Leaf Identification Games And Activities: Learning To Recognize Different Trees

Adults should acquire a field guide to the trees in their region. Depending on the children that they’ll be teaching about trees, the adult may want to learn to identify several trees before heading out into the woods. If they are with their own children, parent and child might share the spirit of learning about trees together. A teacher or camp counselor can teach the identification of a few trees to a large group. Play these games to review trees.

Leaf Sorting

Children collect as many leaves as they can in sixty seconds. Then they sort the leaves into as many different categories as they can – color, shape, size, etc. Break the leaves into different groups and then mix them together again, so the leaves can be set into other groupings.

Challenge the children to discover as many ways that they can categorize the leaves. This is a good activity before children know how to identify many types of leaves, as it teaches them to notice characteristics about leaves.

Identifying Leaves by Touch

Each child collects a leaf that has fallen from the same type of tree. The children examine their leaves for bumps, nibbles, and other identifying marks. Then, they put these leaves, along with a few others, into a pile. Spread out the leaves. Have the children sit or stand in a circle around the leaves. One at a time, each player claims a leaf, explaining how he knew it was his.

Leaf Relay

Divide the players into several teams. Then have the players gather leaves from a number of different kinds of trees that the group has studied. Each team makes a leaf pile and stands fifteen feet back from the pile. The children determine who will go first, second, third, etc. The adult leader calls out the name of a tree and then calls out “go”. At the signal, the first child in each team runs to her team’s leaf pile and pulls out a leaf.

Children receive a point for each leaf correctly identified. Those players return the leaf to the pile and go to the end of their team’s line so that the next player can test his knowledge.

Leaf Hunt

During the walk, children should try to gather one leaf from as many different types of trees as they can find. Stop and identify as many of the leaves as possible. Divide the children into teams and have the players gather in a large circle.

One team holds up a leaf and identifies it. The first team to find a matching leaf from their collection earns 10 points. All other teams that have that leaf score five points. If the team identifying the leaf misidentifies it, they lose five points and the first team that correctly identifies it earns five points. Rotate teams that display the leaves. If the group is small, play the game the same way, only individuals take the role described for teams.

Children learning to identify leaves and trees can play these games in small or large groups. From noticing the characteristics that make leaves different from one another to challenging identification games, children can learn about the surrounding plants.