Fall is one of my favorite times of year, and it's a great time to get outside with your kids. There's so much to see and do in the fall that the whole family will love, you'll be able to spend hours outdoors without getting bored. Here's a list of our favorite fall activities for kids.
Fall is the best time to spend time with your kids and get outdoors before winter arrives.
Fall is the perfect time to spend time with your kids and get outdoors before winter arrives.
It’s also a great season to do some family activities that will keep you busy until the holidays roll around. You can also get creative with your kids by making crafts or baking delicious desserts together. Getting outside is another way to enjoy this season, so if you haven't spent time camping yet, now is the perfect time! The weather will start getting colder later in the year, but now it's still warm enough for fun outdoor games like football or soccer.
Go on a scavenger hunt.
Make a list. Some scavenger hunt lists are simply a list of items to find, while others may include clues or riddles that help the kids figure out where they should look. You can also come up with your own combination of these elements.
Have fun! Scavenger hunts are fun for everyone involved, but especially so if you make them exciting by adding in some extra challenges and twists along the way. You might give each child a unique item to collect along with their other items, or hide an item somewhere nearby that only one person can see—a great way to break up larger groups!
Choose prizes wisely. Of course, it's always nice for your child to win, but what matters more than winning is having fun and making memories together as a family (and it's also nice if all kids get something). Consider giving away pencils or treats instead of candy when possible—it's healthier for everyone involved!
Visit your local pumpkin patch — and carve them!
Pumpkin patches are fun for kids of all ages.
The traditional way is to get out a pumpkin carving kit or go with one of those pre-carved options that come in the grocery store (which I actually think is pretty easy).
Or you can go old school with a sharp knife and draw your design on paper before cutting it out with a utility knife or box cutter (I recommend some rubber gloves if you're going this route).
Get spooky with Halloween crafts.
Create a haunted house using cardboard boxes to make rooms and pillows for ghosts. Don't forget to add cobwebs made from string! This one is great for older kids who enjoy being creative with their Halloween decorations.
Get into the spirit of autumn by making some witch's brew—a drink made from warm apple cider mixed with cinnamon sticks or cloves depending on how much spice you like in your life! You can also add a dash of citrus juice if you want something more refreshing than sweetly spiced (like oranges or lemons). It may sound boring but once you try it out at home—you'll see why this recipe has stood the test of time over centuries!
String leaves together to make a garland and use it to decorate. This is a really cute and fun craft to create. You can make a fall tree, either out in the backyard, on your front lawn, or make it an indoor tree, just like the one we make for Christmas! Decorate it further by adding some orange or white string lights to make it sparkle at night. You can also just hang the leaf garland in doorways, over windows, and much more!
Make some awesome fall slime.
Slime is a fun activity for kids. Slime is easy to make and can be made with items you already have at home or in the store. Use orange, red or purple glue. You can also add nature into the mix if you want, or even some Halloween or Fall themed glitter.
Slime is made by mixing two ingredients: contact solution and glue! The contact solution makes your slime more stretchy, while the glue gives it its gooey texture. You'll also need borax (which you can buy in stores) to make sure that your slime has a nice consistency without being too sticky or too runny.
Have a fall-themed movie marathon.
Choose a theme. It’s not necessary, but it may help you narrow down the list of movies to choose from.
Choose a movie for each theme. You can do this by searching for “fall movie list” on Google or Netflix and selecting one or two that catch your eye. If you want to be extra ambitious, go with three fall-themed movies per day of the week: Monday is Halloween-themed; Tuesday is Thanksgiving-themed; Wednesday is Halloween again (and maybe also Thanksgiving again); Thursday and Friday are whatever else happens to be on your mind at those times, and Saturday is a day off.
Make a Scarecrow
The first step to making your own scarecrow is finding the clothes you want to use. You can use any old things lying around, but make sure you have some shoes or boots for him to wear.
After you've found the right clothes, it's time to make a face for him. If you don't have any face paint and don't feel like going out and buying any, try using markers or crayons instead!
Finally, find something soft like an old scarf or blanket that will serve as his stuffing material. Now all that's left is propping him up with a stick!
Get Lost in a Corn Maze
Corn mazes are a wonderful way to get lost in the fall. They're a fun activity for families, as they allow you to bond over your shared confusion and frustration. Corn mazes can be found at farms across the country by simply searching online for corn mazes in your area.
Corn mazes are also an exciting way to exercise with your family; you'll all get plenty of exercise running around trying to figure out where the path leads! And if it's too cold or wet outside for outdoor activities like hiking or biking, then corn mazes offer another chance for physical activity—a great way of staying active during this time of year.
Go on a Hayride
Hayrides are a great way to get outside and enjoy the fall season. If your child is hesitant about taking a ride, remember that you can always sit with them in the back or sit behind them. If your child is nervous about going on a hayride, remind them that they have an adult with them at all times, who will keep them safe. Also, remind them of how much fun they had last time!
You may want to bring along some snacks for the ride; however, make sure not to bring anything messy—such as grapes or apple slices—so that it does not make the hayride uncomfortable for other riders. In fact, many hayrides also offer the chance for you to go apple picking. Check the details of your hayride before heading out. There are many "haunted hayrides" for Halloween, so you want to make sure the hayride you're going to is age-appropriate for your kids.
If you plan on staying overnight at an establishment where there are animals present (such as a farm), then this might be an ideal time for your family member's first exposure to these animals!
Play with Gourds (marble run, bowling, etc)
With the arrival of cooler weather and the promise of crisp, fall days ahead, it's time to get your kids outside. Gourds are a fun way for them to spend their time with sensory play, but its also fun for the whole family!
Gourds are a fun way for kids to get active. Whether you're looking for a simple marble run game or something more elaborate like bowling (with gourd pins), there's no shortage of physical activity involved in this game.
Gourd play also encourages learning: You can use them as building blocks or even turn them into musical instruments with some seeds inside and a few holes poked through the bottom for sound output.
Gourd games encourage social interaction between siblings, friends, and other kids in your neighborhood...everyone loves playing with gourds!
Backyard Campfire & S'Mores
Decide on a location. You'll want to select a spot that's away from trees and overhanging branches, but not too close to the house.
Gather your supplies. Get an old trashcan and fill it with sand and rocks, so that when you build your fire, it will stay contained and won't spread beyond its boundaries. You should also bring along some marshmallows for roasting over the open flames, as well as graham crackers for making s'mores!
Once all of these items have been gathered together at your chosen site (and once everyone has put on their jackets or sweaters), use the matches to light up some of those crumpled-up newspaper balls inside of the trashcan—this will help get those flames going good in no time at all! Once everything is burning nicely—you should be able to see orange flames through all those blackened pieces of paper—take out another ball full of paper scraps and then add some more kindling (small twigs). If there aren't any twigs nearby handy enough for this purpose (and there shouldn't be), just try harder until you find something suitable enough that works just fine in place instead."
Nature Walk with an Animal Counting Game
This is a great game for the younger kids. Head to a wooded area near your home or a nearby park. Pick a spot and begin walking. Keep an eye out for animals, plants, and insects that you might see along the way. When you spot something, stop counting and record it on your checklist (you can use this one if you want). Continue walking until you've reached ten different creatures or plants to count, then head home.
DIY Fall-Themed Snacks
Whether you're planning on a DIY Fall-Themed Snacks Night or just looking to satisfy your own taste buds and those of the kids in your life, here are some ideas that will make everyone happy.
Use fall colors and flavors. The best thing about making snacks is that you can use ingredients that are readily available year-round and incorporate them into something seasonal. This keeps costs down without sacrificing flavor or nutrition! If you're looking for inspiration, check out our list of the best fruit and veggie combos for fall parties and get creative with whatever types of ingredients are currently in season near where you live (or just go ahead and pick up some apples because they're always good).
Bake cookies using fall-themed cookie cutters! If you don't have cookie cutters, you can simply draw cute fall images with icing on round cookies. Topping with fall candy is another fun way to decorate your cookies. Another great way to get your kids involved in cooking is by letting them do something fun with their hands: cutting out shapes from dough! Cookie cutters come in all sorts of themes—from dinosaurs to pumpkins—so if yours doesn't have a Halloween theme yet then now's as good a time as any for an upgrade! Or better yet, try cutting out shapes from various different kinds of fruits like apples or bananas instead; this way everyone gets their favorite color without worrying about allergies :)
Drive to Look at Fall Foliage
The first thing to do is to drive to a nearby park. This can be one of the most exciting parts of fall activities for kids. Get out of the car and start looking around! Look at all the trees, look at the birds, look at squirrels and chipmunks, deer and rabbits and bugs (and mushrooms too!). There's so much amazing nature you can see from just being outside in an open space with your family or friends!
Go on a Leaf Hunt & Collect Different Colors, Shapes, and Sizes of Leaves.
Go on a walk in the woods or in a park with your child and look for different shapes and sizes of leaves. You can even do this in your backyard! Collect leaves that are all one color, two colors or even three! Grab some small bags or containers so you can take them home safely.
Make Leaf Rubbings
Once you’ve collected your colorful bounty, head back home to make some leaf rubbings on construction paper. You can use crayons or markers to create beautiful art pieces by rubbing them lightly over the surface of the paper (no need for glue!). Kids will love watching their artwork develop as they add more layers of color on top of their already vibrant designs!
Make Leaf Prints
Another fun idea is to use paint instead of crayons when making leaf rubbings: dip each end of a clean piece of construction paper into the paint before laying it down flat on an old t-shirt or cloth napkin (the cloth should be large enough so that there’s plenty room for both ends). Then take various shades from multiple colors from the baggies containing all those colorful leaves collected earlier during step 1 above) and lay them down gently across each side until fully covered – leave outside overnight if possible!
Kids love fall, and there are so many fun activities to do during the autumn months.
In addition to all the fun fall activities that kids can enjoy on their own, there are plenty of fall family activities to choose from. Fall is a great time for families to get outdoors and enjoy nature, so why not take advantage of that?
Picking apples from an orchard is one of the most popular autumn activities in my area. Kids love it because they're allowed to pick their own fruit, which makes them feel special. It's also exciting for them when they take home their first apple pie made with freshly picked apples!
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