7 Fun Fall Activities to Bring Your Family Together

Fall is simultaneously a beloved and despised time of year. The changing weather means beautiful foliage, reasons to light roaring fires and the appearance of drinks and edibles that all have the word “pumpkin” somewhere in the title. Fall also has its problems. Kids grumble about heading back to school. Parents dread dealing with grumbling kids, know that those beautiful leaves will soon be a beautiful carpet on their lawn, and wonder how they are going to survive when its dark practically before the kids are home from school. To help, we’ve put together a list of 7 fun fall activities to help bring your family together this season.

1. Opt for the classics.

Board games never go out of style. In addition to the classics like Monopoly, Sorry, and Scrabble, toy stores are stocked with new titles. To help bring your family together, check out cooperative games like Count Your Chickens and Hoot Owl Hoot. These board games have no winners or losers. Instead, everyone works together as a team to try to win the game.

2. Bring your family together with Child-Centered Culture.

Children’s museums exist throughout the United States and are great fun for the whole family. The “exhibits” in these museums are highly interactive and specially designed to catch and hold a child’s attention. Visit the Association of Children’s Museums to find one near you. While most of these museums are geared at children, don’t be surprised if you get just as engaged as your kids!

3. Rake. Jump. Repeat.

Raking and jumping in fall foliage is a wonderful way to 1) bring the whole family together to perform a necessary chore, and 2) burn off excess energy. Purchase child-size rakes for your little ones and let them rake up their pile right alongside you. Then show them how to get a running start before jumping in feet first.

4. Go On a Puddle Walk and Worm Hunt.

Walk offer innumerable fall activities to bring your family together. After a good rainstorm, step into boots, button up raincoats, and head outside to jump in every puddle you can find. See who can make the biggest splash, find the biggest puddle, or the smallest. Have a spontaneous science lesson by rescuing worms who got sent for an unexpected swim.

5. Make a foliage collage.

This activity can be adapted for family members of all ages. First, bring your family together and head outside on a leaf collecting expedition. Get as many shapes, sizes and colors as possible. Then bring them home and turn them into a beautiful collage that can be hung on the wall as a work of fall art. For little ones too young to handle glue, purchase some contact paper and place it on a table sticky side up. Then let them stick their findings directly to it.

6. Make simple gifts.

Use leaves that are leftover from your collage to make attractive coasters. Find the details for this super simple project at Confessions of a Homeschooler.

7. Watch a fall favorite.

Nothing will bring your family together faster than the statement “Hey folks, I actually want everyone to come and watch television!” Fall brings with it a veritable wealth of movies and tv shows. Some of these are big-screen Oscar contenders. Others, like It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, have been around for decades and still stand the test of time. Pair the movie with one of these flavored popcorn recipes for added enjoyment.