What's your family's favorite way to celebrate fall? The weather can vary, depending on where you live, which can make it challenging to plan family-friendly activities for the season. But we’ve got you covered! These fun indoor and outdoor ideas will give you time for family bonding and support your child’s learning and development. 

Fall family activities with learning in mind 

1. Play a game with gourds 

Visit a pumpkin patch and pick out mini pumpkins and gourds with your child. At home, sort them together by color, shape, and size. You can talk about comparison here, too — help your child arrange the pumpkins and gourds from smallest to largest, and vice versa.  

2. Go on a scavenger hunt

The leaves are changing color and the air is crisp, making it the perfect time to get out and explore. Set up a scavenger hunt and challenge your child to find and collect natural items, such as leaves, acorns, and pinecones, or things of a certain color.  

3. Make a nature art project

The same items from your scavenger hunt can double as art supplies. Put them out on the table with paper, paint, and glue, and see what your child creates! Leaves are especially versatile — show your child the different things you can do with them, like using crayons to make leaf rubbings, tracing them onto paper, or creating a nature collage.  

4. Challenge the senses

Explore different textures with your child by putting a collection of objects together in a bin or box to touch and examine. Think: dried ears of corn and/or kernels, dried beans, leaves, acorns, rocks, gourds, or mini pumpkins (be aware of choking hazards). Name the objects and ask your child to describe how they feel. Use tongs, scoops, and additional containers to move the objects around. This activity is great for fine motor skill development and learning new vocabulary.   

5. Cook with fall flavors

Go on an apple-picking adventure and bring some home to bake an apple pie. Lay out the appropriate measuring tools and help your child read the amount of each ingredient you’ll need. Then, have your child scoop the ingredients into a bowl and mix it all together.  

6. Give thanks

Talk to your child about Thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful, and share what you’re both thankful for. Flip through magazines together to find pictures of each thing (or draw). Cut them out, glue them onto a piece of paper, and make a collage. If your child knows how to write, help them sound out the words and write each item’s name under its picture.

Fun and learning this fall

No matter where you live, there are plenty of educational and enjoyable fall activities. They’ll contribute to your child’s development by incorporating things like fine motor, language, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Plus, they’re fun for the whole family!