Discover 15+ The Leaf Thief crafts and activities for preschool and kindergarten! Easy fall crafts, leaf games, printables and fun storytime ideas.
The Leaf Thief Crafts and Activities
Looking for fun and easy The Leaf Thief crafts and activities to go along with this adorable fall picture book?
I’ve rounded up some of my favorite fall crafts, printable games, and hands-on learning activities that pair beautifully with The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming.
From colorful leaf crafts and woodland animals to alphabet matching, counting, and fine motor activities, these simple ideas are perfect for extending storytime into hands-on learning.
Whether you’re planning a fall preschool theme, putting together kindergarten literacy centers, or looking for fun activities to do after reading the book at home, there’s plenty here to keep little hands busy.
RELATED: 100+ Fall Crafts for Kids
The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming
The Leaf Thief, written by Alice Hemming and illustrated by Nicola Slater, is one of my favorite books to pair with fall crafts and activities.
The story follows a squirrel who loves the beautiful, colorful leaves on his tree.
But when Squirrel notices that some of his precious leaves have disappeared, he’s convinced someone has been stealing them!
With a little help from his friend Bird, Squirrel sets out to solve the mystery of the missing leaves.
It’s a funny, engaging story that introduces young children to the changing seasons, friendship, and the idea that change is a natural part of life.
I especially love how the book creates opportunities to talk about fall colors, woodland animals, and why leaves change color and fall from trees.
It’s the kind of story that works beautifully for preschool and kindergarten because there are so many ways to extend the learning after you’ve finished reading.
Why I Love The Leaf Thief for Fall Storytime
One of the things I love most about The Leaf Thief is how easily it connects to so many different learning activities.
The story is simple enough for younger preschoolers to follow, but it also introduces ideas that older children can explore through conversation, observation, and hands-on activities.
Here are a few skills you can work on with these storytime activities:
- 🍁 Fine motor skills: Tearing paper, cutting, gluing, painting, and manipulating small objects.
- 🔤 Early literacy: Letter recognition, vocabulary development, story sequencing, and comprehension.
- 🔢 Early math: Counting, sorting, matching, and recognizing numbers.
- 🌳 Science: Exploring seasonal changes, fall colors, and why leaves fall from trees.
- 🐿️ Creativity: Making colorful fall crafts inspired by the story.
- 💛 Social-emotional learning: Talking about feelings, friendship, and learning to handle change.
Best of all, these activities are simple, screen-free, and easy to adapt for home or classroom use.
15+ The Leaf Thief Crafts and Activities for Kids
Ready to extend storytime with some hands-on fall fun?
These easy fall crafts, printable games, and learning activities pair beautifully with The Leaf Thief.
I’ve included a mix of leaf crafts, woodland animal projects, and educational activities that are especially well suited for preschool and kindergarten children.
1. Torn Paper Fall Tree Craft
This colorful torn paper fall tree craft is one of my favorite activities to pair with The Leaf Thief.
Kids tear small pieces of autumn-colored construction paper and glue them onto their tree to create beautiful fall foliage.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to talk about the changing colors of leaves while strengthening the little hand muscles needed for writing.
You can even encourage children to glue a few leaves falling from the branches, just like in the story!
2. Fall Leaf Alphabet Matching Activity
Our fall leaf alphabet matching activity is a fun way to sneak some early literacy practice into your fall storytime.
Children match uppercase and lowercase letters on colorful fall leaves while practicing letter recognition and visual discrimination.
I love this one for literacy centers, morning tubs, and independent learning activities.
You can even pretend that Squirrel needs help finding all his missing alphabet leaves!
3. Torn Paper Acorn Craft
Acorns and squirrels go hand in hand, making this adorable torn paper acorn craft a natural addition to your The Leaf Thief activities.
Kids use small pieces of brown and white construction paper to decorate their acorn, creating a textured fall craft that’s perfect for strengthening fine motor skills.
After reading the story, talk about how squirrels collect and store food as the seasons change.
4. Fingerprint Fox Craft
Our fingerprint fox craft is a fun woodland animal activity to include in your fall storytime plans.
Children use their fingertips or dot markers to create a colorful fox craft.
This simple project encourages creativity, color recognition, and fine motor development.
It’s also a great opportunity to introduce children to other animals that live in woodland habitats.
5. Fall Hedgehog Craft
This adorable fall hedgehog craft is another wonderful woodland animal project for your storytime activities.
Kids color, cut, and glue colorful fall leaves onto their hedgehog using our printable template.
It’s a simple way to practice scissor skills, following directions, and recognizing autumn colors.
I especially love how each finished hedgehog looks a little different!
6. Fall Leaf Puppets
These fall leaf puppets are such a fun way to encourage imaginative play after reading The Leaf Thief.
Children can create silly leaf characters and use them to retell parts of the story or invent their own woodland adventures.
Try asking children to imagine what one of Squirrel’s missing leaves might say if it could talk.
It’s a fun way to encourage storytelling, oral language, and creativity.
7. Mosaic Hedgehog Craft
Our mosaic hedgehog craft is another great fine motor activity to include in a fall woodland animal theme.
Kids glue small pieces of colorful paper onto a printable hedgehog template to create their own mosaic artwork.
This activity is especially good for practicing hand-eye coordination, patience, and creativity.
8. Newspaper Fox Craft
If you’re looking for a fun way to use recycled materials, this newspaper fox craft is a great choice.
Children transform ordinary newspaper into an adorable woodland fox using simple craft supplies.
It’s a fun project to pair with a conversation about woodland habitats and the different animals that live among the trees.
9. Fingerprint Apple Craft
Our fingerprint apple craft is a fun addition to a broader fall nature theme.
Kids use their fingertips to decorate an apple-themed printable while practicing fine motor control and creativity.
After reading The Leaf Thief, you can talk about the different changes we notice in nature during autumn, including colorful leaves and seasonal fruits.
10. Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft
This easy paper plate pumpkin craft is another fun way to extend your fall storytime.
Children use torn pieces of orange construction paper to decorate a small paper plate pumpkin before adding the finishing details.
Although pumpkins aren’t the focus of The Leaf Thief, they’re a familiar sign of autumn and fit nicely into a broader discussion about seasonal changes.
11. Fall Leaf Sorting Activity
Gather a collection of colorful fall leaves and invite children to sort them by color, size, or shape.
You can use real leaves collected outdoors or cut simple leaf shapes from construction paper.
Start by asking children to identify the different colors they notice.
Then challenge them to create groups of leaves that share the same characteristics.
This simple activity is wonderful for developing observation, classification, and early math skills.
12. Squirrel’s Missing Leaves Counting Game
Turn Squirrel’s missing leaves into a fun counting activity!
Cut out several paper leaves in different autumn colors and place them in a small basket.
Give children a number card and ask them to count out the matching number of leaves.
You can also hide a few leaves around the classroom and encourage children to find and count them.
This activity is easy to adapt for children working on numbers 1–5 or 1–10.
13. Fall Leaf Color Matching Game
Help children practice recognizing colors with a simple fall leaf matching activity.
Cut leaf shapes from red, orange, yellow, green, and brown construction paper.
Invite children to sort and match the leaves by color.
For an extra challenge, encourage them to create patterns using their colorful leaves.
This is a great low-prep activity for preschool math centers or morning tubs.
14. The Leaf Thief Story Sequencing Activity
After reading the story, encourage children to think about what happened at the beginning, middle, and end.
You can use simple drawings or picture cards showing the major events in the story.
Invite children to place the cards in the correct order and explain what’s happening in each picture.
For younger children, start with just three events.
Older children can work with four or five events and practice retelling the story in their own words.
Story sequencing is a wonderful way to build comprehension, oral language, and early literacy skills.
15. Fall Leaf Nature Walk
One of the simplest ways to extend The Leaf Thief is to head outdoors for a fall nature walk.
Encourage children to look for colorful leaves, different kinds of trees, acorns, and other signs of autumn.
Bring along a small bag or basket to collect fallen leaves.
Once you’re back inside, use your collection for sorting, counting, leaf rubbings, or nature-inspired artwork.
You can also ask children to compare the leaves they’ve collected and talk about what makes each one different.
16. Leaf Rubbing Art
Leaf rubbings are another simple fall activity that pairs beautifully with the story.
Gather a few fallen leaves, place them underneath a sheet of white paper, and invite children to gently rub the side of a crayon over the paper.
As they color, the shapes and veins of the leaves begin to appear.
Encourage children to experiment with different leaf shapes and autumn colors.
This activity is a great way to combine art, observation, and fine motor practice.
The Leaf Thief Storytime Questions
After reading the story and completing a few activities, I love asking simple questions that encourage children to think about what they’ve heard.
Here are a few questions to try:
- Who is the main character in The Leaf Thief?
- What did Squirrel notice was missing from his tree?
- How did Squirrel feel when he noticed his leaves were disappearing?
- Who helped Squirrel try to solve the mystery?
- Why did Squirrel think someone was stealing his leaves?
- What was really happening to the leaves?
- Why do leaves fall from trees in autumn?
- How did Bird help Squirrel understand what was happening?
- What was your favorite part of the story?
- If you were Squirrel, what would you do if your favorite leaves disappeared?
These questions are a simple way to encourage listening comprehension, vocabulary development, and meaningful conversations about the story.
For younger preschoolers, I recommend choosing just three or four questions and keeping the discussion relaxed and conversational.
The Leaf Thief Morning Tub Ideas
One of my favorite ways to use storytime activities in a preschool or kindergarten classroom is to set up a themed morning tub.
Morning tubs are a simple way to keep children engaged in hands-on learning as they arrive at school.
And the best part? They don’t need to be complicated!
Here are a few The Leaf Thief morning tub ideas:
- 🍁 Alphabet leaf matching: Use our fall leaf alphabet matching activity to practice uppercase and lowercase letters.
- 🐿️ Missing leaf counting: Add paper leaves and number cards for a simple counting activity.
- 🎨 Fall color sorting: Invite children to sort colorful paper leaves into matching groups.
- 🌳 Build a fall tree: Provide a paper tree and colorful paper leaves for children to arrange and rearrange.
- 🔎 Find the missing leaf: Set out a collection of leaves, remove one while children aren’t looking, and ask them to identify which one disappeared.
I especially love using our printable alphabet matching activity for this because it’s easy to prepare ahead of time.
Simply print, laminate, cut out the pieces, and store everything in a small plastic tub.
It’s a wonderful way to reinforce early learning skills while keeping the storytime theme going throughout the week.
More Ways to Extend The Leaf Thief Storytime
If you’re planning a full fall unit around The Leaf Thief, there are plenty of other simple ways to keep the learning going.
Create a fall sensory bin. Fill a small bin with artificial leaves, large pom-poms, and child-safe scoops or tongs. Encourage children to sort, transfer, and count the materials.
Make a classroom fall tree. Create a large paper tree on a bulletin board and invite children to add their own colorful leaves. As the week progresses, move some leaves from the branches to the ground to show how trees change during autumn.
Explore why leaves change color. Talk about how shorter days and cooler temperatures affect deciduous trees. Explain in simple terms that as trees prepare for winter, their leaves change color and eventually fall.
Practice describing feelings. Ask children how Squirrel felt when his leaves disappeared. Talk about times when things changed unexpectedly and what we can do when we feel frustrated or worried.
Make a class leaf collection. Invite children to bring in fallen leaves they find outdoors. Compare their colors, shapes, and sizes, and display them on a classroom nature table.
Before You Go
I hope these The Leaf Thief crafts and activities inspire you to turn your next fall storytime into a fun, hands-on learning experience!
From colorful leaf crafts and woodland animals to printable matching games and simple counting activities, there are so many ways to bring this adorable story to life.
Whether you’re planning a preschool fall theme, organizing kindergarten literacy centers, or enjoying a little creative time at home, these easy activities are a wonderful way to celebrate autumn while helping children learn through play.
Looking for even more seasonal inspiration? Don’t miss our collection of fall crafts and activities for more fun ideas.
And don’t forget to follow This Tiny Blue House on Facebook and Pinterest for more easy crafts, free printables, and screen-free activities for kids!
