Acorns can be used in play in a variety of ways. They are perfect during the autumn months. Acorns usually drop from their trees late summer, early autumn.

Acorns are the fruit of the oak tree. They contain the seeds that can grow new oak trees, and falling to the ground is part of the tree's lifecycle – this is how it reproduces. Having reached the ground, the acorns can grow into new oak trees or be carried off to new locations by wildlife.

Below we have 10 ideas for acorn activity ideas to play and learn within your setting.

1. Make an autumn wreath - use a glue gun to stick them to a card, foam or wicker wreath. To make this more practical for children - they could stick dried leaves to a cardboard wreath shape and perhaps have an adult to glue gun a couple of acorns for them. This one below is very elaborate but it gives an idea.

Image credit: Craft Invaders

2. Add acorns to your mud kitchen - make acorn soup, acorn tea, bake them in mud pies!

3. Use them for counting - great with wooden number frames, ten and five frames. You can also use number trays (bottom right) for counting acorns.

4. Loose Parts. Add them to your loose parts collection.

Paint the insides of the caps to use as loose parts, colour sorting and matching activities.

Acorn activities
Photo credit: Hello Hydrangea

5. Plant them. Plant two acorns in a pot filled almost to the top with peat-free compost. ... Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom, and just cover the acorn with compost (about 2cm deep). Protect the acorns from predators such as mice, squirrels and birds. Acorns will germinate 2-4 weeks after planting. Roots will be substantial and some shoots will appear 8-10 weeks after planting. Most shoots should be visible by week 14.

Acorn activities

6. Use them in set ups and small worlds - they look great in autumnal woodland small worlds.

Acorn activities

7. Create little acorn characters! Give them faces.

Acorn activities
Acorn activities

8. Set up a tuff tray play for the autumn season. Draw a large bare tree - just the trunk and branches, with white chalk marker pen. Add dry leaves, acorns and pine cones. Some small wooden woodland animals and allow children to create a beautiful tree with all the leaves and acorns. (Mouse and roo - get her to share the post too as she’s featured).

9. Create little acorn peg people for small world play.

Acorn activities
Photo credit: Babyccino

10. If you have the budget, treat your children to this beautiful wicker reading pod acorn. It fits beautifully into any natural classroom or setting. It comes in two parts with detachable roof.  Fill it with Cushions and books and leave them to some quiet time.

Acorn activities

Let us know if we have missed any acorn activity ideas and share your acorn activities with us on our social channels. @cosydirect

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With thanks to The Cosy Creatives and Cosy Club Members for this blog post and images.

Acorn activities