As the leaves start to change colour and school heads back in full swing, we turn our thoughts to fall activities we can do with our kids. Give them something to look forward to with the ultimate fall bucket list for families. From sipping hot cider, and searching for the perfect pumpkin, to fall fairs, and cool hiking weather with fewer bugs. There are so many fun fall activities for kids and adults this time of year. We’ve pulled together a list of 75+ family friendly adventures you can cross off your list this season.
Disclosure: Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you click one of the links and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you! See full disclosure and disclaimer policy here.
FALL BUCKET LIST IDEAS
10 Indoor Fall Activities for Kids
Fall is the perfect time to curl up in front of a fire, or snuggle up in a cozy blanket and read a good book. It’s a good idea to have a few indoor fall activites for kids on hand,
1. Bob for apples
Bobbing for apples reminds me of Hallowe’een Parties as a kid. If you don’t want to share water, hang donuts up on string and get the kids to try to eat them with no hands. A yummy fall bucket list idea.
2. Watch a Fall movie marathon
Some of our kid family favorite Fall movies include Hocus Pocus, Hallowe’en Town, Coco, Over the Moon and It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.
3. Learn a new skill
It’s always a good time to stretch your brain. Try your hand at pottery, indoor rock climbing, embroidery.
Or learn a new language to a place you plan on visiting soon, or sign language.
4. Knit a scarf or hat
Be prepared for the cozy time, by knitting a scarf or hat, you all can wear through the cool months.
My daughter loved this hat knitting kit we bought her for Christmas last year. Or try a beginners scarf knitting kit.
5. Host a Fall themed party
Invite some friends and/or family over for a themed party. Looking for ideas? Try:
- Caramel apple making party
- Pumpkin carving or painting party
- Fall party games night with themed snacks
- Fall craft party – put together some easy fall crafts and make a party out of it
6. Read Fall Books
Cozy up on the couch and read together with some fall favorites:
- The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival by Christina Matula & Pearl Law – Two sisters are excited to celebrate the autumn Chinese festival, as they listen to their Ah-ma’s stories and eat mooncakes.
- The Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert – Follow the gusty journey of Leaf Man, then head outside for a leaf collecting walk.
- All’s Faire in Middle School graphic novel by Victoria Jamieson – Follow up to Roller Girl which we also loved.
- Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate – An oak tree and a crow help their neighbors embrace their differences in this beautiful, nuanced middle-grade novel.
7. Have a games night
Put on your game party hats. Use your favorite at-home games or try something seasonal like pincone bowling, dress-up relays, flashlight tag, or minute to win it games.
8. Color in seasonal coloring books
Coloring can be a calming activity after too many candy treats this season. Pick up some FREE Fall or Hallowe’en coloring pages you can print off at home.
9. Paint your nails Fall colors
Liven up your wardrobe with some fancy nail colors. Sparkly purple by Piggy Paint is a favorite non-toxic nail polish option in our household.
10. Learn about the Fall Equinox
Invite some curiosity, and learn some cool facts about the Autumnal Equinox.
The Fall also happens to be one of the best times to see the Northern Lights.
FREE Fall Bucket Lists {Printable}
Don’t miss out on your favorite fall activities this season.
Grab your free Fall Bucket List ideas and printables, that will help you put a little more adventure in your life, without breaking the bank.
AUTUMN BUCKET LIST
Fall Crafts for Kids
No fall activity list for kids is complete without some craft time. Supplies you will need:
- Construction paper in Fall colors.
- scissors
- glue or tape
- crayons and/or pencil crayons
- Non-toxic paint (washable for the youngest ones)
- Nature materials
1. Make apple stamps
Cut your apples in half and dip the flat side in paint to make cool patterns, and pictures.
2. Make leaf rubbings
Head out on a neighbourhood nature walk. Grab pretty fall leaves to bring back home.
Just place thin paper over the leaf and rub gently with a crayon or pencil crayon to make leaf rubbings.
3. Decorate trick or treat bags
Grab some paper lunch bags or small brown paper gift bags with handles. Then decorate with felts, Hallowe’en stickers or other themed materials.
4. Make Pine Cone Bird Feeders
Those little birds get hungry in the Fall. Make bird feeders out of large pinecones, slathered in peanut butter and sprinkled with birdseed.
You can even do the same with a clean empty toilet paper roll.
5. Paint or Draw a fall themed picture
Pull out the paints, crayons or felts and let your imaginations soar.
6. Make a wreath
Grab some materials from nature, or your local craft store and make a fall or Hallowe’en themed wreath. Think yellow leaves, acorns, skulls, pumpkins and the like.
7. Draw handprint turkeys
Trace or dip your kids hands in paint to make hand print turkeys. Just add eyes, feet and the dangly wattle.
8. Hand Print Wreaths
Continuing along the handprint craft theme are Hand Print Wreaths.
Trace your kids handprints, make multiple and shape them into a Fall wreath.
10+ Hallowe’en Bucket List for Kids
A family tradition for my brother’s and I growing up was to watch Michael Jackon’s Thriller video, each Hallowe’en. I know, I’m dating myself.
Then we’d dance around the room with Thriller arms, cackling madly. If you know……..you know!
Create some yearly traditions your family can look forward to, with these Hallowe’en bucket list ideas:
- Watch Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and practice your Thriller arms
- Create a Hallowe’en music playlist
- Host or attend a Hallowe’een Party
- Make your own Hallowe’en costumes
- Watch a scary or Hallow’een movie
- Carve pumpkins
- Make handprint witches
- Make slime
- Eat monster pancakes (add food coloring to the pancakes & candy eyes, candy corn horns for decoration)
- Make ghost footprint art – dip your feet in white paint, and place toes down on the paper. Add eyes & ghostly features.
- Play the Marshmallow toss game – Use mini marshmallows & line up cups
Bonus: Play wrap the mummy game
Get players into even teams. Choose one player to be the “mummy.” The goal of the game is to see who can be the first team to wrap their mummy up, using a full toilet paper roll.
Winner is the first team to use up all their toilet paper, and have their team mate wrapped up like a muumy.
15 Outdoor Fall Family Bucket List Ideas
1. Jump in Leaf Piles
While not the most original activity, it’s one that both kids and adults love.
Get your kids to hel you rake up the leaves into piles, and then run or jump through them.
2. Create a Fall Scavenger Hunt.
Scavenger Hunts can be a great way to get the kids excited about heading outdoors. Create your own or grab a free printable scavenger hunt game.
For older kids, a fall photo scavenger hunt can get them in the mood to explore outdoors.
Add teams to up the fun factor.
3. Take a hike
Fall is cooler and with less bugs, so often one of the best times to go hiking in the woods, around a pond or on a mountain top.
4. Play at a new playground
Get out of your regular routine and neighbourhood. Explore a new to you playground in your town, or a town close by.
You can even make a day trip of it and choose a restaurant with yummy seasonal food offerings for snak or lunch.
5. Play at an old playground
A great way to teach your kids mindfulness is to be quiet and observant to what’s around them.
Visit a playground you are familiar with, and see if you can notice anything different. Use all your senses. Close your eyes.
6. Go for a Fall walk & Collect Leaves
Take a walk around your neighbourhood or in the woods and collect fall leaves to take home and press.
7. Plant bulbs or garlic for Spring
Fall is the perfect time to get your garden ready for next Spring. Plant some flower bulbs or garlic in your garden beds, for colorful surprises.
8. Set up a bonfire night & eat s’mores
Grab your flannel, blankets and pull up your favorite camp food and camp chairs for a backyard bonfire. Swap ghost stories and spend some quality time with friends, family & neighbours.
Don’t forget to pack your s’mores kit for the kids, and some fancy coffee / hot toddys for the adults.
9. Go on a Hayride
Yee haw! Can you smell the hay and horses now? Combine a hay ride with a visit to a pumpkin patch and you have a winning combo.
10. Decorate your front porch
Bring out your Martha Stewart vibes, and decorate your front porch.
11. Fall photo shoot
Grab your camera and take some iconic fall family photos. The grandparents will thank you.
Or even better, hire a local photographer to take some professional photos of everyone, in the same picture. Like we have maybe 5 photos of us all together…why is it so hard?!?!
12. Run a 5K race in costume
There are many a fall family run across Canada and the US you can join. Wear a team costume for even more brownie points.
13. Go on a picnic
It’s never a bad time for a picnic (well almost). Pack up the kids, their favorite snacks and picnic foods and head out to your favorite picnic spot.
If you are in Victoria, BC Canada in late October, head out to Goldstream for a hike & picnic and to watch the salmon run.
14. stargaze
Grab a blanket and head out of town a bit to escape the lights to take in the Fall night sky. Do some stargazing. If you have a telescope, bring it along.
15. Visit a Haunted House
If you are feeling brave visit a nearby haunted House, or haunted corn maze.
10 Fall Food Activity Ideas for Families
Fall to me is the smell of applesauce and apple pies baking away in the kitchen. Of our family sitting around the table peeling endless apples into bowls of lemon water.
Food can evoke potent memories, and it’s a fantastic way to celebrate the season. Here are 10 food activities for fall your kids will love:
- Make candy apples
- Bake pumpkin spice muffins or bread
- Roast pumpkin seeds
- Drink warm apple cider
- Create your own fancy Fall drink
- Make apple pies or applesauce
- Have a chili bake off with family or friends
- Eat candy corn & your favorite Hallowe’en candy
- Bake Hallowe’en cookies
- Hold a themed potluck
10 Fall Travel Bucket List Ideas for Families
1. Go Apple Picking
Apple picking reminds me of visiting my grandparents in Victoria, BC, Canada in the fall. We would gather up all the fallen apples and take them home to make pies and applesauce.
There are many spots in the Canada and US to go apple picking.
2. Explore a pumpkin patch
Find the perfect pumpkin for carving in a pumpkin patch. Most farms also have other fall activites like hay rides, and seasonal food you can try out too.
3. Be a-MAIZE-d in the Corn Fields
Find your way through a corn maze. Get lost and found. There’s even creepy haunted corn mazes if you dare!
4. Take a Fall Foliage Road Trip
Take a scenic fall foliage drive or plan a scenic road trip to enjoy the magnificence of the changing colors and the beauty of the fall season.
Smuggler’s Notch mountain pass near Stowe, Vermont and the Acadia Loop Road in Acadia National Park are popular New England spots.
5. Visit a National Park or State Park
Often times visiting a National Park or State Park in the fall can be a quieter and more pleasant experience without all the crowds.
Just avoid the parks with peak foliage, and be mindful that amenities and activites often start to slow down heading into fall and winter months.
6. Attend a fall Fair
When I think of Fall Fairs I think of huge pumpkins, jam and pie making contests, and farm animals. But there are plenty of different types to choose from.
Fall and harvest fair are one of the best ways to celebrate the season with your family and friends.
See over 7,000 carved pumpkins at New York’s Great Jack o’Lantern Blaze, or the Seafood Fest and Jack O’Lantern Spectacular in Rhode Island in October.
Try some craft beer at the Oktoberfest, in Leavenworth, Washington, or the ride a hot air balloon during the Natchez Balloon Festival in Mississippi.
Those are just a few of many. Are there any in your area you can check out?
7. Take a Fall camping trip
Cooler weather and no bugs makes for better camping. Check out our camping with kids hacks and tips for an even easier experience. Be sure to bring some easy make ahead meals, to avoid spending your whole camping trip cooking.
8. Enjoy a weekend getaway
Take your family on a weekend getaway. It doesn’t have to be far. Local hotel for a night that has a pool, a cozy cabin in the mountains, or maybe a short hop away at a resort.
Prices are often cheaper in Fall, in that in between time between summer and Christmas.
9. See Fall Colors from a Mountain Top
The Hills are alive………….
Hitch a ride on a gondola to the the top of a mountain and shout your Fall wishes
10. Visit Acadia National Park in the fall
Visit Acadia National Park in Fall to appreciate the true New England beauty.
15 Acts of Kindness to Do This Fall
Doing acts of kindness can help teach your children to empathize with people’s situations. It can also help them learn to be grateful for what they do have, and can boost feelings of confidence, happiness and optimism.
Here are 15 acts of kindenss to this fall with your family:
- Donate lightly used warm clothing to shelters
- Write a letter or make a card and give to an elder in your neighbourhood
- Offer to rake up a neighbours leaves
- Drop off some Fall or Hallowe’en themed coloring books, and crayons at a woman’s shelter or organization
- Donate to your local food bank
- Donate spare veggies from your garden to a food bank, or local shelter
- Compliment someone
- Adopt a street or a park and clean up the litter
- Write a thank you note to a teacher, fire fighter, crossing guard, someone who helps your community
- Give your old blankets to an animal shelter
- Do chores for a family member
- Offer to help a neighbour clean up their garden
- Walk dogs at the local SPCA
- Write 3 things you are grateful for about each family member, then gift it to them
- Bake pumpkin spice muffins and give them to a neighbour or someone who could use them.
Fall Bucket List for Families (+ Free Bucket List Printables)
Packed for Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca, amazon.co.uk
