There are so many fun fall activities to do with children. Most of them can be scaled up or down depending on the age of the kids. I like this, so they get the most out of it. Kids are naturally interested in the outdoors. I tend to plan most of our fun either outside or using outdoor materials. As the leaves change and air gets a little cooler, it is a great time to explore nature and see what we can find. And, let’s face kids are curious! They want to know about everything that is going on around them.
Fun Fall Activities Favorites!
Favorite Number 1!
One of my very favorite things to do with the kids is go to the apple orchard! There are several kid centric ones around so find your favorite and head out for a day of sweet fun! Many have additional activities such as hayrides or petting zoos. I tend to like going on the off hours if I have really young infant and toddler age kids. One of my favorites has been the Sunrise River Farm in Wyoming, Mn. There you can pick apples yourself or purchase them already picked. They have small animals such as kittens and bunnies. There are a few chickens and ducks and they even have a donkey! The hayrides are always fun and the playground is perfect for the kiddos! Good family fun if you are in the area!
After we’ve been to the apple orchard it is easy to extend the learning and create apple paintings. By cutting the apple crosswise it creates a star pattern. We have made numerous beautiful pictures doing this! We also enjoy do apple tasting and graphing which ones are sour or sweeter! of course, it wouldn’t be apple season without making chunky applesauce! So easy and delicious. Just cut up the apples add a little waster and cinnamon. Depending on the sweetness of the apples some people like to add a touch of sugar too. Then just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes until the apples are soft! So much fun and learning can happen just from one visit. It is easy to extend this our for an entire week.
Favorite Number 2!
Another favorite activity for us is going on a fall scavenger hunt. I create a picture list of things that I’d like the kids to find and we head out with our buckets in hand. We find acorns, pinecones or pretty leaves. I put all kinds of things on the list. Occasionally, we find things that are not on our list and that’s ok too! It is always quite an adventure. Our motto is “never say no to adventure!” The children take that motto very seriously! We set out looking for our fall items. We explore and examine them as we find them and then bring them all back to sort and exclaim over! With these items, we can graph and sort. We can do art and make pictures or crafts. We can even put them in the sensory tub to touch and feel and explore a little more!
Here is the list of items I typically use:
- Acorns
- Red Leaf
- Pinecones
- Milkweed pods
- A Y shaped twig
- Dried grass heads
- Smooth rock
- Pine needles
- Orange leaf
- Yellow leaf
Of course, you should vary this list based on the age of the child and the location of the hunt.
Favorite Number 3
This not really number three on the list because it really is our all time favorite thing to do in the fall! We love raking the leaves into a big pile and then jumping in them! We are very lucky that so many of the parks and neighborhoods have large trees that shed their fall foliage each each year! 
This activity is so simple- just rake the leaves into a pile, jump and roll around, repeat! Easy peasy! Best of all the kids get full of fresh air and completely wore out! I love it when things are simple to think of and explain, easy to implement and bring loads of fun and enjoyment for everyone. Children of all ages enjoy leaf jumping and best of all throwing leaves at each other doesn’t hurt the way some snowballs can!
Whatever kinds of activities you choose to do with the children you care for, get outside and enjoy the crisp fall air! If you would like to get a FREE FALL ACTIVITY PRINTABLE sign up for our email list! You will get exclusive access to our resource page. Whenever we come out with new free resources you will be the first to know!
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