The air turns crisp and cool. There’s a chill in the morning air. The leaves start to change from the rich greens of summer to crimsons, golds, and oranges.
Fall is here!
And while the opportunities to decorate to celebrate fall and all the holidays that it brings are everywhere, there’s got to be a way to celebrate the changing of the seasons with your family, right?
Absolutely! In fact, my family and I sat down and rounded up some of our favorite ways to celebrate the fall season. Best of all, we pulled them together for you in this list of 14 Fun Fall Family Activities for you to enjoy!
#1 :: Go On A Nature Hike
This one sounds so incredibly simple, but how often do you make the time to pack up a picnic lunch and drive somewhere just to go on a hike and enjoy the great outdoors? It’s amazing how this fun and simple activity falls off our radar when we don’t think about it.
So, let’s be more intentional this fall season. Take some time and get out to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Oh, you don’t have to make it a full-on vacation where you hike mountains (although, if you want to, go for it!). It can be as simple as going to a local park and taking a walk. The important thing is that you’re getting outside as a family and taking the time to look around you and appreciate the beauty of fall.
#2 :: Make a Torn Paper Fall Tree
This craft is so simple and yet it’s so fun! Here’s what you need: a marker, a glue stick, and construction paper in brown, green, red, yellow, and orange.
Take a piece of brown construction paper and draw a tree trunk on it with the marker.
Next, take the other colors of construction paper and tear small pieces off, roughly 1-inch by a half-inch. (Remember, you’re tearing these pieces, so they don’t have to be exact! Some will be smaller, some will be larger, but the beauty of this craft is in the variety!)
Once you have a small pile of green, red, orange, and yellow “leaves,” simply glue the leaves onto your piece of brown construction paper.
This simple craft is a favorite in our house during the fall season – especially with the little ones!
#3 :: Hot Apple Cider
What would fall be without hot apple cider? So treat yourself to a glass of toasty apple cider sprinkled with cinnamon! For the full fall experience, you can head out onto the back deck and enjoy it while breathing in the chilly air!
#4 :: Visit A Cider Mill
If you live (or are vacationing) in an area that has cider mills, make a point to go visit one! If you’ve never had the opportunity, watching the process to make apple cider is truly amazing!
And while you’re at the cider mill, be sure to grab a jug of apple cider to bring home along with some cinnamon doughnuts. Now that is a classic fall taste combination right there!
#5 :: Go On A Scavenger Hunt
Step up your fall nature hike with a scavenger hunt! Grab a bag to carry your treasures in and see what cool fall things you can find.
But remember, a scavenger hunt doesn’t have to be about collecting things. You can find things by spotting them or even taking a photo of them.
One more thing: Don’t forget about the animals as you go on your scavenger hunt! And while I don’t recommend catching the animals you spot and bringing them home, it would be cool to put deer, birds, squirrels, frogs, worms, and more on your list just to see if you can find them!
#6 :: Make Leaf Pressings
Leaves are everywhere in the fall, aren’t they? So why not use them in some craft projects? Here’s what you do: Go out and collect some leaves. Then, place the leaves in between 2 pieces of parchment paper.
Next, put the parchment paper inside a thick book or you could just set a heavy book on top of the parchment paper if you have a spot they can sit for a couple days. After a couple days, the leaves should be nice and flat.
Now all you need to do is let your imagination go! You can make a fall collage with the leaves you found, you can create cards to send to family or friends, you can create bookmarks to use, and more!
Here’s a tip: If you plan on using the leaves as bookmarks, I highly recommend laminating them wither with a laminating machine or even with contact paper. This will keep your bookmark from crumbling inside your book!
#7 :: Go On A Hayride or Conquer a Corn Maze
Now, this one might be a little hard to accomplish on your own…unless you live on a farm!
But you have to admit, going on a hayride or conquering a corn maze or a hay bale maze is a very fall-ish thing to do! So go online and check to see if there is anything like this near you and make a family day out of it!
And who cares if you get lost a little in the corn maze! Part of the fun is doing it together and making memories as you do!
#8 :: Go Apple Picking
It’s as simple as that: Go pick some apples! There are lots of apple orchards around that not only have a great variety of pre-made products you can choose from, but apple you can purchase at their market and apples you can pick off the trees!
Create some memories as you climb the apple trees to pick the apples and bring them home to enjoy! While you’re at the orchard, make sure to pick up some extra apples to bake with!
#9 :: Bake Like It’s Fall
Nothing says fall like the smell of cinnamon, apples, nutmeg, and pumpkin! So why not enjoy these delectable smells as you create a culinary masterpiece in your own kitchen?
You could make pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, applesauce, individual apple pies, apple cake, the possibilities are endless!
If you’re looking for a place to get started, check out my friend Brittany’s recipes over on Faith Fun Food!
#10 :: Make A Thankful Tree
Fall and being thankful seem to go hand in hand, don’t they? Fall is harvest time, when the farmer would gather in all the crops that they had been growing all summer and prepare for the coming winter.
Fall is when Thanksgiving happens, which by its name alone reminds us to be thankful!
But why not create a visual reminder of all the things you have to be thankful for with your children? Here’s what you need: Construction paper, scissors, a marker, and a way to make it all stick to the wall. Personally, I like using the wall putty because it doesn’t wreck the paint on your wall when it comes down!
Using brown construction paper, create the shape of a tree trunk. You can use multiple sheets of construction paper to accomplish this. You can draw the shape on the paper or you can get super creative and cut it out so it looks like the bark of a tree! How you do it is completely up to you!
Once you have your tree trunk created, put it on your wall or the back of a door with wall putty.
Now, cut out leaves out of the other colors of construction paper. Another option if you don’t want to cut out all those leaves is to purchase a package of paper leaves at your favorite craft store. Just make sure they are paper because you’re going to write on them!
Next, take a leaf and a marker and write one thing you’re thankful for on the leaf. Then, stick the leaf on the tree trunk on your wall with the wall putty.
You can sit down and create a huge pile of leaves to put up right away or you can have each person in your family write one new thing each day or however you choose. Just remember to write one thing and only one thing on each leaf!
When you’re done, the size of your tree just might surprise you!
#11 :: Make Leaf-Shaped Sugar Cookies
Another simple and yet often forgotten fall activity: Make sugar cookies and use leaf-shaped cookies cutters! This is such a fun – and sometimes messy – activity to do with your kids.
And don’t forget about decorating them! Frosting, icing, sprinkles, you name it! Have lots of fun decorating and don’t forget to enjoy a cookie or two when you’re done!
#12 :: Go Horseback Riding
What better way to appreciate the beauty of fall than by riding through it on horseback? And, as an added bonus, as you’re looking at the leaves and the scenery around you, your horse won’t walk into a tree! (Which is a valid concern while you’re hiking!)
So check in your area and see if there is a place where you can take a trail ride to enjoy all this beauty up close.
#13 :: Go Bobbing for Apples
Okay, I’ll admit, this one is rather silly, but it is a lot of fun! Although, I highly recommend doing this one outdoors!
Here’s what you do: Get a clean bucket that has a wide opening. Think kiddie pool instead of mop bucket side opening. Fill up the bucket with clean water until the water is maybe 3 inches from the top.
Then, put some apples in the water. The apples will float, so they will be nice and easy to see.
Here comes the fun part: The challenge is that your children need to catch an apple out of this bucket using only their teeth! It’s a fun and silly challenge that is best done outdoors, but one they will remember.
#14 :: Jump in the Leaves
No list of fun fall activities would be complete without including jumping in a leaf pile! So grab those rakes, get everybody out there, and make the biggest pile of leaves you can. Then jump in and have fun!
External Resources:
Additional Resources:
- 30 Inspiring Quotes to Get You in the Mood for Fall
- 10 Fun and Fabulous Activities to Inspire Imagination: No Screens Required
- 10 Easy Crafts You Can Do with What You Have
- The Changing of the Seasons of Life
- 5 Easy Tips for Getting Your Holiday Dinner on the Table
Elizabeth Tatham, founder of Inspiration in the Everyday, is a homeschooling momma of 5 who loves helping other homeschooling mommas create a unique homeschooling adventure your kids will love…without the overwhelm! Join in on the journey with 7 simple steps to make your homeschooling day go faster, easier, and with less tears here.