Fall Words in Spanish for Kids (+ Free Coloring Pages and Games)

Fall is full of things kids love to name: crunchy leaves, acorns, pumpkins and busy squirrels. That makes it a perfect season to bring a little Spanish into your walks, your kitchen and your reading time.

You don't need to speak Spanish to do this together. Here's how to say fall in Spanish, 9 fall words to read with your child, the secret of the silent H in hongo, a few easy ways to use the words at home and free printables to make it hands-on.

How do you say fall in Spanish?

Fall is el otoño (el oh-toh-nyoh). The Ñ sounds like the ny in canyon.

Here are all four seasons, so your child can put fall in its place:

Fun fact: in Argentina and Chile, el otoño comes in March, April and May. South of the equator, the seasons are flipped.

9 fall words to read together

Seven of these words have their own free coloring page. Spanish vowels always make the same sound, so once your child knows them, these words are easy to sound out. Use the guide below to say them, and if you're ever unsure, every syllable has free audio on our site, just in case.

Two quick tips:

• LL sounds like the y in yes in most places, so ardilla sounds like "ahr-dee-yah."
• Z sounds like s in Latin America, or th in most of Spain. Both are correct.

Where did the H go?

Look at el hongo. It starts with an H, but you say "ohn-goh." In Spanish, the letter H on its own is always silent. It's written, but it never makes a sound. (The one exception is when it teams up with C to make CH, as in chocolate.)

Kids love this one. A fun way to explain it: "In Spanish, the H is shy. It's there, but it never says a word."

Las hojas is a fun word to try next. The H is silent, and the J sounds like an English h. So hojas sounds like "oh-hahs": the H you see is quiet, and the sound you hear comes from the J.

You'll find the silent H in plenty of everyday words, too: hola (oh-lah), hello, and el helado (el eh-lah-doh), ice cream.

Good to know: the word for mushroom changes from place to place. Hongo is common in Mexico and much of Latin America, and seta (seh-tah) is common in Spain. Both are correct. Seta is easy to read for brand-new readers, and you'll find it on our fall board game and reading cards below.

In ¡A LEER!, the silent H is taught in Libro 3, after children have the vowels and the most common consonants down. If your child is just starting, enjoy hongo as a fun fact for now.

How to use fall words at home

1. Take a leaf walk. Play I Spy on your next walk: look for hojas, bellotas, a calabaza on a porch or an ardilla running up a tree, and say the Spanish word when you spot one.
2. Count the leaves. Collect a handful of leaves and count them together: una hoja, dos hojas, tres hojas.
3. Play "Where did the H go?" Write hongo, hojas and hola on sticky notes. Your child covers the H with a finger and reads what's left. It sounds exactly the same.
4. Cook together. Making apple slices or a pumpkin treat? Name the food as you go: la manzana, la calabaza, el pastel.
5. Play and read. Turn the new words into a game with the printables below.

Free fall printables

All free, made for kids ages 4 to 8 and for parents who don't speak Spanish:

• Fall coloring pages: 7 fall words to read, trace and color
• Camino de sílabas: a fall board game with 24 syllables and 6 picture words (best after ¡A LEER! Libro 2)
• ¿Cuál es? reading cards: read three look-alike words and circle the one that matches the picture (best after ¡A LEER! Libro 2)

Find them all together on our free printables page. Getting ready for Thanksgiving? Read our Thanksgiving in Spanish guide and find the free Thanksgiving printables.

Want to keep reading in Spanish?

These printables use the same sounds as ¡A LEER!, a four-book Spanish phonics series written for families who don't speak Spanish. Libro 1 starts with the vowels and simple syllables like ma, me and mi, so your child is reading real Spanish words early on. Every sound has free audio, just in case.

¡Feliz otoño!