Fun Fall Activities to Try at Home

It’s time to put your flip-flops and sundresses in storage and break out your coziest knits. Autumn is upon us, and we’ve gathered a cornucopia of delightful ideas you and your family can do in the comfort of your own backyard.

1. Carve and Paint Pumpkins

Pumpkin carving is a quintessential fall activity enjoyed by the young and the young-at-heart. It’s a great way to show off your creative side and spend quality time with the ones you love.

If your kids are too young to carve pumpkins, paint them instead. Get creative with finger-painted pumpkins, glitter glue, or spray paints.

  PRO TIPS:  

• Spread a tarp on the ground to make cleanup easy (simply spray it off with the hose when you’re finished).
• If you plan to light your jack-o-lanterns with real candles, sprinkle a little cinnamon on the pumpkins' lids. This adds warm, spicy notes to the roasted pumpkin scent.

2. Grill Pumpkin Seeds

Don’t toss out the seeds when you’re finished carving pumpkins. Instead, fire up the grill for a yummy seasonal snack.

Supplies Needed

• Charcoal or gas grill
• Pumpkin seeds
• Paper towel
• Bowl
• Any cooking oil with a high smoke point (like avocado or canola oil)
• Salt
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill to 325°F.
2. Rinse seeds to remove excess pumpkin pulp and pat them dry with paper towels.
3. In a bowl, mix the seeds with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.
4. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the seeds on it in a single layer.
5. Place the baking sheet in the center of the grill and roast for 45–60 minutes, turning the seeds halfway through the cooking time.
6. Remove seeds from the tray and cool slightly before serving.

  PRO TIP:  

When the seeds are still hot after cooking, add more flavor by sprinkling on Tajín, parmesan cheese and a light drizzle of truffle oil, cinnamon and sugar, or whatever seasonings you like.

3. Cozy Up by the Fire

Cool nights call for a warm fire. Gather the family and enjoy an evening of ghost stories and s’mores around the fire pit. If you don’t have one, consider outfitting your backyard with a fire pit table. It offers an adjustable flame and needs minimal maintenance compared to traditional fire pits. Plus, you have ample table space for snacks and drinks (it’s pumpkin spice latte season, after all!).

4. Plan a Backyard Campout

Fall is an excellent time to go camping. There are fewer bugs compared to summer, and the autumn air is so crisp and refreshing. Why not try camping in your backyard? It’s less stressful and expensive than heading to a campground, and it’s a great way to test the waters with small children who’ve never been camping.

The best parts of backyard camping are that snacks and bathrooms are never far away, and you can always go inside if your kiddos just aren’t feeling it.

5. Host an Outdoor Movie Night

Take the big screen to your backyard and watch a festive fall flick the whole family can enjoy. Don’t have an outdoor home theater? All you need is a projector, speakers, and a screen. Then, pile cozy pillows and blankets on your comfiest outdoor furniture, prepare your family’s favorite snacks, and settle in for a star-studded evening.

6. Make a Scarecrow

Putting together a scarecrow is a popular fall activity for kids. It’s functional because it keeps rodents and pests away from your garden, and it’s fun because it serves as an autumn decoration that adds flair to your yard. Rummage around your house for old clothes and accessories, then let your kids’ imaginations run wild as they customize a scarecrow that perfectly matches their styles and personalities.

7. Create a DIY Container Garden

Help your kids discover their green thumbs this season by showing them how to create their own container garden. Just about anything can be a container as long as it can hold soil and offer drainage: an old coffee can, a toy wagon, or even a worn-out boot.

8. Collect and Play With Leaves

Collecting colorful leaves is a classic outdoor fall activity. It gets your kids active outside, and it creates the perfect photo-op for fall family greeting cards. Once the kids have their fun, you can put the leaves in trash bags or use them in your compost bin.

9. Craft a Leaf Garland

Transform the fall foliage your children collected into a leaf garland. It’s a clever, inexpensive, and kid-friendly craft.

Supplies Needed

• Plenty of leaves
• Scissors
• Yarn
• Big plastic needle
• Cardboard

Instructions

1. Have your kids gather lots of leaves.
2. Cut the cardboard into two leaf-sized squares.
3. Trim yarn to the desired garland length.
4. Poke a hole in both cardboard pieces and thread the yarn through one of them.
5. Knot the end of the yarn by the cardboard into a loop (for easy hanging).
6. Thread the other end of the yarn through the needle.
7. Insert the needle through each leaf and slide it down the yarn to the cardboard end. Repeat until the yarn is full.
8. Thread the yarn through the second cardboard square, then knot the loose end into a loop.
9. Hang your completed garland on your porch or patio for all to see.

10. Build a Bird Feeder

Building a bird feeder is a great weekend project for the family this fall. You don’t have to make your bird feeder from wood either. You and the kiddos can easily make a bird feeder from a toilet paper roll, egg carton, or pine cones.

11. Stargaze

Astronomers say that fall, winter, and spring are the best seasons to observe the night sky. Bundle up in your coziest clothes, grab your telescope, and head outside for nighttime sights that are out of this world.

12. Harvest Fall Crops

If the fruits and veggies you planted in the summer are ripe, have your kids help you pick them. This is a great hands-on way to teach children about where their food comes from. And they can help you turn the harvest into tasty dishes.

13. Host Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving is akin to Thanksgiving but with your chosen family by your side. Adorn your alfresco space with festive decor and tableware, and let your friends come early to help you cook—many hands make light work. If you have kids, let them extend the invitation to their friends as well and give them their own space to decorate and dine.

14. Plant Flowers

Fall is the ideal time to sew certain seeds and bulbs if you want lovely blooms now, or later in the spring.

Flowers to Plant and Enjoy in Fall

• Pansies
• Violas
• Marigolds
• Asters

Bulbs to Plant for Spring Flowers

• Daffodils
• Tulips
• Hyacinths
• Alliums
• Crocuses

15. Tailgate in Your Backyard

We’re in the thick of football season, and fans are swarming the stadiums to cheer on their favorite teams. Instead of braving the traffic, crowds, and parking lots, why not tailgate in your backyard?

16. Decorate Your Front Porch

Give your front porch or entryway an autumnal aesthetic that will impress your family, neighbors, and passersby. Use the leaf garland craft mentioned above, gourds, and furniture in fall colors for a cheerful and comfortable look. Or usher in spooky season with jack-o-lanterns, pots of burgundy and purple mums, and a black porch rocking chair set.

17. Take Pictures

Are the leaves changing around your home? Break out your camera or smartphone and capture the colorful moments. Print and frame the photographs to hang around your house or give them away as gifts.

18. Take Up Knitting

Celebrate sweater weather by crafting your own cozy clothes. Knitting is a soothing pastime that can be enjoyed anywhere, even outdoors. Picture it: You're nestled on a plush patio, needles and yarn in hand, with a steaming mug of tea resting on a nearby table. The view is vibrant leaves rustling in the cool autumn breeze, with sunlight dappling through to dance on the grass below. Sounds heavenly, right?