The leaves are beginning to turn brilliant shades of red, orange and gold. The mornings are noticeably darker than they were last week and the crisp, chilly air has replaced the hot days of summer. This cozy, comforting time of year beckons one to embrace autumn together as a young family welcoming the upcoming fall and winter seasons.
Here are a few autumn and cooler weather activities your young family can share as you welcome this winding down and staying close to home time of year.
Costume-Planning Party
If there is an activity that most every preschooler enjoys, it is dressing up. Halloween is soon upon us so prepare for the big night with a simple costume-planning party. It is the perfect autumn event to put on your family calendar. To begin, each child shares their own idea for their Halloween costume. Lead the discussion as to why they chose this costume, what they want it to look like and ideas on how to create their dream. Work together to gather items from home, make or sew their special ensemble and remember that simple is best. There is no need for elaborate accessories and makeup for a young child. Embrace autumn and this fun family evening apple bobbing together.
Pumpkin Carving
Making a family outing to search for the perfect Halloween pumpkin has long been one of our family’s most enjoyable autumn amusements. An afternoon outside at a local pumpkin patch enjoying the crisp, sunny weather is a joy. Finally, when the best pumpkin has been chosen, we load back into the car and head for home. The pumpkin is displayed along the white fence in our yard until the night before Halloween and the traditional pumpkin-carving event.
Pumpkin carving is a family affair as children help scoop out the pumpkin’s seeds and pulp. Save the seeds to roast! Children also share ideas for the carved face. Shall we make it a happy, spooky or funny pumpkin? Once the design is chosen, mom or dad begins the carving while the children decorate mini Jack-Be-Little pumpkins with markers, yarn, fabric bits and glue. At nightfall, the carved pumpkin is fitted with a candle and we gather outside. The magic moment arrives as the candle is lit and we see the glowing face of our Halloween jack-o-lantern!
Board Games by the Fire
There is something very comforting about embracing autumn by gathering your family around a crackling fire on a cold night. Set the scene by laying out a blanket near the fireplace and make a cozy nest of pillows. Choose a favorite board or card game to play together. Will it be a game of Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders or Go Fish? Serve a bowl of popcorn and a plate of cut apples to share and have fun! A family game night is a great way to warmly bond with your little ones in a casual, comfortable and homey setting.
Homeschool Preschool
Autumn brings back-to-school for children. Homeschool preschool is a wonderful way to embrace autumn together as a young family. Golden Days at Home is the best at home preschool curriculum. It supports parents committed to making the most of the precious, foundational, yet fleeting, days with your preschooler. Golden Days at Home offers lesson plan packages including an Autumn Bundle featuring twelve full week lesson plans, each inspired by an award-winning picture book. Share story time together with your preschooler, then teach fun lessons and activities throughout the week. Download a free lesson plan from the website to learn more! You are your child’s greatest teacher.
Food Making Memories
The cooler seasons welcome us to bake warm goodies in the kitchen. Invite a child to help as cooking teaches an assortment of skills. Your child will also experience the satisfaction of proudly eating what they helped to make. Choose simple, family favorite recipes to bake including quick breads, baked apples or cookies. Put on your aprons, then your little one can add measurements of flour, sugar and other ingredients. Children love to stir! Hand your child a wooden spoon and let them use their muscles.
It is fun to chat about cooking while working together in the kitchen. Pose these questions to your child as you bake together: What is your favorite dinner? What is your worst food? What ingredients would you put into a cookie recipe? How would you decorate a cake? Memories are made when families have fun working together. In the kitchen, making memories while making food is a delightful combination.
Cool Weather Nature Walks
A low sun on the horizon and dipping temperatures can keep us inside by default this time of year. Don’t let the cooler months deter you from enjoying nature walks with your loved ones. Outside is literally bursting with color and sound! Bundle everyone up warmly and regularly enjoy an autumn afternoon wandering amongst the birds and changing colors of the trees and grasses.
There is a lot of unique excitement happening outside this time of year. Birds are very active as migrating flocks can be seen high in the sky. Cawing crows appear while other birds are happily harvesting the last of the fruit and berries on trees and bushes. Owls are more vocal in autumn than other times of the year and chittering squirrels gather and busily bury nuts and seeds for winter stores.
As parents, don’t feel like any of these suggested activities need to be a big event. As you embrace autumn, the most meaningful experiences your young family can share are the simple moments together. Some activities may be planned, others spontaneous. Autumn and winter are comforting seasons that invite and encourage you as a family to cherish the warmth and coziness of home and the relationships you hold dear.
Written by Janet Nicole Meyer for Golden Days at Home
Posie Gets Cozy by Alicia Paulson is a visually rich destination for a plethora of lovely, original handicraft kits. Alicia offers her all original sewing, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch and softie patterns and kits. Create a homemade softie gift any child would adore, made with love. She even has clothes and knitting patterns for your softie!
