By Natalie Maughan
Although the calendar says it’s fall it has felt more like winter so far this season. Fall is one of my favorites so I love to pack in as many fall activities with my family as we can manage. With my toddler home all day with me while my older kids are at school, we’ve been getting creative with our fall activities this year since things are different here in 2020 and the weather hasn’t always cooperated. I thought I’d share with you some of the fall-inspired fun we’ve had lately.
Bobbing for Apples and Pumpkins
This was something I saw on Pinterest when scrolling through one day. Basically, I take the biggest mixing bowl I own, fill it with water and drop some small apples we picked at the apple orchard and mini pumpkins in the water. Then I give my little guy a slotted spoon and have him try to spoon them out of the bowl onto a towel. Fair warning: this one can get messy. Sometimes the spoon slips and a stream of water shoots through the air. He thought it was hilarious every time this happened, and I found it worth the clean-up. He was occupied for a good 30 minutes.
Army Man Scavenger Hunt
At the beginning of COVID we inherited a full army of army men from a friend. My kids love playing with them in so many various ways. A new game we’ve discovered is hiding the army men around the backyard and then going on a scavenger hunt to find them. My 6-year-old likes to hide them around the yard and then come inside to grab our 2-year-old to find them all. The toys need a little cleaning afterwards but it’s something that gets us outside and changes up the usual backyard games. Use whatever you have: dinosaurs, Barbies, Hot Wheels, etc.
Leaf Hunt
One thing my little guy loves to do is go for a walk and collect leaves. We have a little toy lawn mower with a storage compartment that he pushes down the block to hold all the leaves, pinecones and dead berries we find along the way. Collecting dead leaves seems to be a toddler favorite. Why not bring all the finds home and sort them by size and color? This will help with color recognition and sorting skills. For younger ones, like my 2-year-old, try having two piles: one for big leaves and one for small leaves. It’s an easy way to help develop cognitive skills.
Read a Book and Make a Treat
Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills is a cute board book for younger ones. It’s short but sweet, as are all the Duck and Goose books. This has become a favorite at bedtime lately. Check your library or Amazon for this one; read it and then make a pumpkin treat. We love this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies although sometimes we add butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips. Other fun fall books we’ve enjoyed are: The Apple Pie Tree, We’re Off to Find the Witch’s House and If you Give a Moose a Muffin.
Fall-Themed Crafts
After going for a leaf walk or after gathering leaves out of the yard, you can make a fall leaf wreath by cutting out the center of a paper plate and having your toddler glue leaves and whatever other treasures they found outside around the edge. Another fun fall craft is making falling leaves out of paint and q-tips. Draw a tree trunk on paper and then let your child go to town dipping q-tips in the paint and creating a falling leaves scene. Painting mini pumpkins is always a hit with my crew as well.
When the days aren’t too cold and before more snow flies, enjoy the outdoors with your little ones on a leaf walk or make a mess in the kitchen “bobbing” for apples. Let’s live up fall all the way until Thanksgiving. What fun things do you enjoy doing in the fall with your younger kiddos? Leave a comment and let us know.
All photos by Natalie Maughan.
