Make the most of cozy fall days with 20 simple activities for children, sensory play, and creative fall crafts.
Fall has a way of making home feel a little cozier. As the days become cooler and evenings arrive earlier, families may find themselves spending more time indoors together.
You don't need an elaborate activity or a long list of supplies to make those afternoons feel special. A cardboard box, a few fallen leaves, some favourite books can become the starting point for an enjoyable fall activity. Whether you're looking for something creative to do on a rainy afternoon or simply want to slow down and enjoy the season together, here are 15 cozy Fall activities to try with children at home.
Bring a few fallen leaves indoors and turn them into simple fall artwork. Place a leaf underneath a sheet of paper with the textured side facing up. Remove the paper wrapper from a crayon, then gently rub the side of the crayon across the paper. Slowly, the shape and veins of the leaf will begin to appear.
Try leaves of different shapes and sizes or experiment with several crayons on the same page. Children can also arrange several leaves underneath one large piece of paper to create a colourful fall collage.
A batch of play dough can provide plenty of open-ended entertainment on a cool afternoon. If your family has a favourite homemade play dough recipe, make a batch together and add colours inspired by fall, such as orange, yellow, brown, or red. Once it's ready, children can use the dough to create:
You can also provide child-safe cookie cutters, rolling pins, or other familiar play dough tools and let children decide what they would like to make.
Some afternoons call for something especially simple. Choose a family-friendly movie, put on comfortable clothes, gather a few blankets, and make the living room extra cozy. You might add a favourite snack or warm drink appropriate for your child's age.
Children can help choose the movie and prepare the space before you begin. You don't need to turn it into a big event. A movie, a blanket, and some uninterrupted time together may be all you need.
A sensory bin can bring some of the textures of fall indoors. Depending on your child's age and what you have available, fill a shallow container with safe items such as:
Children might sort, scoop, arrange, count, or use the materials for pretend play. Choose materials appropriate for your child's age, supervise closely, and avoid small objects for children who may put items in their mouths.
A cool fall afternoon is a great time to spend a little extra time in the kitchen. Choose a simple recipe your family enjoys, such as muffins, cookies, bread, or another favourite treat. Children can participate in age-appropriate ways by pouring pre-measured ingredients, stirring, counting scoops, or helping arrange ingredients before you begin.
Baking together doesn't need to look perfectly organized. There may be flour on the counter and a few unevenly shaped cookies at the end. The experience of making something together is part of the fun.
Before recycling your next large cardboard box, see what your child can turn it into. A box could become a tiny cabin, a woodland animal home, a pretend bakery, or even a cozy house for stuffed animals.
Provide simple craft materials such as crayons, washable markers, paper, and tape, then let children decide what their fall house needs. They might add paper leaves to the roof, draw pumpkins beside the door, make tiny cardboard furniture, or create a sign for the front.
Fall is full of recognizable colours, and you can turn them into an easy scavenger hunt without leaving home. Choose a few fall-inspired colours, such as red, orange, yellow, brown, and green. Then challenge children to find household objects that match each one.
You might ask:
Once everything has been collected, sort the objects by colour before returning them to their usual places.
Wash and dry a small pumpkin, then let children decorate it using age-appropriate craft materials. Depending on what you have available, you might use washable paint, stickers, paper shapes, or washable markers.
Children could create a silly face, an animal, a colourful pattern, or something completely of their own design. Using a pumpkin as a different kind of canvas can make a familiar art activity feel new.
Collecting a few natural materials during a walk can give you an activity to enjoy later at home. Look for safe fallen materials such as colourful leaves or small pieces of bark. Once you're home, arrange your collection on a large piece of paper or cardboard.
Children can experiment with different arrangements before deciding whether they want to glue anything down. They might create a tree, an animal, a face, a pattern, or simply arrange the materials in a way they like. Use only familiar, safe natural materials and leave unknown plants, berries, mushrooms, and other unfamiliar objects outdoors.
A homemade garland can become a simple fall decoration for your home. Cut leaf, pumpkin, or acorn shapes from paper or cardboard. Children can colour, paint, or decorate each shape before an adult helps attach them to string or ribbon.
You can also make one piece at a time over several days and gradually watch the garland grow. Hang the finished decoration somewhere everyone can enjoy seeing it.
As fall evenings become darker, use the early sunset as an excuse for some imaginative storytelling. Dim the lights, gather in a comfortable spot, and use a flashlight to make the room feel a little different. One person can begin a story and then let someone else decide what happens next. Try simple beginnings such as:
The story can be funny, adventurous, mysterious, or completely ridiculous. There is no need to plan the ending in advance.
Turn the play kitchen, dining table, or a small corner of the room into a pretend café. Children can create a menu featuring imaginary fall foods and drinks. Perhaps their café serves pumpkin pancakes, apple muffins, warm soup, cinnamon toast, or completely invented recipes. Add a few simple props such as:
Take turns being the customer, cook, and server. Children may decide to keep the café open long after the original activity is finished.
Bring out a favourite puzzle, board game, matching game, or card game and make an afternoon of playing together. You don't necessarily need fall-themed games. Instead, make the setting feel seasonal by getting comfortable with blankets, putting on some quiet music, or enjoying a favourite snack while you play.
If younger children aren't ready to follow all the rules of a particular game, simplify them or let children invent their own version. The goal is to enjoy some unhurried time together rather than worry about playing everything exactly the usual way.
Create a simple tree that can grow throughout the fall. Draw a large tree trunk and branches on paper or cut one from cardboard. Next, make several paper leaves.
Ask family members to think of something they're thankful for and write or draw one idea on each leaf. Younger children can tell you their answer while an adult writes it down. Add the leaves to the tree over several days or weeks. Your tree might include everything from family members and friends to a favourite toy, a pet, pancakes, or a really good puddle outside.
Choose an hour when everyone puts aside the usual distractions and spends some quiet time together. Wear comfortable clothes, bring out blankets and pillows, and let each family member choose something relaxing to do.
You might:
A cozy hour doesn't need a schedule. The idea is simply to create a little space for slowing down together.
It's easy to see seasonal activity ideas and feel as though you need special craft supplies, perfectly planned afternoons, or a long list of things to prepare.
Some of the most enjoyable activities may be the simplest ones. A child might spend five minutes making a leaf rubbing and the next hour decorating a pumpkin. They may lose interest in the fall collage but become fascinated by sorting all the leaves by size. Let the activity change when it needs to.
It can also help to keep a small basket of basic supplies available for cozy days at home. Paper, crayons, washable markers, tape, child-safe scissors, and a few reusable craft materials can be enough for many different activities.
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