clouds?
  3. Show the theme: hold up something real and name it.
  4. Sing: Pease Porridge Hot.
  5. Read: A Nest on the Hill (level 2).

Infants and toddlers: two or three minutes, on laps.

Leaf theme books

  • A Nest on the Hill (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Nature close up: a nest, a hill and a kind act.
  • Go, Snail, Go! (level 3, free on peabody.kids): A slow walk outside, the way a leaf hunt goes.
  • Pit, Pat (level 0, free on peabody.kids): Rain on the leaves, in a pattern little ones can tap.
  • Who Lives Under the Log? (read aloud, level 5): A read-aloud: true facts about what lives under the fallen leaves and logs.

Infants and toddlers: one book, read every day; point and name.

Leaf craft: Leaf rubbing

You need (4): leaves from the walk, white paper, crayons with the paper off, tape.

  1. Tape a leaf under the paper.
  2. Rub the side of a crayon over it until the veins show.
  3. Try a second leaf in another color.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Infants and toddlers: let them touch and hold the materials while you make it; nothing small enough to swallow.

Leaf song: Pease Porridge Hot

The words

Pease porridge hot, Pease porridge cold, Pease porridge in the pot, Nine days old. Some like it hot, Some like it cold, Some like it in the pot, Nine days old.

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Leaf snack

Yogurt Parfait from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Swap: Yogurt → oat yogurt.

Letter L activities

LlL is for leaf. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Infants and toddlers: skip the trace page; show the picture page and say the word.

Outside activity: Leaf hunt

Find a big leaf, a small leaf, a red one and a brown one. Line them up from small to big.

Leaf theme for 2 year oldsLeaf theme for 3 and 4 year oldsLeaf theme, all ages

Checked 2026-10-30