Make a leaf crown

(Pre-school and Reception)

Celebrate the changing of the seasons and connect with nature.

Your child will experience an ever-changing environment. Collecting interesting leaves and making a leaf crown with your child will stimulate all the senses.

You will need

  • card
  • double sided sticky tape, sellotape or glue
  • stapler
  • a collection of natural objects
  • an app or book to help you identify the leaves you find.

What to do

  1. Go on a nature hunt outside, in the local park or your garden. Look for interesting nature treasures (they don't all have to be leaves).
  2. Draw your child's attention to different textures, shapes, sizes, and colours. The variety will lead to a beautiful crown.
  3. When you get home display your treasures on the table. Talk about the differences and similarities in the natural objects. Can you remember where they found the treasure? Introduce the names of the items, which tree their leaf came from for instance. Talk about the different seasons and how leaves change throughout the seasons.
  4. Take two long pieces of card (cut it to fit your child's head and one for your head). Use double-sided sticky tape, sellotape or glue and place it along the length of your card crown. You may want to put two parallel lengths to ensure your natural treasures stick.
  5. Allow your child to develop their creativity. Let them choose and place their own leaves etc. on the sticky tape. You can create yours alongside them – chat about patterns you're making.
  6. When you have finished your crown. You'll need a stapler to staple the two ends of the crown together to fit on your head and your child's head.
  7. Now you have your crowns you can explore the world of role-play and imaginative play. Are you kings and queens, fairy princes and princesses, are you knights or are you going to a birthday party? What will you both be?

Skills your child will learn

When making nature crowns your child is developing their awareness of the world they live in. Encourage them to observe natural objects in detail. Use descriptive words about their natural treasures (smooth, rough, long, short, round, shiny etc).

This activity will also allow your child to practise their maths skills through number and pattern. Encourage your child to count each set of objects or hand over a given number of objects. Your child might also make a repeated pattern with their natural objects, for example, leaf, stick, leaf, stick.