Deciduous Trees for Kids: Why Leaves Change Color (Autumn Nature Study Printable)
Inside: We’re taking autumn learning outdoors with a hands-on Deciduous Trees for Kids printable. You’ll find simple explanations of why leaves change color, the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees, and fun ways to identify leaves by shape and pattern. It’s a visual autumn nature study that blends science, art, and journaling — and there’s a free 9-page sample to try first.
Autumn is my favorite season, and every year Marc and I end up outside collecting leaves. Over the years, it’s become one of our easiest (and most consistent) science habits.
Learning about deciduous trees is so much more fun when the leaves are changing right in front of you. Kids can actually see what’s happening. It’s the perfect time to talk about why leaves change color and how deciduous trees work.
That’s why I put together this Deciduous Trees for Kids printable. It’s a simple, visual autumn nature study that covers tree anatomy, leaf pigments, and seasonal changes, with observation pages and QR-linked videos that make it easy to use outdoors or at the table.
If you like learning through hands-on exploration, you’ll love how this fits right into a fall nature study or science lesson without adding more prep to your plate.
Pin this image to read the article later. 📌
What Are Deciduous Trees? (And How They Differ From Evergreens)
When we talk about deciduous trees, we’re simply referring to trees that lose all their leaves once a year, usually in autumn. The word deciduous comes from a Latin term that means to fall off, which is exactly what happens.
These trees go through a yearly rhythm of growth, rest, and renewal. During the warmer months, they grow leaves to make food through photosynthesis. But as days shorten and temperatures drop in cold climates, they prepare for winter by pulling nutrients back into their branches and roots. The leaves stop producing chlorophyll (the green pigment) during the colder months, and other colors like yellow, orange, and red start to appear — the result of carotenoids and anthocyanins becoming visible.
Evergreen trees, on the other hand, keep their leaves (or needles) all year long. Instead of dropping them seasonally, they replace them gradually. That’s why you’ll still see pine, spruce, and fir trees looking green in the middle of winter, while deciduous trees stand bare and resting.
In short:
- Deciduous trees = shed their leaves once a year.
- Evergreen trees = stay green year-round.
Deciduous Trees for Kids Printable Unit Study – See Inside
If you open my Deciduous Trees for Kids printable, you’ll find an in-depth look at why the trees change color in autumn, as well as 5 types of common deciduous trees around the world.
There’s a quick deciduous vs evergreen difference page, an illustrated world map with the main deciduous forest regions, along with labeled examples of common deciduous trees like maple trees, oak, birch, linden, and chestnut.
🍁 Why Do Leaves Change Color?
From there, we shift focus to what makes autumn so striking, the leaves themselves.
The printable starts with a quick refresher on photosynthesis (and yes, i included the chemical formula, which was then promptly verified by my little chemist in the making), includes a short explanation about chlorophyll, and features a simple diagram showing how the sunlight angle creates seasonal changes because of the Earth’s tilt.
I’m also working on a full printable about Seasonal Changes that will dive deeper into the Earth’s tilt and light patterns, so if your kids enjoyed this section, they’ll love what’s coming next.
And then there’s my favorite part, the Pigments of Leaves poster. Like all my printables, I didn’t dumb things down. It’s written for curious learners who love real explanations. The page breaks down how each color appears:
- Yellow → Xanthophyll
- Orange → Carotene
- Red → Anthocyanin
- Brown → Tannins
This section is perfect for quick visual learning or even as a colorful wall chart during your autumn science lessons.
For extra context , you can also check out this well-made SciSchow Kids video explaining this to curious kids. Or if you prefer a website, Harvard Forest’s Leaf Pigments or the U.S. National Park Service describe the process as well.
🍁 Identifying Types of Leaves
Because I’m a fall leaf lover, I wanted to make this unit a little extra special. I added a full section on identifying types of leaves, which fits perfectly for artistic kids or anyone starting a nature journal.
Inside the printable, you’ll find tips and visuals on how to identify leaves by shape, edge, and vein pattern, using real botanical terms like margin and venation. I even linked to short videos from botanical illustrators who explain how to spot the small differences that matter when classifying leaves.
For kids who like going deeper, I included a detailed table of leaf classifications with real tree examples. It’s one of those sections that can spark a rabbit-hole moment, the kind that turns quick lessons into hours of exploring how plants work. My goal, as always, is to spark curiosity rather than just fill pages. If you want to learn more, you can check out this Nature Clearly’s Learn to Recognize Different Types of Leaf Shapes video.
To help kids express what they observe, there’s also a quick Anatomy of a Leaf page that labels the main parts, perfect for when they start creating the Autumn Journal at the end of the printable.
🎨 Hands-On Leaf Activities
Because not every child loves drawing (Marc definitely doesn’t), I included a few creative ways to record leaf observations:
- Step-by-step guide on how to sketch a leaf
- Tips on labeling and recording leaf observations
- Leaf rubbing activity — perfect for tactile learners or younger kids
Even kids who prefer taking photos or pressing real leaves can use the printable to record what they find. I wanted it to be flexible, so you can use parts of this printable with preschoolers, middle schoolers, or even high school students interested in botany.
Each activity section also includes video links for drawing tutorials and leaf identification guides, so visual learners can follow along independently.
🌳 Five Types of Deciduous Trees & How To Identify A Tree
After the leaf identification section, we go deeper into five common deciduous trees and how to identify them: linden, chestnut, maple, birch, and oak.
This UNKNOW How-to Video presented by an extension forestry specialist shows how to use leaves to identify trees and I think it ties nicely with my whole deciduous trees unit study.
Each tree follows the same layout to make it easy to navigate:
- Leaf Hunt Page – space to paste, draw, or rub the leaf your child finds, with an area for notes and observations.
- Field Clues Page – quick reference notes on identifying that tree by leaves, bark, seeds, or nuts.
- Detailed Tree Chart – featuring four species of that tree from around the world. For example, the Linden section covers small-leaved linden, large-leaved linden, American basswood, and silver linden.
Each species includes facts like:
- Tree height and trunk diameter
- Leaf size and shape
- Nutlet details
- Growth rate, life span, crown shape, and twigs
It’s detailed enough for older students but flexible enough to scale down for younger ones. Kids can use the data to practice measuring tree diameters, leaf sizes, or comparing bark patterns, an easy way to sneak in some math and observation skills.
To make it more engaging, I also added:
- Full-color reference sheets with all four species per tree
- Quick tree ID cards (leaves, nuts, bark) for hands-on learning and matching games
- Fun fact pages — 10 colorful facts per tree covering symbolism, ecosystem roles, and uses of the wood
You can print and take the cards outdoors for field identification, or turn them into games for co-ops and family walks, and then add them to your collection of science cards from my other unit studies!
Related unit studies with cards:
- Owl unit study (includes cards for types of owls)
- Clouds unit study (includes cards for types of clouds)
- Moon unit study (includes carda about the moon and the lunar missions)
🍂 Autumn Nature Journal
At the end of the printable, there’s a full Autumn Nature Journal section you can customize.
It includes:
- A printable cover page
- Observation templates for anything — leaves, seeds, feathers, mushrooms, rocks, even insects
- A Mystery Leaf page that encourages kids to apply the scientific method by making a guess, then researching to identify what they found
- Blank journaling pages for writing, sketching, or gluing collected items
This section can be printed as many times as you need. You can create your own binder-based nature journal and even bind it into a complete field journal at the end of the season.
If you’re not sure where to start, I have a post about binding methods we’ve used in our homeschool — simple, affordable options to help your kids feel proud of what they’ve created.
And because I know kids love instant tools, you’ll also find QR codes that link to leaf and tree ID apps. Just make sure to let them guess first — that part of scientific thinking is what makes it fun.
Try the Free Deciduous Trees for Kids Printable Sample
I always offer generous samples from all my printable unit studies so you know exactly what you’re getting, and this one’s no exception.
You can download a free 9-page sample from the Deciduous Trees for Kids printable to explore before you decide if you want the full unit. It’s a well-rounded mix of pages that show how hands-on and visual this unit really is.
Here’s what’s inside the freebie:
- Introduction to deciduous trees and how they change through the seasons
- Leaf identification and leaf rubbing activity for young artists or budding botanists
- Tree ID samples — a Linden Leaf Hunt page, a Birch classification table, and Birch fun facts
- Acorn cards for matching or quick reference
- One Autumn Nature Journal page to begin outdoor observations
- A QR page linking to plant ID apps for interactive learning
It’s enough to dive into fall science lessons, nature walks, or leaf art projects, and it gives you a clear idea of the variety and depth inside the 71-page full version.
If your kids enjoy this preview, the full printable expands on every section with more trees, more information (including on the types of pigments leaves have when they change colors), detailed diagrams (including photosynthesis), extra journaling pages, and in-depth science lessons that make autumn learning meaningful.
To celebrate the release of this new Deciduous Trees for Kids Unit Study, I’m offering something special — the first 30 buyers will get $5 off the full 71-page printable.
Use the code TREES5 at checkout to claim your discount.
Final Thoughts
If you love fall as much as we do, this is the perfect time to take learning outdoors. The world is already full of color, texture, and change, you just need to slow down enough to notice it.
Whether you use this Deciduous Trees for Kids printable as a full autumn nature study, a hands-on science lesson, or a quiet journaling activity, it’s built to make observation and curiosity the focus.
Kids remember what they experience — not just what they read — and this printable gives them plenty of ways to connect what they see in nature with what they learn on paper.
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