Fall Activities for Kids: Learning, Crafts, and at Home Fun

Fall is in the air, and that means it’s the perfect time for cozy afternoons, colorful leaves, and lots of family fun. 

Whether you're a parent looking for easy ways to keep kids entertained or hoping to sneak in some learning while making memories, this guide is packed with fall activities for kids that are fun, hands-on, and perfect for home.

Imagine this - your child runs full speed into a giant pile of red and gold leaves. They leap, they laugh, and then they say,

“Did you see how far I jumped? I think it was even farther than before!”

To them, it’s just a fun way to play! But you know what else it is? It’s learning. 

In that one moment, your child is practicing observation, sequencing, storytelling, and even basic measurement skills - without a worksheet in sight.

That’s the magic of seasonal play.

It feels like fun. But it’s also building your child’s confidence, curiosity, and real-world knowledge. 

So whether you're team pumpkin spice or just excited for sweatshirt weather, it's the perfect season to slow down, get outside, and create meaningful memories with your kids, or the whole family. 

We’ve packed this guide with fun and easy fall activities for kids that don’t just keep them busy - they support learning, creativity, and quality time too. We’ve broken them into categories so you can choose what fits your schedule and interests.

Download our free Fall Bucket List printable to check off your favorite things as you go. It’s the easy way to keep track of all the fun. 

 

 

20 Kid-Friendly Fall Activities (and what they’re really learning)

These favorite fall activities aren’t just ways to pass the time. They help your child build important skills - like storytelling, problem-solving, fine motor skills, and sensory regulation - all while having so much fun they don’t even realize they’re learning.

Below, we’ve included what each fall activity supports so you can feel good knowing fun and learning are happening at the same time.

Go on a hayride
Builds vocabulary, observation skills, and conversation starters. Hay rides also let you spot local landmarks, animals, and fall colors.

Visit a pumpkin patch
Encourages sensory exploration and descriptive language (“It’s bumpy!” “This one’s heavier!”). Pro tip: let your child choose their perfect pumpkin to decorate later!

Jump in a big pile of leaves
Supports gross motor development, sequencing, and storytelling ("First I ran, then I jumped...").

Carve or paint pumpkins with friends
Boosts creativity, fine motor skills, and collaborative planning. Bonus idea: use pine cones and leaves to make nature inspired decorations. 

Make a Thankful List
Promotes reflection, writing practice, and emotional awareness.

Watch a Halloween movie (Spookley the Square Pumpkin, Hotel Transylvania)
Reinforces story structure, character traits, and values. Make it cozy with blankets and apple cider.

Go trick-or-treating
Supports independence, social communication, and following directions.

Visit a local farm
Connects kids to real-world science, nature, and life cycles. Exploring local farms or your favorite apple orchard is a great way to learn about where food comes from too.

Go apple picking
Encourages sorting, counting, and using comparison language ("This one's smaller!"). Of course, let them taste test or try baking apple pies at home afterward!

Decorate your home for Halloween
Teaches planning, creativity, and fine motor coordination. A great way to practice independence in decision making.

Make s’mores over a backyard fire
Supports sequencing and safety awareness. Try it over your fire pit or at a local park with grilling areas. 

Have a fall-themed picnic
Encourages responsibility, food prep, and open ended conversation practice. Pack a thermos of apple cider for the full experience.

Attend a high school football game
Supports attention, observation, and social-emotional development. Great for practicing patience, and cheering with the whole family.

Make homemade pumpkin pie play-dough
Develops sensory processing, hand strength, fine motor skills and independent following of instructions. See our recipe later in this guide!

Try a spooky science experiment with pumpkins
Encourages curiosity, prediction, and cause-and-effect understanding.

Make a fall wreath
Teaches patterning, visual planning, and fine motor control. Add in leaf rubbings or pine cones for a seasonal twist. 

Read seasonal books together
Builds vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of language.

Bake a pumpkin pie
Practices sequencing, measuring, and real-life math.

Explore a corn maze
Develops spatial awareness, direction-following, and perseverance.

Host a fall-themed craft day with friends
Promotes collaboration, creative expression, and peer learning. This one is perfect for older kids too.

It’s ok to keep things flexible. You don’t have to do it all and your child doesn’t need every fall activity to be Pinterest-worthy. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most fun and can spark the most growth. Invite your child to choose their favorite things to do from the list. The best fall activities are the ones that work for your family.  

6 Fall Reading Activities That Build Literacy (and Fun!)

Reading doesn’t always have to look like sitting quietly with a book. In fact, when you combine reading with movement, play, or creativity, you make it more engaging - and when kids have fun while they’re learning, it sticks and becomes more memorable. Especially during the fall season, when books can tie into seasonal themes your child already sees in the world around them.

These fall reading activities are designed to strengthen your child’s early literacy skills (like vocabulary, comprehension, and sequencing) while keeping it light and enjoyable. 

Here are some creative ways to turn reading into a fall tradition that builds lifelong skills:

1. Go on a Fall Book Hunt

After reading a fall-themed story together, ask your child to list all the autumn-related words they remember. Then go on a nature walk and try to spot each one in real life, like leaves, pumpkins, apples, pine cones, or hay. It turns reading into a scavenger hunt!

2. Read Alouds as a Family

Make reading together a cozy ritual. Choose stories set in fall, about harvest time or Halloween, and curl up together after dinner or on weekend mornings.

3. Try Rhyming Games

Use seasonal words like "leaf" and "hay" to challenge your kids to come up with rhymes. You can also read rhyming books aloud and have them guess the rhyming words on each page.

4. Storytime + Sensory Play

Pair reading with sensory play to help fidgety kids stay engaged. Our pumpkin pie play-dough is the perfect way to combine both. Scroll down for the recipe!

5. Draw What You Read

Encourage your kids to illustrate what they're hearing during storytime. This is a fun way to help them visualize the story and build creative thinking. A great book to try: The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin.

6. Read Spooky Recipes

Reading a recipe together is a great way to practice reading comprehension and sequencing. Try it with our caramel apple recipe below!

Want an easy way to keep track of all these ideas?

 

 

Fall Crafts & Recipes to Make at Home

Crafts and kitchen activities do more than fill time - they support fine motor skills, build independence, and create opportunities for following directions, problem solving, and collaboration.

Plus, they give you space to talk and connect, which is where so much learning really happens.

The fall crafts and recipes below are low-prep and high-reward. Your child gets the sensory satisfaction of squishing play dough or swirling caramel, and you get to check “fun” and “learning” off your mental to-do list at the same time.

Pumpkin Pie Play Dough

This fall-scented play dough is fun to make and even more fun to play with. Bonus: It smells like pumpkin pie! 

What You’ll Need:

• 1 ½ cups flour
  

• ¾ cup salt
  

• 1 ½ tsp Cream of Tartar
  

• 1 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
  

• 1 ½ cups water
  

• 1 tbsp oil
  

• 3 drops orange food coloring (or a mix of red + yellow)

How to Make It:

1. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan.
   

2. Stir constantly over medium heat until the dough forms.
   

3. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and knead.
   

4. Store in an airtight container and enjoy with cookie cutters or craft tools.
   

Pair this craft with a fall-themed book for a cozy multi-sensory activity.

Gourmet Caramel Apples

These caramel apples look fancy but are easy enough for kids to help with, and they make perfect gifts for friends or teachers. (Get the printable recipe here!)

Ingredients:

• 5 green apples
  

• Popsicle sticks
  

• 1 package Kraft Caramel Bits or caramel squares
  

• Favorite toppings: mini M&Ms, crushed Oreos, chopped nuts
  

• White and milk chocolate chips (for drizzling)
  

Instructions:

1. Clean and dry apples thoroughly; insert sticks.
   

2. Chill apples while you melt the caramel.
   

3. Dip apples into the caramel, let the excess drip off, and place on wax paper.
   

4. Add your toppings and drizzle melted chocolate on top.
   

5. Cool completely and wrap for gifting—or slice and enjoy together!
   

Fall Outdoor Adventures for the Whole Family

Some of the best learning moments happen outside - when your child is racing through leaves, asking questions about the world, and breathing in that crisp fall air. Fall’s cooler temperatures make it the perfect time to explore nature together, whether that’s in your own backyard or out at a local park.

Here are a few more outdoor ideas to round out your list of fall activities:

Go on a nature scavenger hunt

This is a great activity for both small children and older children alike. Bring a clipboard, a pencil, and a printed checklist with items like acorns, red leaves, pine cones, and animal tracks. Encourage your child to circle what they find and write or draw notes about each item - turning this fun outing into a literacy and observation win. Access our nature scavenger hunt in our free learning center here!

Take a family bike ride

Pedal through a quiet trail or your neighborhood to look at the fall colors. Talk about how leaves change, point out signs of wildlife, and have your child describe what they see. This is also a good opportunity to practice safety rules and build gross motor confidence.

Collect pine cones and natural materials

Use these to make crafts or just start a nature collection. You can turn pine cones into owls, paint them, or glue them onto wreaths. For older kids, challenge them to create a story or short poem based on their collection.

Rake leaves together (and jump in them too!)

Yes, it’s already on the list, but raking can also be a lesson in teamwork, sequencing, and physical coordination. Make it fun with music or friendly races.

These fun family activities aren’t about checking a box. They’re about building confidence, expanding vocabulary, and creating habits of curiosity together—while soaking in the best part of the season.

Rainy Day Fall Activities to Keep Kids Engaged

Not every fall day comes with sunshine. But even when the weather keeps you indoors, there are still plenty of fun things to do that keep learning going.

Build a blanket fort and read inside

Let your child choose the books and “invite” stuffed animals to join. This is a great quiet-time activity for small children, and you can stretch it by asking questions about the story afterward.

Make pumpkin pie spice slime or sensory bins

Use items like dry oats, cinnamon sticks, or fake leaves to create a sensory play tray. Add in some plastic letters or themed toys and let your child scoop, pour, and explore.

Create a DIY board game

Have your child help design a simple board game using fall themes - apples, pumpkins, or spooky characters. Designing the rules is a literacy-building challenge they’ll love.

Write a fall poem or story together

For older children, rainy days are the perfect time to dive into creative writing. Prompt them with a title like “The Leaf That Didn’t Want to Fall” or “Trapped in the Corn Maze.”

Even on gray days, learning and laughter can still shine through.

Cozy Learning, Creative Play, and Family Memories

Whether you're heading to an apple orchard, wandering a corn maze, or reading a recipe aloud, you’re doing more than just filling the hours. You’re nurturing curiosity, building confidence, and showing your child that learning can happen anywhere - not just at a desk.

This fall season, we invite you to embrace the mess, chase the wonder, and make room for both giggles and growth.

Looking for more ideas that mix fun with learning?
Explore our hands-on subscription boxes made for early learners:

• The Preschool Box for ages 3–5
  

• Lil Readers Book Club for ages 5–7

Both are designed to bring seasonal fun and reading-based learning right to your door.

Why Fall Is the Best Part of the Year to Learn Through Play

There’s something about fall that invites families to slow down, get outside, and reconnect. Maybe it’s the beautiful time of year, the smell of pumpkin pie spice, or the fact that the season comes with built-in traditions like hay rides and cozy baking days. Whatever the reason, fall tends to be a favorite season for families to reset and create new routines.

When you take time to plan intentional experiences - even simple ones - you’re giving your child the gift of wonder. And you’re showing them that learning doesn’t only happen at school…it happens in a pile of leaves, on a bike ride, and around a kitchen table making apple pies together.

So whether you’re working through a curated list or just choosing one or two great activities, know this: you’re doing something meaningful. And your child will carry those memories - and the skills they gained - with them well beyond the season.