Fall is my favorite time of the year. It’s my preferred season and my ideal weather. I look forward to the leaves changing from green to orange, yellow, and red and watching my neighborhood calm down from the summer excitement. I get to wear warm sweaters that keep me warm from the autumn breeze. And in my happy place, I’m watching my favorite movie on the sofa with a warm cup of tea.
The air is crisp now, and time feels to slow down a bit. Our bodies gradually yearn to stay in and cozy up in our homes. Yet, we don’t want to miss out on all the great activities that only happen in autumn. I created our fall bucket list, so we don’t miss out on all the fun.
Our fall bucket list came about five years ago. My fourth child was two years old, and he was now old enough to enjoy family activities. We’d had Christmas traditions we looked forward to every year, but we needed Fall ones to relish as well. I scoured the web for great ideas and compiled this list I knew my family would like. We don’t complete the list every year, but we pick and choose what we’d prefer to do each year.
Our Family Fall Bucket List
1. Rake your Leaves
Make it fun to rake leaves from your lawn. I think it’s nostalgic to watch kids gather up the leaves and throw them up in the air like falling rain. And after they’ve had their fun, they can help rake it up again.
2. Decorate the House and Porch for Fall
Decorating for the fall is always a joy for me. I look forward to creating a place where the season welcomes you home. Plus, fall brings out the best warm color tones to decorate your home with; burnt oranges, brick reds, mustard yellows, and browns.
3. DIY Fall Crafts
Themed crafts make the season more enjoyable for kids. Pinterest has the best fall ideas; leaf garlands, paper bag scarecrows, faux fire pits for roasting fake marshmallows, and fall windchimes.
I hang all my children’s creations on our dining room walls as part of our fall decor.
4. Color Fall Themed Coloring Sheets
Coloring sheets are more for the little ones. I usually print out fall pictures for my youngest to color and hang them on our dining room walls as Fall art pieces. My children always feel special that their pictures are part of our fall decorations.
5. Visit a Fall Festival / Farm
Fall festivals remind me of country living, and I love the idea of community in them.
Farms are great for hayrides, pumpkin picking, apple picking, the corn maze, and best of all, feeding and interacting with the farm animals.
6. Make Fall Slime or Playdough
What kid doesn’t enjoy playing with slime or playdough? Creating them adds to the enjoyment and becomes a STEM project—Win-win in my book.
7. Use Salt Dough to Make Fall Ceramics
Creating a salt dough is super easy. I found this salt dough recipe on Pinterest. Once you have your dough ready, your options are limitless. You can create color leaf impressions, ornaments, fall handprints, leaf bowls, and more.
8. Collect Leaves and Make Some Art w/Them
One year, my son brought me a leaf man he created in preschool. It was such a great idea I had to add it to our list.
9. Take a Nature Walk
Taking a nature walk any time of the year is an excellent reminder of the beauty God surrounds us with daily. We should carve out more time to appreciate his work.
10. Attend Harvest Celebration at Church
My family and I look forward to our church harvest celebration every year. We have such a great time with our church family and enjoy trying to win all our tricky tray baskets of choice.
11. Attend Fall Library Events
There is always something fun to do at the library. Check out your local library and enjoy some spooky storytelling, fall crafts, and much more.
12. Roast Marshmallows and Have a Backyard Campfire
Roasting Marshmallows is better in the fall. The weather is more suitable for sitting around the campfire.
13. Bake a Fall Treat
My children enjoy baking from scratch and decorating their desserts. A few of their favorites are Rice Krispies treats with fall color sprinkles, sugar cookies in fall-inspired shapes, and pumpkin pie.
14. Take a Fall Family Photo
Most people enjoy a Christmas background for their family photos. I would rather have a fall backdrop for our family photos; they feel more homey and picturesque.
15. Have a Family Game Night
Family game night is fun all year round. But it’s more fun with a crowd. Our family favorites are battling it out on Guitar Hero, having a dance battle on Just Dance, and battleship.
16. Create a Thankful Tree
A thankful tree is a way to remind our children that everything we have is a blessing. Each leaf on the tree will have one thing someone is grateful for in their life. It’s a great way to show gratitude for even the things we take for granted, like clean drinking water and electricity. We have a Give Thanks Tree Countdown Calendar from pottery barn kids, but you can also make one. There are some great DIY ones on Pinterest.
17. Have a Video Game Marathon
My kids love video games; this is one of the few times I sit and play with them.
18. Learn the History of Thanksgiving
It’s always important to learn the history behind any tradition.
19. Host Thanksgiving Dinner
Hosting a dinner can be a big job. Still, it’s worth the time once your family and friends arrive.
The world has changed since I was a young girl. We’re all super busy and super tired. But if we can make the holidays a required event to gather, we can rebuild the family unit we once enjoyed.
20. Have a Fall Flavored Drink at a Coffee Shop
Fall is the best time to visit a coffee shop. The ambiance suits the season. Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea, anyone?
21. Watch a Fall Movie
Make Fridays nights family night and watch spooky movies with homemade popcorn. Make sure to include classic films like Beatlejuice and Hocus Pocus.
22. Read Fall Themed Books
We have a library of books at home I read at bedtime for each season or holiday of the year. Once we have read all of our fall books, we go to the library and borrow more.
23. Take a Scenic Drive
We love driving at night and looking at all the houses decorated for the fall.
24. Do a Random Act of Kindness
We should all complete acts of kindness year-round. But this time of year should be a reminder. Acts of kindness fill the heart of the giver and the receiver.
25. Volunteer at a Food Pantry or Church
Volunteering is another opportunity to lend yourself to where you’re needed. It is always better to give than to receive.
If you’re interested in our Fall Bucket List, here is the downloadable version of ours.
For more fun activities, see my post on family fun activities.
Do you have any fall traditions you celebrate with your family? Please share in the comments below. I’d love to add more ideas to our list.
I love these ideas! Thanks.
thank you 🙂