Leaf shape play: The fun way to play with shapes!

What child doesn’t love playing with natural materials?

And, what parent doesn’t love setting up an activity that’s free , encourages learning through play and gets their kids outside?

This activity is a winner!

Of course to enjoy this leaf shape play the first thing you’ll need is lots and lots of leaves. We’ll  get to collecting those leaves in a minute because that’s where the fun starts.

Be sure not to collect them yourself. I know it’s tempting.

You’ll need:

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• leaves
• scissors
• hole punches optional (affiliate)
• glue (optional)
• tray
• white recycled paper

How to set up leaf shape play:

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1.  Take your children outside and collect some leaves. Don’t rush this. Take your time looking at leaves together. Tell each other why you picked up a certain leaf, and what you like about it. Is it a pretty color, shape or texture?
2. Now it’s time to lay all your glorious leaves out on the table. Your child can cut their own, or you can cut some together. Here’s some shapes to try. If you’re child needs more support to cut certain shapes, you can use a marker to draw the lines on the leaf, this will give them more guidance.
3. Draw some simple shapes on a piece of paper to remind them what shape they can try (square, rectangle, square)
4. Try circle punches (affiliate), they’re great fun for kids, and less pressure on kids who are too little, or anxious about using scissors.
5. Once you’ve cut up all the shapes, place them around the table and encourage your child to get creative with the leaves.
6. You can also add a glue stick  to the table and let them glue their shapes onto their piece of paper .

Here’s a few leaf shapes to try

Leaf shapes made into a car

Leaf shapes made into a caterpillar

Flower made form leaf shapes

Leaf shape city

You’ll just love this leaf shape play activity. It doesn’t take much to prepare and leaves no mess (pun intended).
Well, technically there’s no mess if this activity it set up outside. Inside can make it messy.  Set it up outside and use a blower to blow the leaves into the garden.

Best of all your kids will build their knowledge of shapes through enchanting outdoor play.