As the leaves began to change and the weather begins to cool off, it is the perfect time to get out as a family and begin to enjoy the beauty of fall. From outdoor activities to indoor fun, there are so many options for your family to break out of your normal routine and enjoy the very best of what the fall season has to offer!
The fresh fall air has many benefits. The crispness of the outside environment helps to fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a biological condition that results in depression-like symptoms. Natural settings are also known to have positive impacts on the brain and improve cognitive functioning.
Below are 40 fall family fun ideas to help increase positive feelings while boosting brain performance. See how many your family can accomplish this fall!
- Visit an apple orchard
- Use apples for homemade applesauce
- Create leaf-rubbing art
- Build a scarecrow using an old newspaper
- Take a hayride
- Make a big pot of chili
- Attend a local fall festival
- Take a walk in the park collecting fall items
- Volunteer at a local food bank
- Use the items collected to create a nature collage
- Go to a pumpkin patch
- Carve a pumpkin
- Bake pumpkin seeds
- Go on a family bike ride
- Collect flowers for an autumn flower arrangement
- Attend a local football game
- Collect acorns or leaves and use them for counting games
- Wander through a corn or hay maze
- Make caramel apples
- Rake the leaves and jump in the piles
- Update your family photos with a fall photo shoot
- Go camping
- Enjoy a campfire telling stories and eating smores
- Make fall shaped cookies and decorate them
- Collect pinecones to make bird feeders
- Have a family game night outside
- Bake a pie
- Write a note to each family member on why you are thankful for them
- Visit the local farmer’s market
- Do a campout in the backyard
- Go on a hike
- Plant some cool-weather vegetables
- Create an apple stamp art project
- Go for a drive when the leaves change
- Create turkey handprint art
- Visit the zoo
- Spend time working in the garden as a family
- Complete a fall scavenger hunt
- Do a family 5k together (you can walk!)
- Make apple cider