It’s Preschool Tuesday here on the blog and today I’m sharing this post for all the parents of preschoolers who are looking for some simple and fun fall ideas to do with their kids. I’m also including a Bible story today that talks about fear. Halloween can be a really fun event, but for preschoolers it can also be a little too scary. Teaching them that Jesus is bigger than their fears is important (and a good reminder for adults as well). Enjoy this lesson and activities! (post contains affiliate links) 

Bible Story: Jesus Calmed the Storm
Read from the Jesus Storybook Bible, “The Captain of the Storm” page 236-243 (or you can paraphrase from Mark 4 or Matthew 8). Then use the following to talk to your children about when we are afraid.

• Jesus’ friends in this story were really scared! When do you get really scared?
• What happened when they woke Jesus up?
• Jesus stopped the storm and took care of his friends. He asked them, “did you believe your fears, instead of me?” Sometimes we forget that Jesus is bigger than our fears. When we are scared, Jesus will take care of us. He will love and care for us and help us not to be afraid.
• Let’s learn what Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t be afraid, because I am your God”. Repeat that with me, “Don’t be afraid, because I am your God”. (you can make this verse a fun chant or add motions)
• Halloween can be fun, but also scary. We need to remember those spooky things are all pretend. If we do get scared, let’s say Isaiah 41:10 and we’ll remember to not believe in our fears, but believe that Jesus will take care of us.
• That’s what we learned today, Jesus will take care of me. Let’s say it together, “Jesus will take care of me”.
• Let’s pray.

Song: God is Bigger than the Boogie Man 

This song is an old one, but always a good reminder for kids that God is the biggest and will always take care of them. I’m not a huge fan of Veggie Tales for preschoolers, but they’ve got some great songs with a lot of truth.

Pumpkin Painting:

For this simple painting activity all you need for this activity is a pumpkin, painter’s tape, paint, paint brush, and being okay with a mess! First, we made a cute little face out of the painter’s tape and put it on our pumpkin.

Then I let Hope go to town on the paint. Last year, I learned that all the colors get mixed anyway, so at least when we peel off the paint, we’ll have a little face peeking through.

Let the paint dry and then peel off the blue tape. Ta-Dah! A cute little pumpkin face! (PS-isn’t this the cutest, tiny pumpkin!?)

Fall Sensory Bin:

I love a good sensory bin and this is a pretty cheap bin to do. I used my go-to sensory base, rice, though corn or something fall-ish would be fun too.  I added fake leaves, gourds and pumpkins all from Dollar Tree. Hobby Lobby has some great fall items for bins as well.

It’s fun for preschoolers to get hands on with some of the decor you probably have around your house. I know my girls like it!

Pumpkin Playdough:

If you’ve never made your own playdough, you are missing out! The little cans of playdough are great, but they don’t stand against the soft, homemade stuff. And homemade, cooked playdough lasts a really long time as well. I got this recipe from Bombshell Bling and it smells amazing! Here’s the ingredients:

• 1 cup Flour
• 1 cup Water
• ¼ cup Salt
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 2 tsp Cream of Tartar
• ½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Stir all ingredients in a saucepan (no lumps!) and cook over medium heat in a saucepan continuously until you get a big clump. Then knead! Keep it in a baggie or airtight container.

(Excuse my silly faced helper) You can do lots of activities with playdough, but I like cookie cutters and playdough tools best. We chose pumpkin cookie cutters and few fall ones as well. Hope’s really into playdough right now, so this was right up her alley.

You can also bag up this playdough and give it to friends or to your child’s classroom with their Halloween treats!

Thanks for letting me share!