As the cooler weather is approaching, there's a lot of cozy family friendly activities that you can enjoy indoors – but don’t count outdoor activities out just yet! Fall is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also offers this wonderfully crisp, cool air and lots of fun adventures! We’ve compiled a list of 10 family friendly activities that will get you outdoors this season to enjoy the foliage and the breeze!
- Head to your local pumpkin patch or favourite apple picking spot!
- This might be an obvious one, but make sure it’s lands on your fall to-do list! Ride the wagon, pick the biggest pumpkin or snag the most apples to make your famous apple pie. It’s one that the kids always love and have the most fun with!
- Leaf jumping!
- This is an easy and totally free activity that your kiddos will be sure to love. We all need to clean up the leaves on our front yard anyways, so why not make some fun out of it? Rake the biggest pile of leaves you can and have your kids jump on top! You can involve them in the household cleaning tasks this way too – have them rake it up again right after!
- Outdoor fall scavenger hunt!
- You can make a scavenger hunt whatever the season may be, but especially in the fall. There is so much that can be found – maybe a specific color of leaf, a certain size twig, or even a certain bug or animal that may be more visible during those fall months!
- Puddle jumping!
- Although it’s cooler this time of year, it can usually be wetter and rainier than ever – let’s make some fun out of it! Dress your kiddos in waterproof clothing and boots and head to the sidewalks. You’ll be amazed at how much your children loves it!
- Leaf collecting!
- This is one my son absolutely loves, and we have tons of leaves at home to show for it. Try getting as many different sizes as you can, different colors and it’s even really fun to gather leaves from different trees to compare what they all look like. You can keep them in a Ziploc bag, or even put them into a scrapbook to remember for years to come.
- Backyard obstacle course!
- You can definitely move this to the front yard too but have fun with it! Throw some hula hoops on the ground, layer some sticks to make a ladder formation and lay down a skipping rope for them to “walk the tightrope” on. Make it a competition and see how fast they can get through the course – they’ll love it!
- Bird watching!
- Such a fun and easy activity to get your children involved in is bird watching! Take turns by trying to guess what kind of bird you’re seeing, or even what kind of bird you’re hearing. Point out any nests you might find (but make sure to not get close) and talk about how the birds live in the wild. Try adventuring around your neighbourhood to find more species too!
- Bake some fall goodies!
- Did you bring home way more apples than you thought from your apple picking trip? Let’s get baking! Kids love to help when it comes to the kitchen, no matter what you have them do. With younger children have them measure things out for you, older kids can mix and stir and take over when it comes to whatever you decide to bake!
- Watch a Halloween movie!
- On those colder days or maybe the colder and rainier days, head inside and cuddle up on the couch with your favourite family friendly Halloween movie. There are so many to pick from – Nightmare Before Christmas (it’s definitely a Halloween movie!), Hocus Pocus and so much more.
- Set up a hot cocoa bar!
- These are the best to have fun with when the colder weather hits. Make your favourite cup of hot cocoa – you can make a peppermint version, a white chocolate one, maybe a salted caramel cup of hot chocolate? Then set up your toppings station: mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and more! Yum!
Fall is the perfect time of year to add all of these fun activities to a list and have fun with it! Making a fall bucket list is the best idea – make sure to check everything off the list as you do it. Don’t let the colder weather scare you away from having a great time outdoors enjoying some fresh air every once in a while!