8 Fun Fall Activities for First Grade

I love fall! It's definitely one of my favorite times of year both in the classroom and at home. The cooler temps, the leaves, the cozy vibes, it's just the best! Since I love it so much, I like to really lean into that and plan many of our classroom activities with a fall theme. The kids love watching the change of season as well, so why not use it to our advantage?! Come along to see 8, fun fall activities I use in my first-grade classroom. 

This image showcases some fun fall activities for first grade that can be used to practice math, literacy and social studies skills!

Fall Grammar Activities 

First up, let's talk about how you can learn and review important grammar skills this fall in the primary classroom. 

1. Hedgehog Homophones 

We're kicking off this list with one of the cutest grammar resources you'll ever see. Inside this Hedgehog-themed Homophone Unit, you'll find a poster anchor chart, 16 easy-cut matching puzzles, 5 grammar practice worksheets, and an adorable hedgehog writing activity to round out the unit. 

I like to use the poster during small groups or as a whole group lesson to review homophones. Then the students will practice during center time with the worksheets and puzzles. Finally, they'll create their very own hedgehog and practice writing with homophones. When I say these are adorable, I mean it! They make a super cute fall bulletin board to display student work when everyone is through! 

This photo highlights "Hedgehog Homophones" a fun fall activity that can be used in first grade classrooms.

2. Fall Nouns and Verbs 

In the fall, we're working hard on nouns and verbs in my room. What better way to do this than with some fun, fall activities? I love using this Fall Nouns and Verbs Resource with my students. Inside you'll find posters that define each term, a sorting game, worksheets, and a super cute fox craft! 

My favorite thing about this unit is that it hits the mark when it comes to teaching and practicing nouns and verbs with minimal prep. We've got limited time on our hands, so I'm always happy about that! I like to use the posters for whole-group teaching, follow up with the sorting activity, and then practice with the worksheets. I will also often repurpose the sorting game during centers and finally close out the lesson with the craft activity. This is great for a Friday afternoon and makes a beautiful bulletin board when everyone is finished! 

With these fun fall activities, first grade students will be able to practice sorting nouns and verbs.

Fall Math Activities 

I'm always looking for ways to make math more exciting in my classroom. If you are too, I know you'll love these festive fall math lessons. 

3. Fall Measurement Write the Room 

Write the room is a favorite in my class because it allows students to freely move around the classroom, while also getting some skills practice in too. In the fall, I love using this Measurement Write the Room set to mix things up! This activity has students count the number of snap cubes or manipulatives to measure various fall items. The cards feature things like pumpkins, leaves, sunflowers, and acorns. This non-standard measurement activity is a lot of fun for the kids and they love being able to walk around with their clipboards. 

But this activity can also be used as a Scoot! game or even a seated center as well. We often use it more than once throughout the fall season in multiple ways. Included are 24 task cards and 4 different recording sheets. This allows for easy differentiation during centers as well as the ability to increase difficulty for the whole group as students progress. 

4. Fall Fact Families 

Are your students working hard on mastering fact families? This is an all-year kind of thing and we definitely spend a fair bit of time practicing it in the fall! Though highly important, this isn't always the most exciting topic, so I am constantly looking for ways to make it more engaging and appealing to students. 

This image showcases fun fall activities that can be used to master fact families.

This Fall Fact Families Resource fits the bill! Inside you'll find 11 different print-and-use pages that offer fun challenges for students to work on fact families with sums to 12. These worksheets get students thinking and are easy to weave into your routine. Whether you use them as independent learning activities, centers, or homework, they're sure to be a hit! 

The best thing about this unit though is the easy-prep craft! If you've been around here a while, you've probably seen how much I love using learning crafts in the classroom. They foster fine motor skills, are fun for students, and offer a wonderful way to review a variety of concepts. This unit includes a Tree Craft that has students complete fact families written on acorns. This is another super cute activity that will double as a beautiful fall bulletin board when students finish! And. . . if you add it to the hedgehog and fox crafts you can create an amazing woodland animals board filled with learning!

Fall Social Studies Activities 

I love social studies, especially in first grade! At this point, students are a bit more curious about the world beyond their homes and schools and we dive into fun teaching topics. Here's my favorite resource to use in the fall for social studies.

5. Pirate Map Skills 

Did that surprise you? Pirates, in the fall? YES! Now hear me out, I know that pirates don't exactly conjure up autumnal vibes, but who doesn't love a pirate activity. I always like to use Pirate Map Skills Resource during September for Talk Like a Pirate Day or during the month of October as a little play on Halloween dress-up. Both work great and it gives you options based on your scope and sequence. 

The fall activities in this photo will have students practicing map skills with a fun pirate theme.

Inside this jam-packed unit, you get everything you need to make teaching map skills simple and fun. With engaging worksheets and a fun pirate craft, your kids will be super excited to dive into this topic. For a closer look at exactly how I use this unit in my room, be sure to read this blog post. It's filled with fun ideas that will take this lesson to the next level! 

Fall Phonics Activities 

Phonics and reading are among my favorite topics to teach. Check out these fall-themed phonics activities to add to your lesson plan this year! 

6. Fall Short Vowel Blends Clip Cards 

Center time is usually everyone's favorite in the primary classroom. The kids love it because they get to use hands-on learning activities and move from station to station. I love it because it provides an opportunity for continued practice in a fun way! My criteria for center time is to try and find things that develop fine motor skills in addition to whatever we are focusing on. 

These Fall Short Blends Clip Cards are a great option to meet both needs! This center activity includes pictures of fall-themed words that are easy for new readers to decode. They will look at the picture as well as the word choices on the card and determine which one matches. Then, they use a clothespin to clip the correct answer. There are 32 total cards included, making this a great center to add to your fall activities!

Add some fall activities to center time with these clip cards focused on blends.

In addition to the center cards, you also get some practice worksheets for this skill as well. These activities make a great way to practice short vowel beginning blends in the fall. 

7. Fall Phonics Secret Code Pages 

Have you ever challenged your students to solve a secret code? The mere mention of this in my room got my students excited and ready to learn! These no-prep Phonics Secret Code Pages offer a wonderful opportunity to continue practicing short vowel words during the fall. Each page is a fun fall picture that students will love and they'll be super engaged as they work to crack the code! 

To use, students will first need to write the letter that represents the beginning sound pictured for each box. Then, they will color the word sections according to the code to reveal the mystery fall picture! These are great for centers, independent work, fast finishers, or as a transition activity to help students refocus. 

8. First Grade Fall Worksheets 

This last idea is listed under phonics, but it's actually filled with worksheets for phonics, math, and grammar. I don't know about you guys, but I am always in need of a few no-prep activities to fill the nooks and crannies of our schedule. These pages come in really handy when kids come back from recess and need an activity to get started on, to fill some extra time at the end of a lesson, as homework, or as a fast finisher activity. I've even bound them together as a book before to use as an independent work packet when time allows as well! The possibilities are endless! 

Fall worksheets, like the ones in this photo, are a low prep way to practice literacy and math skills with fun fall themes!

Inside the resource, students will work on skills like CVC words, punctuation, common and proper nouns, skip counting, addition, subtraction, and more! I love having these pages on hand to use at a moment's notice throughout the fall months! 

Fall Activities Make Learning Fun 

Aren't these festive?! I love adding a little bit of fall sparkle to my lessons with these activities. The thematic element helps to keep student attention as we work our way through the fall season. If you're interested in adding any of these fall activities to your lesson plan, be sure to check them all out, along with many more in my TPT Shop. Happy Fall! 

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Make sure to pin this post on Pinterest to keep track of these fun fall activities! 

Looking for some fun fall activities that you can use in your first grade classroom to practice math, literacy, and even social studies skills? This post is full of 8 fall activity ideas with fun themes that your students will love like scarecrows, hedgehogs and squirrels!



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