Last Updated on May 17, 2020 by Natalie
Fall is one of my favorite seasons to get outside. The weather in Ohio is usually crisp and sunny. The mornings are cool, but I often find I’m shedding layers by the afternoon. Autumn weather in central Mexico is similar (except it never freezes). I’m always looking out for great fall activities for kids outside!
I asked other parenting bloggers about their favorite outdoor autumn activities to do with their kids. It’s worthwhile to get outside more in all weather. Be inspired by the following moms and their favorite family fall fun activities!
Fall Outdoor Activities for Kids
Fun autumn activities for preschoolers, older kids, and even toddlers, by moms who have actually done the activity with their kids!
Disclaimer
Things to do Outside With Kids in Autumn
Bushwalking (Hiking) and Nature Craft
Felicity blogs at Baby Vine.
Fall is honestly one of my favourite times of the year. We are lucky enough to live near the bush and the trees are just gorgeous, and it’s the perfect time to take the kids on a bushwalk and do some activities together. We do this often throughout the season and the girls even have their own little baskets that they collect on their way out the door. As we walk, they collect all types of things into their baskets, filling it up with leaves, twigs, flowers and anything else they come across on the way. Of course, we can’t help but stop and play in the leaves as we go!
When we get back home, the arts and crafts come out. I get out the paints and crayons and glue and let the girls create their own nature piece from the things they collected. They have a blast doing this and love showing Dad the minute he walks through the door. It really tests their creativity and they are constantly exploring new ideas with each trip.
Looking for Conkers (Horse Chestnuts/Buckeyes)
Angela blogs about children’s books, activities and entertainment at Reading Inspiration
Photo courtesy of Reading Inspiration. Used with permission.
One of our favourite autumn activities is exploring parks or woodlands on the lookout for horse chestnut seeds — also known as conkers! In the UK the conkers start to fall in late September. The seeds are like small smooth brown stones. When they fall they are encased in a rough green/brown shell, with a quick crunch you can get the conker itself out.
They are nice objects to collect and our son has a stash of them. They can be used with other autumn collections for displays and decorations, but you can also use them in the traditional conkers game.
An adult will need to make a hole with a screwdriver or drill through the middle of at least two conkers. Then thread string or shoelaces through each conker. The word “conker” comes from “knock out” and the game goes back to the early nineteenth century. One player will let their conker dangle on its string. An opponent knocks their own conker against the dangling conker in an attempt to break it! The longest-lasting conker is the winner.
The game has been really popular in Britain in the past, but in recent times was banned in some schools in case the conkers were used as weapons. However, this is still a great game that kids can enjoy with adult supervision! Also, be aware that people with sensitive skin may experience a mild rash from handling conkers.
Checking out the trees, identifying the horse chestnut tree by noticing the conkers and their shells lying on the ground, and collecting the finds is still our favourite part of the activity. And after bringing home a few fine additions to the collection, getting cosy with a hot chocolate back home is also an autumn essential!
An Autumn Walk
Chris writes at More Life in Your Days.
One of my favourite autumn activities is to go out for a walk amongst the trees with my children. They enjoy playing with the leaves on the ground and finding ones of all different shapes, sizes and colours.
We take our favourite ones home and use them to make a piece of artwork. Our favourite is to use the leaves to make the spikes of a hedgehog. I think that this is an activity that children of all ages will enjoy and we have done it when camping with kids or just on a walk from home.
It gets you out in the open air and you can follow it up with a creative family activity back in the warm. Maybe with a nice cup of hot chocolate!
Apple Picking
Apple picking is the quintessential fall activity for me. The season starts as early as late August in Ohio, but I think it’s better when the weather has turned crisp and chilly. Usually, the apple orchards are still green and have plenty of apples left to pick. However, when the weather has turned colder, there are less bugs. My kids also really get into apple picking and we fill our bag quickly. Plus, most orchards in our area let you eat as you pick. It’s a great way for kids to try new varieties of apples that may not be readily available in stores.
Apple picking is my absolute favorite fall outdoor family activity. It’s also a big hit with my children.
Pumpkin Picking at a Farm
Divine from Live and Earn Canada. She writes about female entrepreneurship and is the mother of one gorgeous daughter.
I cannot believe that fall is here! With that in mind, finding fun and exciting things can be challenging as who wants to be out on a cold day? Well, my toddler daughter does! My favourite fall activity to do with my young one is pumpkin picking. If you have a little one, I would totally skip picking up a pumpkin at your local grocery store or opting for only indoor activity such as playgroups. Instead, I would opt for a half-day trip to your local farm to pick out the perfect pumpkin. They are plenty of farms that offer this service and all you have to do is look for them! Kids love it and it gives them the opportunity to pick out their own pumpkin to carve out.
Camping
Clara from Petite Capsule: https://petitecapsule.com
Photo courtesy of Petite Capsule. Used with permission.
Camping is a fun outdoor activity with kids in autumn. The temperature is ideal being warm during the day and cool at night. Camping means lots of cool adventures like putting up a tent, making a campfire, going on nature walks, taking a dip in a swimming hole, spotting wildlife, and building sandcastles and playing in the waves at the beach. It’s also great for increasing relationship bonds with family and friends.
When night falls, you sit around the campfire, eat dinner, and chat. You sleep in close quarters in a tent. You are away from the distractions of technology and everyday life. Being in a different environment provides opportunities for various learning experiences. Camping with kids in autumn is a highly recommended activity.
Autumn Hayride
When I turned 10 years old, my mom threw me a birthday party that included a hayride. It was awesome! Since then, I’ve been on a handful of hayrides. My toddlers loved their first hayride when they were around 3 and 4 years old.
You may be able to find hayrides offered at pumpkin or apple apple picking places, so you won’t have to try and schedule one yourself. Other options are farms that are open to tours. The hayride may be pulled by horses (my favorite) or a tractor. Kids don’t seem to care about the method of transportation, they just love to ride.
Flying Kites
Even though kite flying is generally thought of as a summer activity, we love to do it in the autumn. There’s usually more wind as we are heading into winter. That means it’s a lot more fun, since we can keep the kite flying high! Yes, it means we have to bundle up a bit.
Growing up, I didn’t have many opportunities to fly kites. In fact, I can’t remember any successful attempts. However, my husband loves flying kites and has passed that energy to our children. We’ve even found small kites that were perfect for the kids when they were toddlers.
Check out this amazing octopus kite!
Mud Kitchen
Mud kitchens can still be used during the fall months! Maybe there won’t be mud, but leaves, sticks, and regular soil will work just fine. It’s a lot of fun to have an outdoor hot tea (or hot chocolate) party with your kids. Set down a blanket if chairs aren’t available and make some warm memories.
Messy Outdoor Play
We also continue as much of our messy play activities as possible during the fall months. In early autumn, it’s warm enough to play in the hose and other messy activities involving water. When the weather starts resembling winter more than summer, we can still go outside to paint, play with slime or playdough, or kinetic sand. We can play in the sandbox or with sand in the sand and water table, too. My kids love to race their cars outside and make their own racetracks.
There are Many Fun Autumn Things to Do Outside with Kids
Before the cold winter sets in, get outside in the fall and enjoy these lovely activities. Take advantage of the autumn to those seasonal only activities, like apple picking and enjoying the fall foliage.
Let’s get outside and embrace the autumn weather together!
What are your favorite autumn activities with kids? What unusual fall activity would you add to this list?
