Do you love the autumn season as much as me? I am always amazed at all the great Fall activities for kids both indoor and outdoor this time of year.
Enjoy family activities like apple picking, carving pumpkins, take a fall hike, jump in the leaves and so many more memorable things to do in the fall with kids.
If you have time take a fall weekend getaway to watch the leaves change. Then hang out at home carving pumpkins and doing fall crafts with the kids.
Get inspired for Fall this year with 40 awesome Fall Activities for Kids. Make sure to grab our free printable Fall Bucket list too!
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40 Awesome Fall Activities for Kids
Outdoor Activities for Kids
Enjoy a fun day with the family at these outdoor activities for kids.
- Apple Picking – Find a local farm in your area to go apple picking. Then make delicious No-Bake Apple Slice Cookies with all your apples.
- Attend a local Fall or Halloween Festival – Google fall festivals near me and see what events are hosted in your area.
- Find your way through a corn maze. Kids will love the adventure of finding your way out.
- Pick Your Own Pumpkin at a local farm
- Head to your local Farmer’s Market and teach your kids about foods that are harvested in the fall.
- Visit a Zoo – Often local zoos host a Boo at the Zoo for several weekends where the kids can wear their costumes and watch the animals play with pumpkins. I know the Chicago Zoo’s both host a great Halloween Event – Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo
- Rake Leave into a pile and jump in
- Build a fort with sticks in the backyard
- Go to a local Botanical Garden and watch the leaves change and see the different fall plants.
- Fall Hike – head over to your local state park or forest preserve and take a family hike through the changing leave. Get tips on how to have the best family hike.
- Collect Leaves while on your hike to use for crafts later
- Try a haunted house – Do a little research ahead of time to see how scary it will be for the kids.
- Amusement Park – Find out if your local amusement park hosts a fall event. The Six Flags near us does a great job of changing the park into a Halloween theme in the fall. The kids love to see all the decorations.
- Go on a Hayride
- Build a Scarecrow – Get some hay from where you pick up your pumpkins. Pick out some old clothes and stuff it with hay. Tie the ends of the shirt and pants with string. You can use a plastic trick or treat pumpkin for the head.
- Decorate your yard for Halloween. Make it a family project this year to decide all together how you want the yard to look. Then work together to decorate. We love to use the pumpkin bags that you fill up with the leaves you rake in your yard. Easy Fall Decoration Ideas
- Costume Parade for Kids – See if your town has a local costume parade for the kids. Often a downtown merchant association will host these or your local park district. You could also plan a socially distanced parade for your neighborhood.
- Hide & Seek with Glow Sticks – How fun does that sound! It will be a kid’s favorite.
- Plan an outdoor family photoshoot and get your holiday cards done. Here are some cute family photo ideas.
- Visit a new playground in the area
Looking for a socially distanced Halloween this year? It’s easier than you think! Get inspired with our 15 Fun Halloween Social Distancing Ideas for Kids.
Indoor Activities for Kids
Some days the weather isn’t great in the fall and you need engaging activities for the kids indoors. Here are some fall-related fun indoor activities for kids.
- Make Pumpkin Cookies or fall treats. Here are my delicious and super easy 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Carve a pumpkin or decorate pumpkins with stickers and markers. We love the stickers because there is no mess and your kids get to be creative designing their pumpkins. They also last longer when you don’t carve open the pumpkins. Here are a few of our favorites.
- Bake Pumpkin Seeds – After you carve the pumpkin a delicious snack is eating your pumpkin seeds. They are super easy to make. First, clean your pumpkins seeds, dry them, and toss them in a bowl with olive oil. Then lay them flat on a cookie sheet coated in nonstick spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 Minutes. When they come out toss with salt and they’re ready to eat.
- Create your Halloween costume. Find tons of ideas on Pinterest
- Plan a Halloween party for the kids. Here are some fun party games I use at our kid’s school holiday parties and at home. Or make it a virtual party for a Social Distanced Halloween with fun Zoom Games.
- Halloween Mystery Box – Fill up boxes with mysterious Halloween fun and let the kids try to guess what’s inside. Here are some Mystery Box ideas
- Make an obstacle course at home for the kids to run through
- Hot Lava – lay pillows on the floor and have the kids jump from pillow to pillow not falling off and touching the hot lava on the ground.
- Decorate your house for the autumn season together. Check out How to Make Cheap Fall Decorations from Dollar Tree
- Sensory Table – Make a sensory table or bowl with dried corn, leaves, and measuring cups.
- Play the Game Left Center Right with Halloween Candy
- Visit a children’s museum in the area for their holiday exhibits. We love the Kohl Children’s Museum in the Chicago suburbs.
- Have an apple tasting with different types that are available in the fall
- Indoor Rainy Day activities – Get some fun rainy day games ready so that when it rains out your set.
Save some money while having a great time with your kids with our 60 Fun & Free Things to Do with Kids Screen Free.
Fall Crafts for Kids
Keep the kids busy with these fun fall crafts for kids. All are easy to put together, and the kids will love creating the fall memories to keep.
Leaf Rubbing – Have the kids go out and collect leaves from the yard. then place the leaf under a sheet of paper and rub a crayon over the leaf. Kids will love seeing their leaf come to life on the page
Leaf Handprint – Trace your child’s handprint and then have them decorate the handprint with leaves. The leaves can be the children’s nails or any creative way they want to decorate.
Apple Stamping – Cut an Apple in Half and dip it in the paint. Then use the apple as a stamp on a piece of construction paper.
Free Printable List of all these fun Family-Friendly ideas. Print it out and see how many activities you can do this fall.
Click here to print
Fall Weekend Getaways
Take a fun family weekend getaway this fall with the kids and experience the changing of the leaves and the autumn season. Often schools will have a fall break so take advantage of the longer weekends and make some memories with the kids. Here are a few of our favorite Weekend Getaways.
Door County, WI – Head up to northern Wisconsin to see the leaves change. We love visiting Door County. They have great state parks to hike, fun fish boils, shops, and beautiful beaches to skip rocks. Door County, WI
Lake Geneva, WI – If you live close to Chicago, Lake Geneva, WI is a fun place to visit in the Fall. Columbus Day weekend they have a great fall festival in the downtown the whole family will love. Lake Geneva, WI
Midwest Getaways – There are tons of places to explore in the Midwest to see the changing of the leaves while also keeping your kids entertained with great Children’s Museums, Zoos and more. Get Inspired with these 10 Awesome Weekend Getaways in the Midwest
National Parks – Visiting a National Park in the Fall is the ultimate place to watch the leaves change color. Drive, hike and walk through the parks to see the vivid color changes all around you. Your whole family will be in Awe. Here are our favorite National Parks with Kids.
Staycation – Or just plan a fun staycation with the kids on their fall break. Here are 40 Fun Things to Do on a Family Staycation. Be inspired to have more fun in your own hometown with the kiddos.
Are You Ready for Fall Now
Are you ready now for a fun-filled fall with memorable things to do with your kids? Use these 40 Fall activities for the kids and start your own autumn family traditions. Is there a tradition your family loves to do? Share it in the comments I love to hear from my readers.
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