As summer vacation draws to a close, and the kids go back to school, you’re beginning to think about fun activities you can do as a family in the fall months. From hayrides to picking out a pumpkin, there’s so many good family fun times to be had! There are plenty of activities you can do together, allowing a celebration of the beautiful colors of a new season, and the crisp air.
Good family fun time continues long after summer ends
When planning for the fun you’re going to have, remember it’s a time to enjoy your family! It’s most important to stay active, and involved, with each other.
Visit an orchard
There are several types of orchards you can visit, but try to find one offering several activities in one location. Some have a corn maze, while others have a pumpkin patch, or a small petting zoo. You can usually find orchards with games for the kids, crafts for the fall season, as well as hayrides. Make this a time to spend outdoors with your family. It’s a good way to enjoy the fresh air of the fall season, along with the changing colors of the leaves.
Once it’s closer to Halloween, see if the orchard has special activities for the kids to enjoy, such as a haunted maze, or trick-or-treating. Another fun adventure at an orchard is picking apples. When you get home, use the apples to make pies, cider, and applesauce.
Relax outside
If you have an outdoor hot tub, spend some time in it. The evening air is an ideal time to enjoy the heat of the hot tub. You can add essential oils to the water for a relaxing scent. Read through a spa chemicals guide to find products you can use to clear the water, remove algae, and make the water softer. While you’re outside in the water, you can listen to music, talk about the events of the day, or enjoy the sounds nature has to offer.
Make fall crafts
Get a little crafty with the family: painting pumpkins, making a leaf collage, or decorating the porch. You can buy a few pumpkins from a craft store to paint, and decorate, for the front porch. If you don’t have a porch, decorate tables inside your home. Get a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch, to carve.
Make sweet treats you can craft into fun fall shapes, like leaves, ghosts, pumpkins, and other items that make you think of the season. When you make crafts with the family, consider taking a few items to a neighbor, or someone who is older, and doesn’t often get out of the house. You can also make crafts with your child’s class in school.
Take a trip
The fall season is one of the best times of the year to travel. Find an area you can see the beautiful fall colors of the leaves. Take a picnic lunch with you to enjoy on a trail. Spend some time walking along a trail to see the foliage, whilst enjoying time together. Mountainous regions often display the best colors for fall. Consider finding a cabin to spend the weekend in to enjoy the refreshing breeze that comes from the mountains.
The end of the summer season doesn’t mean you have to stop spending time with family. It simply means there’s a new season to enjoy. Find something fun to do with family that involves everyone getting out of the house, as much as possible, before the cold weather of winter arrives.
About the Writer: Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake.
