The fall season is the perfect time to slow down and enjoy the outdoor weather before it gets too cold to get out the door… especially for kids!
Here are 7 ideas for fun fall outdoor activities for kids:
1. Fall Scavenger Hunt
Make a fall scavenger hunt!
A simple idea that requires minimal prep.
You can either search for a pre-made list of outdoor items to hunt for or you can make your own!
After printing out your list, you can trek through the outdoors to find your autumn items and complete the list.
To make it even better, you could add a prize at the end for the person who finishes finding all the items first! Maybe a caramel apple, a cup of hot chocolate, or some other fall treat.
Another recommendation would be to bring a camera or phone to help you capture the moment and memories of when you find items.
2. Pinecone Hurl
This is a game where you try to toss or roll your pinecone closet to a certain target!
First, you have to collect pinecones to toss. You can gather as many pinecones as you’d like to toss in the game, with the same number per person. Depending on how many players you have in the game, you will need to collect different pinecones to distinguish which pinecones belongs to players. If you don’t have different pinecones, you can mark your pinecone with something else, like paint or a colorful string.
Once you have your pinecones, set a target– maybe a certain tree or rock. Anything works!
After you’ve set a target, take turns trying to hit or roll your pinecones closest to the target. Make sure to set a line of where to stand so everybody starts on equal ground. Whoever gets closet to the target or hits the target the most wins the game!
You can always save your pinecones to come back to the game on another day. You can also pick a different target then, making it easier or even harder!
3. Scarecrow Tag
Play a game of tag!
Instead of regular tag, this game of tag incorporates a fall icon– the scarecrow.
One player is nominated as the tagger. You can have multiple taggers if you have a bigger group of kids.
The other players run around trying to avoid being tagged by the tagger. If a player gets tagged, they have to freeze and stand still, with their arms and legs held like a scarecrow.
A tagged player can be freed from being a scarecrow if another player crawls through their legs.
A player is also “safe” and cannot be tagged if they crouch under another scarecrow’s legs.
The game can keep on going until the players are finished with it and time is called or if a new tagger(s) is chosen.
4. Donuts on a String
This game is for the sugar lovers!
Easy setup and an even easier clean up.
Pick out your favorite fall donuts, whether it be an apple cider donut, a pumpkin donut, or maybe the classic glazed donut!
Tie a string lightly around each donut and then hang the donuts up by the other end of the string. You can hang it to a low limb of a tree or low set beam. You want to make sure the kids can reach the donuts with their mouths.
Next, have all the kids line up next to their donut. Then, when someone says “go,” it’s a race to finish their donut first using only their mouth!
First one to finish their donut with just their mouth wins!
5. Leaf Rubbing
A classic activity to do when the leaves are perfect to admire and collect!
You’ll need tracing paper (or parchment paper or wax paper– different paper surfaces create different rubs), oil pastels (if you have them– they produce a different color effect), crayons or colored pencils, and a clipboard (or any hard flat surface).
You’ll, of course, need to collect your favorite leaves.
Once you’ve collected your leaves, place the leaves on the clipboard or hard surface and then cover the leaf with the type of paper you want the leaf print rubbed on.
Then, using whichever coloring item you’ve picked, rub it slowly over the top of the paper to see the outline of the leaf.
There you have it! To make it even more autumn-geared, you can use colors such as red, yellow, and orange. You can take it even further and cut out your rubbed leaves to hang them up as fall decorations.
6. Backyard Camping
Fall weather is the perfect time to do backyard camping!
Not too hot and not too cold yet.
If you have a camping tent, you can set that up in your backyard. If you don’t have a camping tent, you can take chairs into your backyard and hang a large sheet on top of the chairs. Spread the chairs wide enough to have room under the sheet, but not too big that the sheet won’t reach your chairs. You can use duck tape (or any other sort of sticky/tack item) to hold the edges of the sheet to the corners of the chairs. For a floor, you can lay down another sheet or use a tarp.
You can set up a bed inside your tent using an air mattress or by laying down a bunch of blankets and pillows.
Besides setting up a tent to enjoy the autumn night, you can make it even more of a camping experience by cooking outside, maybe roast some marshmallows if you have a firepit or whip up some smores. You can also enjoy the stars!
7. Autumn Chalk Decorating
This is a good activity for kids to get creative with!
All kids will need is chalk and a sidewalk, or any surface that they are allowed to draw on!
Kids can create autumn images with the chalk to share with people who pass by on the street.
They can draw fall leaves and trees, pumpkin patches, scarecrows, or anything else that they might think of. Blend the concrete into the fall nature!
It’s a wonderful way to share the creativity and the season vibes.
If you want, you can leave some chalk out for other people who pass by to add to the artwork. Then, you might end up having one big ol’ autumn design drawn!