As a strong advocate for free play, I (very) often emphasize its importance for children’s whole and healthy development. In fact, I have an entire blog post dedicated to the benefits of free play and how to get started.
However, structured activities also offer wonderful opportunities to practice specific skills, embrace the season, strengthen bonds, and create lasting family memories. Fall, with its crisp air and vibrant colors, provides a perfect backdrop for engaging, screen-free fun.
Here are 20 screen-free creative activities to enjoy with your children this fall.
Read more: How to Start a Quick and Easy Toy Rotation System.
20 Screen-Free Creative Fall Activities for Kids
1. Cozy Candlelight Book Club
Transform a chilly evening into a cozy family moment with a candlelight book club. Gather your favorite fall-themed picture books or chapter books, light (a lot of) candles, and snuggle up with your cushions and blankets. Make the candlelight book club a family tradition by repeating it every evening or once a week.
Image by Bellewood Cottage
2. Fall Leaf Collage
Collect a variety of colorful leaves during a nature walk and bring them home to create a beautiful fall leaf collage. Use a large piece of paper or canvas as the base, and have your kids arrange the leaves in creative patterns. This activity is a great way to explore textures, shapes, and colors, and to promote creativity.
Image by Welcome to Nana’s
3. Autumn Tea party
Host a charming autumn tea party with your kids. Use a mix of herbal teas and warm apple cider, and prepare some simple fall treats like mini sandwiches, apple slices, and cookies. Include your children every step of the way and they will love setting everything up as much as they will love the tea party itself!
4. Homemade Beeswax Candles
Candle-making with beeswax sheets is a fun, safe, and meaningful craft for kids since they can use what they’ve created. Simply roll the beeswax sheets around a wick to create beautiful, natural candles perfect for fall evenings.
Another option is melting honeycomb or beeswax pellets to create scented candles in jars. You can order pellets, beeswax sheets, and candle wicks from Amazon through the links, but you can also find bulk beeswax from your local beekeepers.
Image by A Life Adjecent
5. Bake a Seasonal Pie
Get hands-on in the kitchen and bake a seasonal pie together. Whether you choose apple, pumpkin, or pecan, this activity is a delicious way to teach kids essential skills and have a great time together.
6. Pumpkin Carving Fun
Carving pumpkins is a quintessential fall activity. Pick out pumpkins from a local patch, then carve them into jack-o’-lanterns (or anything else, really). This activity is not only creative but allows kids to improve their fine motor skills. Don’t forget to save the seeds for roasting and always supervise little ones with cutting objects!
Image by Sugar and Charm
7. Create Natural Paints
Make natural paints using ingredients like berries, turmeric, coffee, cinnamon, pines, flowers, and leaves! There are many different techniques for this, but one of the easiest ones is drying out the materials you chose, then turning them into powder and mixing them with some binding material, which can be water, alcohol, or oil-based.
Kids will love learning how to extract colors from nature and using them to create unique artwork.
Image by Rebecca Desnos
8. Make Fall-Scented Playdough
Whip up a batch of homemade playdough with a twist – add cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, or pumpkin spice to give it a delightful fall scent. This sensory activity is great for younger kids and older kids might love the making process.
Image by The Soccer Mom Blog
9. Leaf Color Science Experiment
If you have a curious little scientist in your home, you’ll love this simple science experiment to explore why leaves change color in the fall. All you need is rubbing alcohol, a couple of jars, coffee filters, and different leaves. Here’s the full tutorial.
This hands-on experiment is a fun way to learn about photosynthesis and the changing seasons.
Image by How Wee Learn
10. Create a Fall Photo Album or Scrapbook
Encourage your kids to capture the beauty of the season and fun moments by taking photos throughout fall. Document moments like leaf piles, pumpkin patches, tea parties, bonfires, and family hikes. At the end of the season, print the photo and create a scrapbook or photo album full of family memories to look back on for years to come.
Image by Pinterest
11. Backyard Camping Adventure
Set up a tent in the backyard for a fall camping experience. Enjoy stargazing, telling stories, playing games, and roasting marshmallows over a fire pit or grill. This is a fantastic way to introduce camping skills in a safe environment and foster a sense of adventure.
Image by Plant Care Today
12. Apple Picking Trip
Visit a local apple orchard to pick your own apples. This simple day-trip activity is a great way for kids to learn about where food comes from, and they’ll love the hands-on experience of picking fruit straight from the tree. Later on, use the apples to make a delicious apple pie or some jam.
Image by Classy Girls Wear Pearls
13. Family Time Around the Fireplace
Gather the family around a fireplace or outdoor bonfire for some fun quality time. Share stories, sing songs, play games, and enjoy some hot cocoa or apple cider. This cozy activity is perfect for bonding and creating cherished family memories.
Image by Nesting with Grace
14. Fall Hiking Expedition
Go on a fall hike to enjoy the beautiful autumn scenery. Choose a kid-friendly trail and look out for signs of wildlife, interesting plants, and the changing foliage. Be prepared to stop a few times along the way and walk at a slower pace.
Hiking with kids can be a challenge in the beginning but it is totally worth it! Beyond being a great exercise, it’s an amazing activity for whole and healthy child development.
Visit The Walton Adventure page for more tips and inspiration on hiking with kids!
Image by The Walton Adventure
15. Leaf Rubbing Art
If you’re looking for a simple, low-prep activity, this might be the one for you. Have your kids collect a handful of different-shaped leaves, place each of them under a piece of paper, and gently rub over it with a crayon or a pencil. The patterns and veins of the leaf will “magically” appear, creating a unique artwork.
Image by First Palette
16. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Organize a nature scavenger hunt to explore the outdoors. Create a list of fall-themed items, such as acorns, pinecones, different colored leaves, or specific types of birds. This activity encourages observation skills and fosters a sense of adventure.
17. Craft a Homemade Bird Feeder
Make a simple bird feeder using a pinecone (or any other base structure), peanut butter, and bird seeds. Simply spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the pinecone, roll it over the seeds, and hang it in your backyard to observe the different birds that visit. This activity is super easy and can last for many days.
Image by Little bins for little hands
18. Paint with Acorns
Use acorns as a painting tool for a fun twist. Dip acorns in paint and roll them across the paper to create unique, textured patterns. You can also try this activity with pinecones or any other natural resource available where you live.
Image by Art Bar
19. Apple Bobbing (Marshmallow Twist)
Have fun with a classic game of apple bobbing or try a fun twist using marshmallows instead. This playful activity is perfect for a fall party or family gathering and brings plenty of laughs!
Speaking of party…
Image by The Wall Street Journal
20. Host a Harvest Festival
Bring the excitement of a harvest festival to your home! Organize a small festival with games like sack races, apple toss, tug-of-war, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, or corn husking races. This is a guaranteed fun day for the whole family and celebrates the joys of fall together.
Image by Country Living
Don’t forget the most important: enjoy the season together and make memories that will last a lifetime!
Read more: 18 Indoor Montessori Activities for Toddlers.
