18 easy and fun fall activities for families that will make kids happy

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my whole disclosure here.

Inside: Discover a list of 18 easy and fun fall activities for families that will bring you many happy moments! Download the printable bucket list and start planning a wonderful fall!

One of the things I love about my kids is how much they enjoy spending time in nature. They taught me to slow down, enjoy long walks, pay attention to all the little flowers on the side of the road, and even stop to watch the ants on the trail behind our house.

Fall brings even more joy to my little ones because they like to collect leaves, acorns, and pinecones. They like spending time outside, enjoying the nice weather (and even the rainy days), and watching how nature changes. And I love doing this with them!

I can’t wait for us to enjoy many fall activities together , so I gathered here a little bucket list for this season! I’m glad to share it with you, and I hope that it will inspire you to try the activities as well!

18 fall activities for families

Creating a bucket list for every season is a wonderful way to be more intentional about spending quality family time. We created a spring bucket list, a summer bucket list, and now it’s time for a fall bucket list with our favorite fall activities for families.

Want to get closer to your kids?

Download a 7-day activity guide with easy and fun ideas that will help you connect with your kids, make them feel loved, and have fun together!

1. Have a fall-themed family photo shoot

You don’t need to spend money on a photograph to do this! Fall offers so many amazing landscapes, and you can take advantage of this. Find a nice place with many colorful leaves and create your own photoshoot!

In the end, you’ll get some nice pictures that will become great memories for you to enjoy!

photo credit: Evgeny Atamanenko / shutterstock.com

2. Decorate pumpkins

Pumpkins are in the center of attention this season, and kids love to decorate them.

I’ve discovered a lovely idea recently that I plan to try this year: creating a Thankful Handprint Pumpkin (from The Melrose Family blog). This is such an easy and nice idea!

3. Craft the kids’ Halloween costumes

I’m not a crafty person, but I love the idea of being able to build a costume with my son! So I was very excited when I discovered these Halloween costumes by Kiwi Crate!

We are big fans of their monthly boxes, and I’m glad that they also created these Halloween crates.

4. Jump in a pile of leaves

This is so fun for both kids and adults!

photo credit: Olesia Bilkei / shutterstock.com

5. Collect colorful leaves

Invite your child to collect leaves of different colors. You can create a nature basket and store them in the house for a while.

Also, you can invite the child to paint the leaves. (Here are some great process art ideas for more inspiration.)

6. Go for a nature walk

To make a nature walk more interesting for kids, invite them to go on a scavenger hunt. This will make things a lot more fun for them and for you too!

You can download a printable nature scavenger hunt from here.

7. Visit an apple tree orchard

You can go apple picking or just walk through the orchard together! You can also take some apples home and make an apple pie to enjoy at dinner.

8. Visit a corn maze

9. Read fall books from the library

We discovered many lovely books every year, and we plan to read new books this year as well.

photo credit: Evgeny Atamanenko / shutterstock.com

10. Go on a hayride

My son never went on a hayride, and I’m sure that he would like it a lot! So this fall I plan to find a place nearby where we could try this.

11. Bake some apple chips

This is an easy and fun activity for little cookers!

12. Have a fall-themed movie night

13. Create a Thankful Tree

I like the idea of creating a thankful tree, and I think that it’s a great way to teach kids about gratitude.

If you need some inspiration, check out this list of 10 thankful tree ideas created by Rhythms of Play. I am looking forward to creating our own tree this year!

13. Go on a fall scavenger hunt

I’ve found a nice fall scavenger hunt for young kids created by Raising Seraphim. It’s easy to prepare and it seems fun!

photo credit: Maria Sbytova / shutterstock.com

14. Collect acorns and paint them

15. Create a leaf suncatcher

I like this lovely idea from Hands On As We Grow, and we plan to try it.

16. Make a fall craft

17. Go on a walk in the rain

Kids always like to jump in puddles and dance in the rain! And you’ll have a lot of fun joining them!

18. Make a pine cone bird feeder

Teaching kids how to take care of the animals around them is a wonderful way to practice kindness. Here is an easy tutorial that shows how to create a pine cone bird feeder.

Download the printable Fall Bucket List

To make it easier to put this bucket list into practice with your kids, I created a printable list to download and display in your home.

This printable is part of our exclusive resource library.

To access the library, click the link below and you’ll get the password for accessing the printable file (and many other printable resources for kids).

⭐ Download the printable fall bucket list

If you are already a member of the Playful Notes community, access the printable library here using the password you can find at the bottom of any of my emails.