A DIY Felt Four Seasons Tree for Counting and Color Play

To make a felt fall counting tree you’ll need:

Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains Woodpeckers Crafts, Etsy, Blick Art Materials, Bookshop.org and/or Amazon affiliate links for reference. As affiliates (and Amazon Associates), we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*

How to Make a Felt Four Seasons Tree – DIY Instructions:

Download & print our felt counting tree template or draw your own.

Download, print, and cut out our felt tree template to help you create the same trunk and leaf shape we did at the same scale.

You can also draw your own simple tree trunk template!

Trace and cut a tree trunk.

Trace the tree trunk shape onto a piece of brown felt with fabric chalk or a permanent marker and cut it out.

Trace leaves onto different felt colors & cut.

Trace multiple leaves onto a variety of felt colors and cut them out. We traced five leaves each onto nine different colors of felt for a total of forty-five leaves.

Ten Ways to Use Your Felt Four Seasons Tree for Learning and Play

These sensory-pleasing textured little trees have so many fun uses…

1. Use your four seasons tree as a storytelling prompt.

Using these felt props for imaginative story-building is one of my very favorite ways to use our trees. If you need a little inspiration, start by reading a picture book about leaves, trees, or fall.

You can incorporate props like small toy animals or discuss events related to the changing seasons, promoting creativity and language skills.

2. Use your felt tree as a counting tree for number recognition.

For a simple, tactile counting activity, ask children to place a certain number of leaves on the tree, helping them understand and recognize numbers.

Additionally, you can use a fabric pen or permanent marker to write numbers on the back of each of your leaves to aid in counting practice. 

3. Sort felt leaves by color.

Ask your little ones to add or take away specific colors or color families, or ask them to find a leaf of a specific color and place it on the tree.

You can compound the color lesson with counting or simple math practice by asking prompts like, “Can you take away two blue leaves?” or “How many leaves are on the tree after you take away all the red and yellow leaves…?”

4. Explore the seasons with your felt tree.

Use them to learn about the seasons (and they work SO well for autumn). For an added bonus, cut small circles or flower shapes you can use on your tree to represent spring.

Make 30 or 31 leaves to create a countdown to the end of September or October, or create a back-to-school countdown.

You can also integrate the felt tree and leaves into lessons about nature and the processes trees experience throughout the seasons.

5. Use your play tree to learn about leaves and tree anatomy.

Wade into the science leaf and tree growth with a kinder-appropriate “Parts of a tree” lesson (from Education.com) or this free printable tree learning introduction packet (from the Minnesota DNR).

You can even switch out your felt leaves for the real deal. Collect some colorful leaves in the fall and use those with your felt tree instead!

6. Investigate the functions of a tree.

Fill your tree with other items, like a felt bird, a stick nest, a photo of a bee’s nest, felt flowers, apples, oranges, cherries, wooden acorns, seeds, or other kinds of fruit or wildlife. You can use these extra props to discuss how trees play a role in our food systems, or provide habitats for wildlife.

7. Create patterns with your felt leaves.

Create simple patterns with the leaves on the tree (for example, red-green-red-green) and ask the children to continue the pattern.

8. Use your four seasons tree to explore emotions.

Your felt tree can be used as an “emotional tree.” Children can be asked to place a leaf on the tree every time they feel a certain emotion (each color could represent a different emotion), helping them understand and express their feelings.

9. Learn the alphabet with your tree.

Each leaf could have a letter of the alphabet written on it. Children could then be asked to place the leaves in alphabetical order on the tree, or to find the leaf with the letter that makes a particular sound.

10. Practice picking up.

Once you’re finished playing with your little trees, use a small brush as a “rake” to sweep up your leaves and collect them in a tray or bowl. It’s a great way to encourage indoor play cleanup and discuss outdoor fall chores.

More Seasonal Leaf Play Activities for Kids

For more simple autumn learning play, collect some real leaves for an adorable mouse mail fine motor skill activity. Low on leaves? Try making a paper leaf stick puppet with our free printable leaf activity kit – perfect to take outside for leaf hunts, matching games, and more!