An awesomely HUGE list of FUN things to do this Fall for kids and families!

It’s Fall! 

Time for all those favorite Autumn activities we all love to do — and it’s also a great opportunity to enjoy some time together as a family too! 

With such a great mix of nice weather, holidays, seasonal day trips and changes in nature, we always like to pull together an ULTIMATE list of Fall crafts & activities each year — some traditional things that our kids LOVE to do along with new ideas for outings or projects that might just become your next favorite family tradition!

And we’re including a FREE printable “Fun Things to Do in Fall” activity planner for you too!

 

44 Fun Fall Activities for Kids & Families

There are just so many favorite things to do in Fall so I organized activities by category —

• Indoor Activities,
• Outdoor Fall Fun,
• Halloween Activities &
• Fun Things to do for Thanksgiving

The blue links will take you to sites with resources and more ideas for Autumn!  PLUS, we’ve included crafts, family outings, ideas for volunteering, seasonal ways to celebrate and affiliate links to a few of our Fall favorites too!

 

Outdoor Fall Activities for Families

• Go Apple Picking and then bring home your bounty and make something fun — apple crisp is our favorite!

• Head out on a Scavenger Hunt — choose from these 18 Autumn Scavenger Hunt Ideas (with FREE printables!)

• Hunt for the perfect pumpkin at an outdoor patch + read one of these pumpkin books that pairs perfectly with your outing.

• Leaves are falling everywhere so it’s the perfect time to make a leaf craft or create those classic leaf rubbings!

• Go on a Family Hike!  Choose a new place in your town and go explore together — here are a few great tips & activities for hiking with kids.

• Get lost in a Corn Maze — and while you’re there, snap a family selfie too.

• Try one of these 20 Awesome Outdoor Fall Science activities the kids will LOVE!

• Enjoy an outdoor picnic while you keep an eye out for animals as they get ready for winter.

• Attend to a few chores — Rake leaves and jump in the pile (and then rake them up again 🙂  or have your kids create a leaf maze they can run through!

• Learn about and search for owls on evening.

• Grab a flashlight and head out on a night hike {w/free printable activity}!

• Learn about migration by participating in a Citizen Scientist project

• Enjoy a campfire & make hobo pies!  You’ll need one of these cool Campfire Pie Iron Sandwich Cooker – we like the square ones because sandwich bread fits nicely. Try this recipe to make your favorite fruit pie.

• Go stargazing or look for the full (harvest) moon

• Create a Nature Exploration Tray

MORE OUTDOOR FUN  40 Outdoor Fall Games for Kids

Indoor Activities for Autumn

• Build a fort from pillows or blankets (or try some indoor camping activities the kids will love!)

• Decorate the house for Autumn with one of these DIY Fall Garland crafts.

• Make Apple Chips or caramel apples – yum!

• Cuddle up under some warm blankets with some great fall books! Actually, we love to do this outside too 🙂

• Drink apple cider in an apple — I know, such a unique idea your kids will really remember this one.

• Create some beautiful Fall Texture Art using items you have from around the house!

• Draw a map of the neighborhood and plan out your trick or treat route 😉

 MORE INDOOR IDEAS:  55 Fall Printable Games & Activities

 

Halloween Activities for Kids, Tweens, Teens & Adults

• Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown together!

• Head out on a Halloween Scavenger Hunt (free printable list for you!)

• Plan a Halloween themed dinner one night — have everyone wear their costumes too!

• Do Halloween Mad-libs together!!  (this is a favorite dinner activity for us – TONS of laughs!)

• Put together a Halloween book basket or schedule some read-aloud time!  Here are a few of our favorite NEW titles & family favorites:
  
  • Halloween Fun for Everyone (with the Cat in the Hat)
  • Room on the Broom
  • What was I Scared Of? Glow in the Dark version!
  • Snowmen at Halloween (NEW this year!)
  • The Magic Tree House: Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve
  • and if you have older kids who aren’t familiar with Icabod Crane, try The Legend of Sleepy Hallow 😉

   

• Count down the days to Halloween — here’s a free printable Ghost Calendar or try making your own DIY Halloween Countdown activity

• Challenge the whole family to this creative Halloween Drawing Game — also a great idea for a party activity!

• Carve pumpkins with one of these 55 Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils perfect for kids & teens!

• And then toast pumpkin seeds!  We love to try different flavors — our favorite is a little butter with cinnamon, salt & spices.

• Make your halloween costume

• Go on a ‘haunted’ hayride — there are scary and not-so-scary ones you can find near you.

• Show your kids how to do the Monster Mash or dance to Thriller!
  

• Decorate the front porch — try this HUGE spider web craft that also doubles as a treat holder for candy!

• Enjoy Family Movie Night with a not-so-scary Halloween theme — try a few of these kid-friendly titles:
  • Halloween Town
  • Spooky Buddies (for not-so-scary fun)
  • Disney’s The Haunted Mansion
  • Monster House
  • Hocus Pocus (perfect for tweens & teens!)
  • and who doesn’t love The Nightmare Before Christmas?!

• Donate that extra candy or craft with it using these 15 Ways to Get Rid of your Extra Candy!

 MORE HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES:  31 Free Printable Halloween Crafts & Games

 

Fun Family Activities for Thanksgiving

• Challenge your family and friends to a Thanksgiving Photo Scavenger Hunt with this free printable & cool twist!

• Donate to a local Food Drive or host your own neighborhood food drive

• Share family stories!  Thanksgiving is the perfect time to focus on extended family and kids just love to hear stories and see old photos of their relatives.

• Create a kid-friendly table decoration for Thanksgiving.
  
• Plan a family service project or RAKs to do together this month!  Here’s a great list of 30 volunteer projects & RAKS for families along with a free printable Gracious Giving tracker for you to use.

• Watch the Thanksgiving Parade together & choose which is your favorite float or balloon.

• Challenge the kids to a Thanksgiving Reading Challenge with this free printable activity!

• Make Handprint Turkeys (always a classic and a fun way to see how big the kids grow each year 🙂

• Enjoy some family coloring time with this Thanksgiving Color Jar & free printable coloring pages.

• Teach your kids about being thankful with one of these kid-friendly Gratitude Activities.

• Get the kids involved in helping for the big day with these Thanksgiving ideas & activities!

MORE THANKSGIVING IDEAS: 10 Printable Thanksgiving Games for Families

 

 

 

Use this FREE printable Fall Activities Planner page to jot down all your favorite items — enjoy the season!

 

Getting ready for the holidays?  Try these ideas —  25 Ways to Slow Down & Enjoy the Holidays