reading time – 9 min
Fall activities for kids: 15 easy ideas for indoors and out
The leaves are changing color, apples are back, and pockets mysteriously fill with chestnuts on every walk: fall is here!
It’s also a season full of ways to keep kids busy. Whether you’re outside enjoying nature’s treasures, cooking in the kitchen, or staying cozy on a rainy day, there’s plenty to do.
So which fall activity for kids should you choose today? Here are 15 easy ideas for ages 2 and up, with recommended ages, supplies, and the time you’ll need.
Our 15 fall activities at a glance
to do outdoors
Color hunt · Apple picking · Scavenger hunt · Land art · Branch fort
for crafting
Hedgehog · Leaf wreath · Leaf prints · Leaf collection · Pinecone owls
to make in the kitchen
Apple pie · Pumpkin soup
for days at home:
Fall matching game · Sensory bin · Story time
Outdoor fall activities
1. Go on a color hunt in the woods
Yellow, orange, red, brown… turn a walk into a fall color hunt.
Ask your child to spot a leaf, a piece of bark, or something else from nature that matches each color. It’s a fun way to notice the changing seasons—and, for younger kids, to practice their colors without even realizing it. As temperatures start to drop, put on their personalized sweatshirt before heading out to explore.
- Age: 2 and up
- Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
2. Go apple picking
Head to an orchard or the grandparents’ garden to fill a basket with apples. Let the kids look at, touch, and choose the fruit before picking it. And don’t put the basket away just yet: you’ll need a few apples for activity #11.
- Age: 2 and up
- Time: about 1 hour
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3. Organize a fall scavenger hunt
A pinecone, a yellow leaf, something soft, a chestnut… make a list of little treasures to find on your walk.
To save you the trouble of making one yourself, download our printable fall scavenger hunt.
With a personalized water bottle in their bag, your little explorers are ready to go!
- Age: 3 and up - Time: 30–45 minutes
4. Create a piece of land art
This time, the leaves, branches, chestnuts, and little stones you collect on your walk don’t necessarily have to come home with you. Arrange them right on the ground to make a face, an animal, a spiral, or a big mandala. Take a photo of your artwork before letting nature take over again.
- Age: 3 and up
- Time: about 30 minutes
5. Build a fort with branches
A few large fallen branches and a tree to build around: you’ve got a full-scale construction project. Let the kids imagine their fort and figure out how to make the different pieces stay in place. Once it’s done, it’s time for a snack inside—easy to carry in their snack box.
- Age: 4 and up
- Time: 1 hour or more
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Fall crafts with treasures from nature
6. Make a fall hedgehog
After your walk, save a few pretty leaves to make a hedgehog in fall colors. Draw or print its outline, then let your child glue the leaves onto its back to make the spines. Bark and other small natural finds can complete the scene, too.
- Age: 2–3 and up
- Time: about 20 minutes
7. Make a leaf wreath
Cut a circle out of cardboard, then cover it with the prettiest leaves you collected on your walk. Yellow, red, tiny, huge, or a little lopsided: let your child make their own fall wreath to hang in their room or on a door.
- Age: 3 and up
- Time: about 30 minutes
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8. Paint with leaf prints
No paintbrush needed for this fall craft: the leaves do the work. Apply a little paint to their surfaces, press them onto a sheet of paper, then gently lift them away. The veins appear, and each leaf makes a different print. And because paint and kids can sometimes lead to creative results all over their clothes, a school smock can come in handy.
- Age: 2 and up
- Time: 20–30 minutes
9. Start a fall leaf collection
Pick out a few different leaves on your walks, dry them flat between sheets of paper under a heavy book, then glue them into a notebook. Older kids can add the tree’s name, the date, or where they found each leaf. With every walk, the collection will grow.
- Age: 4 and up
- Time: add to it throughout the season
10. Turn pinecones into little owls
Pinecones can become funny little characters, too. Add wings cut from paper, two big eyes, and a little beak to make a family of fall owls. Then everyone can give their owl a name and a personality.
- Age: 4 and up
- Time: about 30 minutes
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Fall activities in the kitchen
11. Make a homemade apple pie
Now it’s time to bring the apples from activity #2 into the kitchen! Kids can wash the fruit, arrange the pieces on the crust, and add the remaining ingredients with you. Put on their personalized cooking apron and let them get hands-on. Then all that’s left to do is wait for the smell of pie to fill the house.
- Age: 3 and up, with an adult
- Time: about 45 minutes
12. Make pumpkin soup
Pumpkin, squash, or butternut squash: make the most of seasonal vegetables and prepare a soup in fall colors together. Depending on their age, kids can wash the vegetables, add ingredients, or help stir. And when it’s time to eat, bring out the personalized napkins.
- Age: 3 and up, with an adult
- Time: about 45 minutes
Fall activities at home for rainy days
13. Play Petit Picotin’s fall matching game
Rain in the forecast? Get out the scissors and get ready for a matching game. Petit Picotin has created a free printable fall-themed matching game. Print the cards, cut them out, and place them face down. Then take turns finding the matching pairs.
- Age: 3 and up
- Time: about 20 minutes
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14. Put together a fall sensory bin
Fill a bin with items of different shapes and textures, chosen to suit your child’s age: large leaves, pieces of fabric, big pinecones, or other suitable objects. They can touch, sort, scoop, and compare textures at their own pace. For older kids, add a few containers and suggest a little sorting game by size or color.
- Age: 2 and up, with supervision
- Time: 20–30 minutes
15. Set up a cozy fall reading corner
A throw blanket, a few cushions, and a stack of books : sometimes that’s all you need for the perfect activity on a gray afternoon. Let your child choose a story from the books for ages 3–8 and get cozy with Petit Picotin pillows and throws. If it’s still raining when you reach the last page, take the chance to explore our other printables and DIY projects.
- Age: 2 and up
- Time: 15–30 minutes
Which fall activity is right for your child’s age?
Around ages 2–3, choose short, hands-on activities: a color hunt, a leaf hedgehog, painted leaf prints, a matching game, or reading.
Between ages 4 and 6, kids can tackle slightly longer projects: a scavenger hunt, land art, a leaf collection, cooking, or building a fort.
From age 6, try the same activities with an added challenge: identifying the trees in their leaf collection, making up their own riddles, or preparing a recipe more independently.
Of course, age is only a guide: the best activity is one that suits your child’s abilities and interests.
A few precautions before you begin
On walks, check what children pick up and avoid unfamiliar mushrooms, berries, or plants. Keep small natural objects out of reach of children who might put them in their mouths. For crafts, choose age-appropriate scissors, glue, and supplies. In the kitchen, an adult should handle knives, the stove, and the oven. Finally, for outdoor activities, respect the places you visit and choose things that have already fallen to the ground rather than picking things unnecessarily.
What can you do with kids in October?
There’s plenty to do in October: head outside to observe the changing season, collect treasures from nature, make a fall-inspired recipe, or start some Halloween activities.
What are some fall craft ideas for kids ages 6 to 12?
At this age, you can try slightly more involved projects: a leaf collection, land art, leaf decorations, painting, or crafts made with pinecones and branches. Kids can also come up with their own creations using what they find outside.
How can you keep kids busy when it rains in the fall?
When the weather keeps you indoors, crafts, games, and stories let you enjoy the season in the comfort of home. It’s also a chance to bring out the leaves, pinecones, and other treasures you collected on an earlier walk.
How can you enjoy fall with kids without any supplies?
Nature already offers plenty of possibilities: a walk and a few leaves, pinecones, or branches can be the starting point for a game, a creation, or an observation activity.
What if fall could be fun?
Fall is the season when nature slows down, so why not do the same? Take time to make precious memories with simple activities you can enjoy as a family.
Now it’s your turn to pick from these 15 ideas based on the weather, your kids’ ages, and what everyone feels like doing today!
The things your little ones say
“Bless your shoes, Grandpa” (bless you)
– Mahaut, age 3
“Mom, back in your day, was life in black and white?”
– Alice, age 3
“I don’t want to get sun-kicked”
– Lauren, age 3
AUTHOR
Hello, moi c’est Capucine ! J’espère que cet article vous a plu. Passionnée par la rédaction et spécialisée dans les contenus autour de la petite enfance, je fais partie de l’équipe éditoriale de Petit Picotin. Au fil du blog, j’explore les questions du quotidien des familles pour vous partager conseils, idées et inspirations, en m’appuyant sur des recherches, des sources spécialisées et l’expertise de notre équipe.
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