Fall Activities for Toddlers: 30+ Fun Ideas

Hi everyone! Fall is right around the corner. This week will be the first week of September and before we all know it, Halloween and Thanksgiving will be here. So, this week my sister requested this guide to the best fall activities for younger kiddos! In this fall activities guide with over 30 ideas, I’ll discuss places to go, fun to be had at home, and cute crafts to make.

Outdoor Fall Activities:

These are some places that kiddos (both younger and older) enjoy going or outdoor fall activities that families can enjoy together:

1. Nature walk

• These are great for teaching about how the leaves change, about woodland animals, about the weather in fall, and more!
• While on your walk, encourage your child to gather different leaves, pinecones, sticks, etc. These will come in handy for more of the fall activities in this post.
• You can also use these printables from Lindsey Blogs for a nature walk scavenger hunt!

2. Visit a Farm

• Farms are so much fun for everyone in the family!
• Going to a farm in the fall helps teach about different animal habitats, different roles people play on the farm, different crops grown and how we get different vegetables, and sensory skills.
• Many farms have play areas where both gross and fine motor skills can be developed.
• Young kiddos can see animals up close or even be allowed to do things like help feed them.
• One of the fall activities you can do at home after visiting the farm is you can take pictures of the different animals while you’re there, print them out at home when you get back and have your child match up toy versions to the pictures. You could also talk with your littles about different animal sounds and sing songs such as Old MacDonald.

3. Go Apple Picking

• Some farms actually have apple orchards as well, so you can do both activities in the same day!
• Why go apple picking? There are so many reasons, but apple picking teaches about where our food comes from, helps kids (and us) get up and moving, provides a staple for fall recipes, gives our kiddos something healthy to snack on, and it’s a great family bonding activity for the fall.
• To hype up the kiddos, you could read a book like Hello World! How Do Apples Grow by Jill McDonald or Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss.
• Have your toddler pick out a yummy recipe that uses apples such as this apple crisp recipe from The Chunky Chef or this recipe from The Food Charlatan for fresh apple pie to make with the apples you get.
• Make sure to grab a couple extra apples for some of the crafts on this list too!

4. Go to a Pumpkin Patch

• This is one of the fall activities that my family looks forward to every year. We love going and getting hot cider and then picking out our pumpkins.
• In addition to your big carving pumpkins, if you plan to make homemade pumpkin pie, make sure you grab some sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins!
• Kiddos can also do cute activities with some of the small pumpkins that fit in the palm of your hand, so make sure you grab a couple!
• You can get kids ready for the pumpkin patch by reading books like The Poky Little Puppy and the Pumpkin Patch by Diane Muldrow or Bear Picks a Pumpkin by Zondervan.
• When the time comes, have kids help carve the pumpkins. You could also use the pumpkin guts for a fun sensory activity.
• Lastly, when you come home, an activity that’s great for young kiddos to get them helping out is giving the pumpkins a bath and washing the dirt off of them. You can find out more about recommended supplies for your pumpkin bath activity from Busy Toddler.

5. Go Camping, Glamping or Stay in a Cabin

• Camping or renting a cabin is a great fall activity for kiddos, especially as a last “hoorah!” to end summer and celebrate the start of fall. If you’re unsure of where to rent one, check out vrbo!
• This is a great way to spend undivided time together as a family.
• While going camping or staying in a cabin, there are a ton of opportunities to make memories and get outdoors by going on hikes, going fishing, etc.
• You can also make smores which kids love. If your state currently has a burn ban, this outdoor smore maker is perfect!

Now that we’ve discussed the fun places to go, let’s talk about all of the fall activities you can do at home too!

Indoor Fall Activities

As the weather gets colder and rainier, you’ll likely be spending more time indoors. With that in mind, these fall activities are perfect for a cozy day spent inside.

1. Fall Themed Sensory Activities

Here are some great ideas for fall themed sensory activities for toddlers:

• Pumpkin Pie Scented Cloud Dough Bin by Sharla at The Chaos and the Clutter
• Cranberry Scooping Sensory Bin by Views From a Stepstool
  • Keep in mind, this one is better suited for older toddlers as the cranberries can pose a choking hazard.
• Five Little Pumpkins Sensory Bottle by Nicole at Modern Preschool
• Harvest Sensory Bin by Fireflies and Mud Pies
• Pumpkin Squish Bag by Little Bins for Little Hands

Some supplies you may need or want for these ideas are:

• A large bin
• A slotted spoon or spider strainer
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Pumpkin candy corn
• Voss water bottle
• Dried beans
• Popcorn kernels
• Farm play set
• Ziplock bags

2. Read Fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving Themed Books

I know I’ve already discussed a couple books, but we love to read in our house. Reading is so important for so many reasons. It helps foster imagination, helps with language development, and the material of the books themselves can teach new concepts. We’ve started a new tradition in our family, where each year at the beginning of October, our kiddo gets a new Fall/ Halloween book. Maybe that’s something new you can try with your family as well!

In addition to the books I named previously, these are our other fall favorites!

• Baby Loves Fall by Karen Katz
• When the Leaf Blew In by Steve Metzger
• Halloween ABC by Jannie Ho
• Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex
• Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney
• Biscuit is Thankful by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Better yet, you could also turn this into an outing to the library which is a great activity any time of year. After reading your book, you could do a craft project relating to it too. Books are great transition tools that help prepare kiddos for fun outings or art projects!

3. Watch Fall or Halloween Themed Family Movies

I think this one speaks for itself! This is one of my favorite fall activities, especially to get my family excited for Halloween. You’ll be able check out my list of my top 31 favorite kids Halloween movies in a couple weeks just in time for October. I will say though, my absolute favorite is Hocus Pocus!

You could even turn this into a fun family night! You could make popcorn, apple cider or some fall desserts and have a small campout in the living room. And this leads me to my next idea…

4. Make Some Yummy Fall Desserts

Fall is my absolute favorite season for so many reasons. But one of those reasons is that I love all of the baking and yummy treats! Baking with my son is one of my favorite fall activities to do at home. In addition to the delicious apple crisp and pies linked above, these are some of my absolute favorite fall dessert recipes:

• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Quick Caramel Sauce from Kara at The Foodie Dietician
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
• Maple Glazed Donuts from Sally’s Baking Addiction
• No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecakes by Lil Luna
• Caramel Apple Bread by Butter With a Side of Bread

Cooking and baking are such important skills for everyone, boys and girls alike. Spending time in the kitchen is bound to make some great family memories and teach valuable life skills.

5. Talk With Kids About Gratitude

Like I mentioned, fall is my absolute favorite season. I think there is a ton of fun to be had and things to be thankful for. This is a great time of year to get even little kids thinking about the things that they’re grateful for too. And this could be something small you do every day and not just in fall or November.

I don’t think gratitude should be limited to one season or month out of the year. Thanksgiving isn’t even a top holiday for me. But I still think that it’s important to think about the things in life that you value all year long. Side note: There are some awesome gratitude journals out there that can help you focus on what you’re grateful for all year! A great example is this 5 minute gratitude journal that provides guided questions for you each day.

But how do we teach this to our younger kids? One of my favorite things to do is just talk about our day before bed. Talk about your favorite part! If you have an older toddler, you could do a turkey craft together and on each feather write something they’re thankful for.

And that leads me to my last topic…

Crafty Fall Activities

Some of the funnest indoor fall activities for kids are the wide variety of crafts you can do! These are 20 of the best crafts that I found from other family blogs. I do not own any of the following pictures.

• Fall Leaf Wreath Stations by A Dab of Glue Will Do
• Sponge Painted Thanksgiving Turkeys by The Resourceful Mama
• Handprint Campfire by Simple Everyday Mom
• Fall Leaf Painting by Minne Mama
• Halloween Footprint Paintings by Made with Happy

• Broccoli Stamped Fall Tree Painting by Glued to My Crafts
• Witch and Bat Suncatchers by Crafty Morning
• Pumpkin Apple Stamps by Frugal Mom Eh!
• Cute Monster Painted Pumpkins by Aubree Originals
• Cheerio Corn on the Cob by Glued to My Crafts

• Fall Themed Coloring Pages by Planes and Balloons
• Apple Pie Scented Play Dough by Views From a Step Stool
• Pinecone Spiders by Fireflies and Mud Pies
• Paper Plate Farm Animals by Crafts with Toddler
• Turkey Feathers Fine Motor Activity by Life with My Littles

• Name Feather Turkeys by Growing Book by Book
• Feed the Turkey Activity by Busy Toddler
• Pinecone Painting by Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
• Tissue Paper Fall Tree by I Heart Crafty Things
• Acorn Lacing Craft by Kids Craft Room

Supplies Needed

While each of the links above will show you all of the supplies you’ll need for each craft, these are some of the basic supplies you’ll want on hand:

• Construction paper
• Tissue paper
• Acrylic, non-toxic paint
• Canvases
• Paper plates
• Colored feathers
• Pom pom balls
• Googly eyes

In Conclusion

Knowing that Autumn is right around the corner makes me so incredibly happy. There are so many fun activities to do with toddlers in the fall. From exploring outdoors to cozying up with some apple cider, to making arts and crafts to hold onto, the fall is my absolute favorite season.

Which idea do you think you’re going to try this year with your family? Let me know which ones are your favorites! If you like the ideas you found here, be sure to check out my other family fun posts and subscribe for weekly updates. That way you can stay up to date on upcoming posts such as my favorite Halloween movies for kids (and favorite scary movies for me!) Also feel free to check out the links down below. Thanks everyone for reading! Have a happy September!

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