Last Updated on December 5, 2024 by Sarah McCubbin
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With the fall season right around the corner, having a list of fall activities for kids is something every family and teacher needs to keep on hand! The colors, smells and cooler weather are the perfect time to do some of your favorite activities.
Whether you love to take road trips to fall festivals or simply enjoy your favorite fall activities at home, this season is a wonderful time to make memories and spend time together. When my kids were little, I looked forward to raking huge piles of leaves in the front yard and watching my kids play in them for hours.
When I was ready for some simple decorations, we would all pile in the van and drive to the local farmers market for pumpkins and mums. These would spend a week or two on the steps until it was time to carve the pumpkins with friends.
And then of course there was the food…the pumpkin breads, the apple pies and endless jars of canned applesauce.
Mixed in with all these simple activities were Thanksgiving and trick or treat…homeschool parties and family gatherings.
Table of Contents
Outdoor and Nature Fall Activities for Kids
For most of my years of being a parent, I have done many things outside with my kids. But in 2024, I had the opportunity to teach at a farm school and it was truly amazing to see my kids to enjoy spending their entire day outside!
Even if you are not an “outdoorsy” person this list below is the perfect “fall bucket list” that you can use to have an amazing fall adventure with your kids. This list works for preschool children all the way up to adults!
The best part is that fall activities for kids don’t have to be expensive when you take advantage of the many free events and parks.
- Visit a pumpkin patch
- Jump in a pile of leaves
- Go apple picking
- Go on a nature walk
- Collect colorful leaves
- Visit a corn maze
- Go birdwatching
- Plant fall flowers.
- Visit local orchards to pick apples from apple tress. Nothing is sweeter than an apple right off the tree!
- Visit a farm
- Visit a zoo
- Go on a train ride
- Visit a botanical garden
- Visit a playground
- Go stargazing
- Visit an aquarium
- Visit a lighthouse
- Go on a bike ride
- Go on a fall-themed treasure hunt
- Do a leaf jump photo shoot
- Go to a petting zoo or an area farm.
Thanksgiving and Halloween Themed Activities
Not everyone celebrates fall holidays. But if you do, these activities are a great way to involve the entire family. The best fall activities are ones that are fun for kids and adults to make memories together. I love doing fun things with my kids that I enjoyed as a kid.
There is something about soaking in the autumn season doing things things outside in the crisp air that slows life down and makes everything seem homey and warm.
- Carve pumpkins
- Make a scarecrow
- Host a costume party
- Go trick-or-treating
- Make a Halloween craft .
- Tell ghost stories
- Watch a holiday movie
- Read a Thanksgiving book
- Make costumes
- Make handprint turkeys
- Create a storybook
- Visit a theme park with Halloween or fall themed events
Here in Ohio, our family enjoys visiting Cedar Point every year for Halloweekends. Its bright family friendly fun during the day. We don’t love the scary Halloween stuff but that is an option for people at night.
Craft and DIY Projects
Did you ever have a really good elementary teacher? I had several at my local public school. I don’t know how they took a class of 25 kids and made learning come alive. One of my favorite fall crafts in 3rd or 4th grade was to use chalk to make leaf rubbings and then to take more leaves and press them between wax paper with a hot iron.
- Make leaf rubbings
- Create a leaf collage
- Press leaves between wax paper with a hot iron or laminate them
- Make caramel apples
- Make a gratitude tree
- Make bird feeders
- Create a fall wreath
- Make a pinecone bird feeder .
- Create a fall centerpiece
- Make homemade candles with simple rolled beeswax!
- Make a fall-themed sensory bin for sensory play
- Make salt dough ornaments
- Make leaf crowns or grape vine crowns.
- Make paper plate masks
- Make fall-themed playdough
- Create a shadow puppet show
- Make a fall-themed garland using whatever you find outside or with pumpkins and Indian corn from the farm market
- Make a fall-themed mobile using natural elements found outside
- Use watercolor paints in autumn colors to paint fall leaves and nature scenes
Food and Cooking
So many perfect fall memories and smells are centered on the amazing autumn sweet and savory foods that are abundant in the fall. The list of things you can do or make are endless. Here is a bunch to get you started but for sure, do something that you enjoyed as a child with your own kids or classroom!
- Make apple cider or Wasail
- Bake apple pie
- Make homemade soup
- Bake pumpkin bread
- Make a pumpkin pie
- Bake cookies
- Make homemade hot chocolate
- Have a fall-themed tea party
- Make a fall-themed snack mix
- Make homemade popcorn or carmel corn
- Make SOMETHING from your childhood that your kids would enjoy…and then share the stories.
Games and Activities
As a busy mom, I have found that if I try to make fun happen on the fly, it rarely works. It is much better to have a plan and put it on the calendar. Fun activities often require planning and if you want everyone to have a great time, planning ahead is the way to go.
- Go on a hayride
- Have a bonfire and roast marshmallows
- Jump in a pile of leaves
- Have a picnic in the park
- Have a family game night
- Visit a local fair or festival
- Make s’mores
- Play football
- Go to a football or other sports game!
- Have a backyard barbecue
- Have a photo shoot in fall foliage
- Have a fall-themed scavenger hunt
- Have a family movie night
- Do a fall-themed puzzle
- Visit a children’s museum
- Play tag in the yard
- Visit a library
- Have a dance party
- Play board games .
- Have a backyard campout
- Play hide and seek
- Do a puzzle together
- Visit a planetarium
- Have a family talent show
- Host a pumpkin carving party
Every year our homeschool group hosts a pumpkin carving party. And before that, we hosted one every year in my backyard. There is something about the simple magical act of carving a pumpkin that gets creative juices going! We used to have our parties in late October but have found that early October is better if we want warmer weather!!
Learning and Educational Activities
In your classroom or home, there are endless topics to explore. Whether you want to create a unit study that centers on your visit to the apple orchard or choose the perfect pumpkin to carve then cook, fall activities offer a beautiful foundation of opportunities that you can build on.
Oftentimes when students don’t like learning, they are actually saying that it doesn’t feel real or meaningful to them. The fall offers a ton of opportunities to teach and learn life skills. From baking, to event planning, all of these activities require problem-solving skills. Don’t miss out on using the fall as a fun way to learn with the whole family.
- Read fall-themed books
- Create a family time capsule
- Write a fall story together
- Do a science experiment with fall items
- Create a fall-themed art project
- Create a storybook
- Write thank you notes
- Create a family tree
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Do a random act of kindness
- Do fall lessons based on nature studies and the changes in plants, animals and weather in the fall.
More Fun Fall Activities For Kids
This list is just the beginning of creative fall activities that are abundant in the fall. Visit local websites to make your own big list of Halloween events or fall festivals. Be sure to grab your free printable checklist of these ideas to get you started!
- Make a big list of Halloween or fall festival events and choose few to check out.
- Decorate the house with fall décor
- Make a fall-themed scrapbook
- Have a baking day
- Create a fall-themed video
- Make a fall-themed playlist
- Visit a fire station
Sarah McCubbin and her husband and 9 kids live in Ohio. She loves talking about all kinds of education topics and is passionate about helping families find the best education options in each season! Socially awkward growing up, she loves to help families teach life skills, social skills and leadership.
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