As autumn comes, the fall leaves dance in the crisp air. Each leaf shines in bright colors—red, yellow, and orange—floating down from branches like little dancers. The gentle breeze lifts them, encouraging playful spins as they drift together. When they land, they create a soft, crunchy carpet, adding to the sounds of fall. It's nature's way of celebrating the season and inviting us to enjoy its beauty and magic!
Bring this magic from fall leaves to your classroom by having your students pretend to be leaves that fall to the ground and come back into the air, moving between active movement and resting. A great movement song choice to use this fall with your kiddos is our song “Falling Leaf”!
This song is in a minor key and provides a jazzy chord progression that has a swing feel, which allows for a lot of creative movement! Kids float, they spin, twirl and do all sorts of fun movements while they pretend to be a falling leaf.
Tips: Discuss with students how they think leaves would move. How would they twirl? How would they fall? Remember to use as many of their ideas on how a leaf can move. Really emphasize the A and B sections and allow the kids to experience the contrast between the active and resting movements in the song.
Action cards: For students who are visual learners, try using our movement cards with them!
Download these Falling Leaves action cards below!
Props: Scarves are a great prop to use with this song! You could also have your students collect leaves outside or buy some artificial leaves and watch them fall, float, and spin. This may give them even more ideas of how leaves can move and is also a great option for students who may have difficulty with other movements.
