Here’s a fall bucket list full of fun fall activities and autumn arts and crafts that kids from toddlers to teens are sure to LOVE!
Try the fun fall activities on this autumn bucket list with your children to support their learning or just for fun! Autumn is one of the best times to get outside to enjoy nature’s seasonal sights, whether the outing is for educational purposes or pleasure. And it’s also a great time of year to try a few new fall arts and crafts and a plethora of other autumn activities that all ages can enjoy.
The gorgeous array of colors, delicious smells, and crisp cool temperatures make the fall an enjoyable time of year. Who doesn’t love pumpkin spice and boot season? There are so many fun things to do at this time of year–we decided to update this list of autumn activities and create a new printable fall bucket list to go with it. It’s such a beautiful printable–we recommend hanging it someplace everyone can see it!
We switched a few things around and added a few new autumn-themed ideas here and there–but it’s just as awesome and easy to use as before. Please find a few classic autumn activities and some new ideas to try with our autumn bucket list of fall activities for kids. (Instructions for each fall art, craft, or activity idea are included.) You may also like our Winter Bucket List.
Autumn Bucket List: 30 Fall Activities, Arts, and Crafts
Use this printable fall bucket list filled with autumn-themed activities for kids and families to make it easy to get outside during this beautiful season or get busy with other crafts and fall activity ideas. Because it’s not ONLY a printable list of autumn-themed items to check off–it describes everything else you might want to know about each fall activity on the list, too!
They may only be 30 general autumn-themed ideas listed here, but there are hundreds of fun fall activities that you can try. So, enjoy checking off some of these autumn activities with the kids this season for the best autumn ever!
Get our fall bucket list printable HERE–> Printable Fall Bucket List. Or, get all four of our seasonal bucket lists in Home & School Tools for Kids—> HERE!
And, remember, this is not a must-do list–but a can-do list. If it’s not fun, don’t do it! Choose the fall activities you and your children would like to participate in this autumn, and ditch the rest! Learn more about each autumn activity listed by clicking on the blue hyperlinked text within each suggestion.
Related: Thanksgiving Traditions: 20 Fun Things to do on Thanksgiving
1. Go On A Scavenger Hunt
We have a few fun ideas for scavenger hunts in the fall. One of our favorites is searching for the signs of autumn. The sights and sounds of the changing seasons appear all around as the seasons begin to change. It’s become a game my daughter and I play as each season turns into the next.
We also have a fall scavenger hunt printable with pictures representing each autumn-themed item on the list that’s easier for toddlers and preschoolers to use. Or, enjoy one of the bird scavenger hunt ideas in Birding for Kids.
Another fun idea is to go out into nature to search for specific colors or shapes. For example, my daughter and I see hearts everywhere we go and have created a beautiful video of them all that you can see HERE–> Heart-Shaped Nature Scavenger Hunt.
Have you ever made a sensory bin with natural materials? Go on a scavenger hunt with the kids in search of autumn-themed items to fill a Nature Sensory Bin or basket. Or, learn how to make a Nature Sensory Card for toddlers.
2. Gather Treasures for Nature Crafts
Autumn is one of the best seasons to make fall nature crafts using natural materials. So, take advantage of the bounty waiting right outside your door. Or, invite children on a nature hunt in the great outdoors this autumn to collect some nature crafting materials. Collect acorns to make acorn marble necklaces, leaves to make leaf art, turkey leaf lanterns for Thanksgiving, or heart mason jars just for fun!
If you find leaves that are sturdy enough (magnolia leaves work well), use them for leaf lacing or sewing practice, or learn how to press and preserve autumn leaves and save them to use later.
For a list filled with lots of fall nature craft ideas–click the link!
3. Celebrate the Fall Equinox
The fall autumnal equinox, or Mabon, marks the astronomical beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere. Learn all about the fall equinox and fun ways to celebrate the start of this glorious season. Just click the link to learn more!
4. Attend a Fall Harvest Festival
Celebrate the fall at an autumn harvest festival in your local area. Farms, cities, and local schools in many regions put on a yearly fall harvest festival for the community to enjoy. Check your local listings or google “Harvest Festival Near Me” to find one in your county or state!
5. Create a Fall Nature Table
A nature table or shelf is an area in the home dedicated to nature and the natural world. Items collected in the natural environment or objects representing nature are placed on the table to be learned about, played with, admired, and enjoyed.
We change our nature table as the seasons change to reflect changes happening in the great outdoors. Some items are added and taken away throughout the year, while others remain on display all year. Learn more about ours HERE—> How to Make a Fall Nature Table.
Related: Acorn Peg Dolls
6. Paint with AUTUMN Colors
Paint with autumn or fall colors as a process art activity. Invite children to paint with watercolor, tempera, or finger paints using an array of autumn colors. Or, try any of the fall art ideas listed below!
- Invite children to paint a 2-color wet-on-wet watercolor painting with yellow and red.
- Use watercolors to paint a maple, oak, or beech autumn leaf.
- Make a fall tree art collage.
- Paint a harvest pumpkin or a Halloween pumpkin.
- or try any of these other fantastic Fall Art Projects for Fids!
Related: Halloween Art Projects Kids LOVE!
7. Visit a Pumpkin Patch
Going to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins is a classic fall activity for kids and families. We are lucky enough to live in an area where we can visit a new pumpkin patch every year, but of course, we have our favorites.
8. Find Your Way Through a Corn Maze
May pumpkin patches have a corn maze, while other corn mazes are located on a separate farm. A few corn mazes put on a haunted corn maze for older children and adults open at night–visit one if you dare–but beware! Find a corn maze near you and get lost with the whole family!
9. Take a Hayride
Going on a hayride is another classic fall activity for the whole family. You can often find a pumpkin patch with a hayride to do both fun fall activities in one fell swoop! Check your local family resource guide or google “hayride near me” to find one in or near your city or town.
10. Carve or Decorate a Pumpkin
Decorate or carve a pumpkin this autumn. Pumpkin carving and no-carve pumpkin decorating is a classic fall activity for the whole family to enjoy! Our favorite pumpkin carving tips and ideas are listed in pumpkin patch ideas and fall nature crafts.
Take the time to decorate for Halloween while you’re at it. Look at the fun Halloween decoration ideas listed below for lots of great ideas and easy DIY tutorials.
11. Decorate for Halloween or Harvest
Put out all the stops this season by decorating the house, front porch, and yard–inside and out–for Halloween or harvest! Try any of the ideas listed below to get started!
DIY Halloween Decoration Ideas:
- Halloween Spider Magnet Crafts
- Easy Halloween Ghost Crafts & Decorations
- DIY Halloween Porch Decor
- Giant Halloween DIY Spider Web Decoration
- DIY Halloween Door Decor
- Spider Egg Sac Halloween Decoration
- Gorgeous DIY Halloween Luminaries and Lanterns
DIY Harvest Decoration Ideas:
- Turkey Leaf Lanterns
- Heart Leaf Lanterns
- Thankful Tree with Real Autumn Leaves
- Gratitude Mobile
- DIY Thankful Tree with Clay Leaves
- Acorn Peg Dolls
- DIY Acorn Marble Ornaments
12. Make a Fall Leaf Crown
Here’s a classic fall activity for young and old alike! Make a fall leaf crown with children at home or in the classroom this autumn. Grab our printable with two autumn leaf crown templates on a single page!
Get the printable leaf crown and the instructions you need to put it together HERE–>How to Make a Fall Leaf Crown.
13. Dress Up for Halloween
Oh, come on, you know I had to choose this classic fall activity as the 13th on the list, didn’t you? I couldn’t help myself! But, did you know that Halloween is also known as All Saints’ Day, All-Hallows Eve, All Hallowmas, Samhain, and the Celtic New Year? And if you did, are you familiar what why or how the tradition of dressing up for Halloween began?
Halloween is a tradition that originates in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain is one of the four midpoints or cross-quarter days that fall within the seasonal wheel of the year and is celebrated between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. It was celebrated as a time to honor ancestors (the dead), light a bonfire, and wear scary costumes to ward off ghosts.
Several communities still celebrate this tradition and consider it the Celtic New Year. However, more people are familiar with the modern-day holiday tradition of dressing up to go trick-or-treating and scaring their neighbors more than they honor the fallen, dance around bonfires telling stories, and celebrate the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Learn more about the ancient tradition of Samhain HERE.
No matter what you call it or how you choose to celebrate it, Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. Today, people have come up with millions of scary and not-so-scary ways to dress up—trick or treating or not. So, dress up and enjoy the fun however you like to celebrate it–even if only in your own backyard!
Related: Glowing Halloween Pumpkin Sensory Bottle
14. Share Jokes or Scary Stories on a Dark Night
One of my favorite things to do as the days grew darker when I was a child was to tell jokes and scary stories on a dark night with my brothers. We would turn off the lights and do our best to scare each other or make each other laugh.
Are the kids driving you crazy now that they are stuck indoors after dinner? Then, please encourage them to give this activity a try! (Psst–sending them off with a big bowl of popcorn and a book of scary stories or a joke book always helps!)
15. Enjoy a Bonfire
The fall is an excellent time of year to have a bonfire. Many people celebrate the changing seasons and autumn equinox or Samhain (mentioned above) by hosting or attending a bonfire celebration. Learn how to build a campfire and keep everyone safe around a blazing bonfire HERE–> How to Build a Campfire and Keep Everyone Safe.
16. Roast Marshmallows
Roasting marshmallows is a classic fall activity for kids and adults. Children love to roast marshmallows around campfires on the campground, a fire pit in the backyard, and autumn bonfire celebrations. And, you can even roast them in your own kitchen if you prefer. So, get out the extra-long marshmallow skewers and a bag of marshmallows and roast them over a fire to put a smile on a kid’s face today!
17. Take Your Camera on a Hike
My daughter and I love taking our cameras on hikes and nature walks. The gorgeous array of colors across the landscape in autumn makes it an amazing time of year to get outside with a camera
. So get outside with the whole family and take pictures of all the fantastic autumn colors and nature’s seasonal sights!
18. Make a Thankful Tree Or Mobile
Whether you celebrate the Thanksgiving tradition in your home during the autumn or not, the fall is an excellent time to make a thankful tree.
Our daughter loves decorating trees so much that we make one for every season; A Christmas tree in the winter, an Easter Tree in the spring, a butterfly tree in the summer, and a thankful tree in the fall.
We have made a thankful tree with real autumn leaves and a thankful tree with clay gratitude leaves. Or, you can try a gratitude mobile. Make your favorite this fall!
19. Play in the Falling Leaves
The autumn wouldn’t be complete without at least one romp in the fall leaves. Our family loves to jump in the leaves, count, and catch falling leaves, and we have a slew of other fun ways to play outside in the fall leaves that the entire family, or class, can enjoy.
20. Bake Pumpkin Bread
Who doesn’t love the smell of pumpkin baking in the fall? Pumpkin pies and pumpkin bread are two of the most classic pumpkin recipes. Learn how to make homemade pumpkin puree to give your fall recipes a fresh autumn taste.
My family’s favorite pumpkin recipe is pumpkin cranberry bread. Try it today! I guarantee your family will clamor for its tangy-sweet goodness every autumn, just as mine does!
21. Pick Apples and Make Cider
Another fun fall activity for the whole family (or class) is going to the apple orchard to collect apples for crafting and baking. Check out these “Apple Orchard Field Trip Ideas” for all of our favorite apple activities, apple crafts, and apple recipes to enjoy the fruits of your labors!
22. Read Books About the Fall
Reading books that reflect the season is a great way to help our children learn about our amazing planet’s seasonal rhythms. Check out this impressive collection of fall books for kids to see our family favorites!
Related: Books That Teach Kids Important Life Lessons
23. Make Luminaries or Fall Lanterns
Halloween luminaries and fall lanterns are fun fall craft ideas for kids and adults. We have a list of spooky and friendly DIY Halloween Lanterns you can try. Or, make Turkey Leaf Luminaries, Heart Lanterns, or any other luminary you like. Then, use them to go on a Fall Lantern Walk!
24. Go on a Lantern Walk
An autumn lantern walk is a traditional fall celebration typically held when days get shorter and the nights grow longer leading up to the Winter Solstice. It is an autumn tradition celebrated worldwide that inspires a connection to the rhythms of nature, community, and the light within. Use the traditional lantern crafts, songs, and celebration ideas listed HERE to create your own lantern festival at home or in your community.
25. Practice Gratitude and Give Thanks
Practice gratitude in your home all year long with these activities and crafts, or check out this huge list of Thanksgiving gratitude activities and crafts!
26. Play Outside on a Rainy Day
Rainy day activities don’t have to be inside! If it rains where you live in the fall, get the kids OUTSIDE with this list of fun ways to play in the rain this autumn.
27. Spy on Squirrels
Spending time observing squirrels romp and play is a fun fall activity for kids and adults of all ages. But did you know that one of their most important jobs is to forget where they hid their nuts? The forgotten stores have helped to plant trees across the globe! Click on the link to learn more about squirrels and other fun ways to learn about them.
28. Enjoy Birdwatching
My family and I love birding year-round. We love to head out into nature in the fall and observe the large flocks of migratory birds passing over our heads as they head south for the winter. Check out our giant list of ways to learn about birds in Birdwatching Activities for Kids and Adults.
29. Curl Up with a Good Book and a Warm Blanket
Is there anything better than curling up with a good book and a warm blanket? So as the nights begin to grow colder and darker, spend your time with a few good books!
Here’s a list of chapter books for kids that adults also enjoy. Read them aloud to your children as the light continues to dim, or enjoy them between the warm blankets of your own bed on a cool autumn night. Oh, come on, you know you like to read great children’s books too! Who doesn’t love Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, or The Lord of the Rings!? I know I do!
30. Give Someone You LOVE a Warm HUG
As the warm summer days give way to the cool crisp autumn days, give someone you love a warm hug. Share the warmth and LOVE–I think we can all use a few more hugs these days!
Best Fall Activities and Crafts for the Fall Season
We hope this awesome collection of autumn activities helps you enjoy this magical season!
Get our fall bucket list printable HERE–> Printable Fall Bucket List. Or, get all four of our seasonal bucket lists in Home & School Tools for Kids—> HERE!
Or, Make your own Fall Bucket List filled with the autumn-themed activities that YOU enjoy MOST!!
Related: How to Plan a Powerful Daily Routine
Make your own Fall Bucket List
Fill your fall bucket list with all the full fall activities that YOU like the BEST! Here’s how:
- Brainstorm your favorite things to do in the fall–don’t forget to include a few of the ideas above!
- Write your fall bucket list down or type it up and print it out.
- Share your fall activity list with your family or classroom, and post it so everyone can see it.
- Make the time to do each fall activity on your list as a family by putting each one into your seasonal household rhythms.
Remember, this is not a must-do list but a can-do list. If it’s not fun, don’t do it. Instead, choose the fall activities you want to do this autumn and ditch the rest!
Our hope for you is that the fall season will be full of joy and togetherness!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
