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The fall weather days are finally upon us. If you live in the St. Louis and St. Charles areas, the weather is all over the place. For example, we are in the middle of September and back and forth between summer and fall. My kids are at the ages where they remember family traditions and activities that we have done in years past. I was driving one of them to school, and I smiled listening to her list all the fun fall things she looks forward to.
Our Favorite Fall Things
Halloween was of course at the top of the list. But, she also mentioned a few details I was surprised and happy to hear. One was the scented candles I have burning during the fall and even winter months. She talked about the fireplace being on, decorations, bonfires, and smells making the house so cozy. Then, we went into talking about a few fall fun activities and gatherings with friends and family we enjoy during the fall months.
Intentional & Quality Family Time
When our kids were little, we were able to squeeze in multiple pumpkin patches, farmers markets, and apple picking. Now that they are older and have a million activities on the weekends, we focus on quality over quantity time. We try to make the best of the time we have. This year we are going to hit at least a pumpkin patch or two, enjoy time with friends and family, and start getting our home ready for some fall fun.
As our kids get older and time is so precious, I can convince them to help do everyday tasks with us while having fun. Here are a few fun fall ideas that get things done, allow uninterrupted time with your kiddos, and make for great family traditions.
Fall Functional and Fun Activities
Fall Baking
- Bake a yummy fall dessert or breakfast. We love to make pumpkin cake and muffins, and my kids are great at helping with both of these. This year we are pulling out one of my mom’s recipes and making apple crisp from scratch. I would like to say we have time to pick our own apples, but I am going to be realistic and know that there is a small chance of this actually happening. Instead, I am just happy that we had time to bake! Including your kids while baking has many benefits. 1) It exposes them to new foods. 2) It teaches them how to follow multi-step directions. 3) Hopefully it instills a love for passing down family recipes as they get older.
Family Meals
- I love crockpot and stock pot cooking in the fall and winter months. This year my husband and I plan to double our recipes to have a meal to enjoy and several meals to freeze. I cannot tackle a whole freezer day batch cooking. So, just doing one a week makes it feel doable for our family. Here are a few items we plan to make this month: mostaccioli sauce, chicken noodle soup, chili, lasagna, baked spaghetti. I am hoping to find a new chicken recipe to batch and freeze. We plan to include the kids in making these meals. Our hope is to make it more appealing to eat the new recipes we are trying, teach them family recipes they love to eat, and spend time together.
Outdoor Fall Time
- Rake leaves and jump in piles. My kids love to help gather leaves for the pure joy of running and jumping in them!
- Fall scavenger hunt! I have been making it a goal to get out and walk and this is a great way to include the kids. They each grab a gallon ziploc and either follow a list that they make, find things on the fly, or I give them ideas as we walk. My kids love to collect rocks, leaves, and sticks. After we are done collecting, they usually turn this into some kind of game in the backyard. I let them roll with it. Ideas for the hunt: red leaf, yellow leaf, brown leaf, orange leaf, pine needles, acorn, pinecone, flower, rock, etc.
Sensory Play
- Make a fall sensory bin for them to explore. My go-to right now is a big Halloween candy bowl, black beans, and Halloween trinkets for them to dig and scoop. My older kids even join in with our youngest with the bins. I usually find all my items at the Dollar tree or Target. I will post ours in our social media this week
Pumpkins!
- Decorate pumpkins! This is endless fun that you can cater to the age of your child. You could place pumpkins of various sizes in a big plastic bin of soapy water for them to wash, have them decorate the pumpkins with stickers, glue pom balls, paint (finger paint, dot art paint, puffy paint, paint with a foam brush or paint brush), or carve with help.
New Fall Fun Crafts
- New activity- Leaf spray painting: I have not tried this one yet, but was intrigued. I will link it for those who are interested froFunm The Crafty Classroom.
I hope you all have a safe and fun fall season.