The ABCs of Fall: 26 Simple Fall Activities to Make the Season Magical With Kids

Ariel
6 days ago
8 min read

There is something about fall with little kids that feels extra magical.

The first chilly morning. Pulling sweaters back out of the closet. Pumpkins appearing on front porches. Leaves starting to change. Saturday mornings at the pumpkin patch and Sunday afternoons with football playing in the background.

But as much as I love creating traditions and making the seasons special for our kids, I also don't want every memory to require an elaborate plan.

That's exactly why I created our ABCs of Fall.

Instead of a traditional fall bucket list, I came up with one activity for every letter of the alphabet — giving us 26 simple ways to celebrate fall together.

Some are outings, like apple picking and visiting a pumpkin patch. Some are crafts we can do at home. And some are as simple as going on a nature walk or building a fort in the living room.

There's no schedule and no pressure to finish every single activity.

It's simply a fun little roadmap for slowing down and enjoying this season together.

Here are all 26 activities on our ABCs of Fall list and a few ideas for making each one special with your own family.

A — Apple Picking 🍎

We're starting with one of the quintessential fall activities: apple picking!

Find a local orchard, grab a basket, and let the kids help choose apples straight from the trees.

One of my favorite things about apple picking is that the activity doesn't have to end when you leave the orchard. Bring your apples home and use them for applesauce, apple crisp, muffins, or afternoon snacks throughout the week.

It's basically two fall activities in one.

B — Bake Pumpkin Treats 🎃

Fall baking doesn't have to be complicated.

We're planning to spend an afternoon baking something pumpkin together — pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, cookies, or another easy treat.

When baking with little ones, I've learned to embrace the mess. Give them age-appropriate jobs like pouring ingredients, stirring, or sprinkling toppings.

Will your kitchen be cleaner afterward?

Absolutely not.

But that's part of the memory.

C — Corn Maze 🌽

Find a local farm with a family-friendly corn maze and let the kids lead the way.

For younger kids, I especially love farms with smaller mazes that don't take hours to complete.

Pair this one with cider, donuts, farm animals, or a pumpkin patch and you have the perfect fall morning.

D — Disney Family Movie Night 🍿

Of course our fall list needed a little Disney magic.

Choose a favorite Disney movie, put on pajamas, make popcorn, grab every blanket in the house, and pile onto the couch together.

You can make this as simple or elaborate as you want.

Add themed snacks or a craft if you're feeling ambitious — or just press play and enjoy being together.

E — Explore a New Trail 🌲

Fall is one of my favorite times to get outside as a family.

The weather is cooler, the leaves are changing, and even a familiar walk can suddenly feel completely different.

For this one, we're going to choose a trail we haven't explored before.

And when you're hiking with little kids, remember that the goal doesn't have to be mileage.

Let them stop.

Let them collect sticks.

Let them inspect every interesting rock.

The exploring is the activity.

F — Football & Chili Sunday 🏈

This may be one of my favorites because it requires very little planning.

Football on the TV.

A big pot of chili.

Comfy clothes.

Everyone home together.

That's it.

Not every family tradition has to involve tickets, reservations, or a perfectly planned outing. Sometimes the ordinary weekends at home become the traditions everyone remembers.

G — Gather Colorful Leaves 🍁

Grab a little basket or bag and head outside to see how many different colored leaves you can find.

Red.

Orange.

Yellow.

Brown.

Maybe even a few that haven't completely turned yet.

Bring your favorites home and use them for crafts, sensory play, or simply put them in a bowl or jar as a little piece of fall nature decor.

H — Hot Cocoa Date ☕

The first truly chilly day calls for hot cocoa.

Make cups at home or stop somewhere for a special little cocoa date.

Add marshmallows, whipped cream, or sprinkles and sit together somewhere cozy.

It's incredibly simple, but that's what I love about it.

I — Indoor Fort Night 🏕️

Move the couch cushions.

Grab every blanket.

Add pillows, stuffed animals, and maybe some twinkle lights.

Then climb inside.

Read books, eat snacks, watch a movie, or just let the kids play.

There's something about being little that makes a blanket thrown over two chairs feel like the greatest adventure imaginable.

J — Jump in Leaves 🍂

You can't make an ABCs of Fall list without this one.

Rake the biggest pile of leaves you can find and let the kids jump in.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

This is also one of those activities where I love putting my phone down after getting a couple of pictures and just letting them play.

K — Kindness Challenge 💕

Fall is also a beautiful season to start talking about kindness and gratitude.

Choose one simple act of kindness to complete together.

You could bake something for a neighbor, make a picture for a grandparent, donate food, leave an encouraging note for someone, bring coffee to a friend, or surprise another family with a little treat.

It doesn't have to be big to matter.

L — Leaf Garland Making 🍁

Put those leaves you collected for G to good use!

Turn them into a simple fall garland to hang somewhere in your home.

You could use real pressed leaves, paper leaves, painted leaves, or even have the kids color their own.

I especially love seasonal crafts that can become decorations because the kids get to see something they made displayed in our home.

M — Make Applesauce 🍎

After apple picking, we're putting some of our apples to work and making homemade applesauce.

This is such an easy fall activity for younger kids because they can help add ingredients and watch the apples transform.

Plus, your entire house smells like fall afterward.

Win-win.

N — Nature Walk 🌲

Sometimes the simplest activities are the best ones.

Head outside without a destination and see what you can find.

Look for pinecones, leaves, mushrooms, acorns, birds, squirrels, interesting rocks, and anything else the kids notice.

You could even bring a little basket for collecting nature treasures along the way.

O — Oven-Packed Apple Crisp 🍏

Our ABC list includes plenty of opportunities to use those apples!

For O, we're making an oven-baked apple crisp.

It's warm, cozy, easy enough for kids to help with, and even better served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This would also be the perfect dessert for one of your football Sundays.

P — Pumpkin Carving or Painting 🎃

Depending on your children's ages, pumpkin carving may not be quite as relaxing as Pinterest makes it look.

So we're leaving this one open to carving or painting.

Older kids can help carve while little ones paint their pumpkins.

Set everything up outside if the weather allows and don't worry about making them perfect.

A wildly painted toddler pumpkin is exactly what it's supposed to look like.

Q — Quiet Library Morning 📚

This might be one of the easiest activities on the entire list — and one I know we'll love.

Head to your local library on a chilly morning and browse the seasonal books.

Look for stories about pumpkins, apples, leaves, woodland animals, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or simply the changing seasons.

Bring home a stack and create a little fall book basket for the kids.

R — Road Trip to Find Fall Colors 🚗

Pack some snacks, load everyone into the car, put on a cozy playlist, and go looking for fall colors.

You don't even necessarily need a destination.

Find a scenic drive near you and make the drive itself the adventure.

Stop somewhere along the way to walk around, take pictures, or grab a seasonal treat.

S — Sunflower Field Visit 🌻

Before the season completely changes, visit a sunflower field together.

Walk through the flowers, take some family pictures, and let the kids explore.

Depending on where you live, sunflower season can overlap beautifully with the beginning of fall, making this a fun transition activity between summer and autumn.

T — Thankful Tree 🌳

This is one tradition I especially love carrying from fall into Thanksgiving.

Create a simple tree from paper or use branches collected outside and add leaves with things your family is thankful for.

With little kids, the answers can be hilariously simple.

Mommy.

Daddy.

Their favorite stuffed animal.

Pancakes.

Mickey Mouse.

Write them down anyway.

Those little answers are part of the season you're in.

U — Unplug Family Night ♥️

Phones away.

TV off.

No scrolling.

No work.

Just time together.

Play a game, build blocks, read books, do puzzles, make dinner together, or simply let the kids choose what everyone plays.

I spend so much time documenting our memories that I think it's equally important to intentionally create some that exist only for us.

V — Visit a Pumpkin Patch 🎃

Would it even be fall without a pumpkin patch?

Find a local farm, grab the cozy sweaters, drink the cider, see the animals, take the pictures, and let everyone choose a pumpkin to bring home.

It's classic for a reason.

W — Watch for Wildlife 🦌

Grab binoculars if you have them and head outside to see what animals you can spot.

Depending on where you live, you might see deer, squirrels, rabbits, birds, ducks, or other local wildlife.

Let the kids keep count or draw pictures of the animals they see when you get home.

This is an easy way to turn an ordinary walk into an adventure.

X — X Marks the Spot Scavenger Hunt 🗺️

This one requires a little creativity but could easily become a favorite.

Create a simple treasure map around your house, backyard, neighborhood, or favorite park.

Mark the final destination with a big X and hide a tiny surprise there.

Stickers, a fall treat, a new book, or even a clue revealing your next ABC activity would all make perfect treasure.

Y — Yarn Pumpkin Craft 🧶

Time for another cozy indoor craft.

Make pumpkins using yarn and whatever craft supplies you already have at home.

You can keep this super simple for younger kids or turn it into a more involved project for older children.

Then use the finished pumpkins as little fall decorations around the house.

Z — Zoo Boo 🦁🎃

And finally — Z is for Zoo Boo!

Many local zoos offer family-friendly Halloween events with costumes, decorations, activities, animals, and trick-or-treating.

It's such a fun way to finish our ABCs of Fall as we head toward Halloween.

If your zoo doesn't have a Halloween event, swap this one for another local fall festival or Halloween activity.

You Don't Have to Finish All 26

Here's the most important part of our ABCs of Fall:

This isn't another thing for moms to feel like they have to complete.

We're not trying to race through all 26 activities.

There isn't a deadline.

And if December arrives and a few letters are still unfinished, that's okay.

The entire reason I created this was to give us ideas for intentionally spending time together throughout the season.

Some weeks that might mean going apple picking.

Other weeks it might mean making hot cocoa and building a fort in the living room.

Both count.

Because our kids aren't keeping track of how elaborate the activity was.

They're remembering that we did it together.

Create Your Own ABCs of Fall

You can follow our ABCs exactly or use it as inspiration to create your own traditions.

Hang your printable on the refrigerator, put it in your family command center, or let your kids help choose which letter you tackle next.

You could even color or mark off each square as you complete it.

And at the end of fall, tuck it into a memory box or scrapbook as a little reminder of everything you did together that season.

Because the thing I keep coming back to in this stage of motherhood is just how quickly these seasons change.

We'll get another fall.

But we'll never get another fall with our kids at exactly these ages.

So I'm soaking up the apple-sticky fingers, leaf piles, pumpkin patches, cozy mornings, messy crafts, movie nights, and all the ordinary moments in between.

Twenty-six letters. Twenty-six little opportunities to make a memory.

And hopefully, a few traditions we'll want to repeat year after year.