Outdoor Activities For Toddlers In Fall – The best time of the year! (Do you sing too?) I’m so excited to officially welcome you to my favorite season! When the weather cools and the leaves appear, it’s the perfect time to bring those babies outside. With school, holidays, and busy schedules, spending time outside can seem like a bit much, but making sure your child gets plenty of fresh air, exercise, sunshine, and (natural) vitamin N is more important than ever. To help, we’ve compiled a list of 100+ fall outdoor activities for kids! Items, activities, service tasks, treats, experiments and Crafts in this list are guaranteed to get you out and active, creating and exploring.
These fun activities are guaranteed to keep your kids (and you) entertained, learning, and active while outdoors this fall! This activity has been tried, tested and kid approved by the online Facebook community, followers, editors, authors and contributors! Plus, all the photos your kids post outside having fun are in the amazing Instagram community! A special thanks to all the parents who let us display beautiful pictures.
Outdoor Activities For Toddlers In Fall
While this post will give you all the details and variety of 100+ outdoor fall activities for kids, if you want a printable version of the list, click here and get a free printable list!
Days Of Fall Activities For The Whole Family (free Printable)
As the weather cools down, the days get shorter and seem to get busier with school, sports, and after school activities. However, getting out with the kids should be a top priority. Our family always makes a bucket list for fall, which includes lots of fun ways to get outside and be active together as a family. We’ve compiled a list of over 100 fun things to do outside with kids this fall! We have all the traditional fall activities and we spend dozens more than expected! We hope this list helps you plan fun outdoor adventures for your family this fall. And if we have forgotten something, let us know in the comments below, and we will add!
1. Jump on a Leaf Pile – Possibly the most fun and best outdoor activity, jumping on a leaf pile is a joy for kids! If your child is small, put the pile of leaves in a safe place for him. Make sure the ground below is soft (grass, not concrete) and remove any long/sharp branches, trunks or branches. If the children are older, they rake their hands and work on making their own piles. For extra fun, turn the pile into a shape (the number represents the age of the year) and take a photo next to the pile from above as a gift.
2. Watching football games – I grew up where there were night lights and there was a big problem on the football field. Spend an afternoon or evening cheering on your high school (or junior high) football team. Or go to your alma mater (or local college) and watch the evening football in the stands. Between the real game, cheerleaders, dancers, mascots and marching bands, football games are fun for the whole family.
3. Attend a Festival – Attending a festival is a fun outdoor activity for kids and families in the fall. Every weekend in September and October usually has no shortage of festivals. From fun music to fall-inspired food, festivals are a great way to support local businesses and vendors. Check your community’s website or local paper for details and find a festival that’s fun and exciting for you.
Outdoor Fall Activities For Toddlers
4. Fall Color Hike – Make the most of the beautiful fall colors by taking the kids on a fall color hike! Give a printout of the colors of the rainbow (or use a paint sample card) and ask people to find leaves and other items that match each color. Red, orange, green, yellow and brown will be easy. But can he find the color purple? What about black and white? It’s a great way to entertain and occupy the kids while hiking through the woods or local parks. Don’t have time for a long trip? It can be done almost anywhere – even in your own backyard.
5. Apple Picking – Apple Picking at our local orchard is one of our favorite family fall activities for kids! My kids are huge apple fanatics and we eat most of the apples we pick! There are many different apples to choose from, so plan your trip according to what is ripe for your destination. My favorite thing to do with apples is to make homemade applesauce. It is very easy to make and if canned, it will last for months. We also like to give apples as gifts and send them to school with the kids for breakfast. Check out this apple picking tips post on what to pack for a trip to the apple orchard, how to pick the best apples, and more!
6. Tree Matching Game – One of our favorite outdoor educational activities for kids is the fun tree and leaf game. All you have to do is collect different types of leaves from your local or neighborhood garden. Challenge the children to see how many leaves of different shapes and sizes they can find. Once you have the variety, it’s up to the kids to match the leaves to the type of tree they come from. Ask the children to look at the leaves that are still on the tree and match them to their shape. For extra credit, have someone identify the tree species using a local field guide or nature book.
7. Make Fall Scented Play Dough – Playdough is a fun sensory activity that can keep one busy for hours. Even big kids love to play with it, especially if it’s soft and fragrant! There are many creative, non-toxic, safe Play-Doh recipes for any age or season. I love the many fall flavors like cinnamon, maple, pumpkin spice, caramel apple, hazelnut, clove, and nutmeg. Playdough is really easy to make and can be stored for a while in a plastic container with a lid.
Fabulous Fall Crafts For Kids
8. Go Horseback Riding – Horseback riding is a great way to explore the outdoors and get your daily dose of nature. There is also something special about spending time with horses. They are beautiful and fascinating creatures, sure to delight children. Check out local barns for opportunities to ride children’s horses. Some cages will have a minimum age for riding alone, but many allow young children to ride with adults.
9. Bob for Apples – Looking for something fun to do with all the apples you picked in the garden? How about bobbing for apples? This outdoor party game is a fall party staple and one that every kid (and adult) should try at least once! All you have to do is fill a bowl or tub with water and add some apples. Apple bobbing involves putting your head in a tub of water, biting the apple without using your hands, and putting it in your mouth. The time limit is usually 2 minutes. Or you can move based on how long it takes to catch the apple. The first person to get the apple (or the fastest), wins the game!
10. Track the Phases of the Moon – While the days are shorter I usually don’t do much, but you can do fun outdoor activities with the kids in the dark. The fun part is tracking the phases of the moon. Children are always curious about the night sky, especially the moon. My kids always wonder why they can’t see the moon at night, how they can see the moon during the day, and why it’s always a different size (and a different position). A great project to do in the fall is to track the progress of the moon using a simple moon journal. Just have your children observe the moon every night and note the changes that occur during the days. The moon takes 29.5 days to cycle from new moon to new moon, so keep track of the months and then discuss your findings together. The autumn full moons are called the Harvest Moon (September), the Hunter Moon (October) and the Frost Moon (November).
11. Go for a bike ride – Now that the weather is getting colder, consider going on a long bike ride with the kids. Fall is the perfect time to explore a new bike trail or take a day trip from your favorite pack a picnic lunch or go tailgating with one