It’s my favorite ❤️ time of the year again! The autumn is crisp, and I can enjoy so many fun November activities with my kids. It’s the best time to take them outdoors and do fun things like taking a hike or picking pumpkins 🎃 .
I also try to engage my kids in indoor fall activities like decorating the rooms, carving pumpkins, and playing fun Halloween 👻 games.
November Activities for Your Kids
I know many people wonder how they can engage their kids in November activities.
In this blog post, I have tried to put together those ways, some of which you may not have thought of before.
I will be your guide 📝 to making a bucket list and together, we will find out the best November activities to do with your kids, just like I do, indoors as well as outdoors.
Trust me, you will thank me later. Let’s begin!
Outdoor November Activities for Kids
I consider fall the best time to plan a fun day out with my husband and kids and make the best out of it. It is a celebration of the autumn 🍁 season and the gift of love and warmth we have been blessed with.
Let’s look at some of my all-time favorite outdoor activities you can try this fall season.
Picking Apples
We have a beautiful apple 🍎 orchard five blocks away. I take my kids to pick apples there on weekends.
We also use those apples later at our Halloween party, where we serve apple donuts and apple cider to our guests.
Attending a Local Halloween Fest
We do have amazing festivals 🎊 and concerts happening in our area. You can also just Google November fests happening near you and spend a beautiful afternoon with your family.
Kids can enjoy the zip lines, hay rides, and corn mazes.
Walking through a Corn Maze
For my kids, finding their way through a corn 🌽 maze at a pumpkin patch is a great adventure they love doing.
Our local pumpkin patch also organizes a scavenger hunt for kids to solve while they are in the maze.
Pick a Pumpkin
I often take my kids to a local farm and ask them to find the perfect pumpkin 🎃 and collect fall treats. The owner always gives a box of apple donuts to my boys. No wonder they love him so much!
Pro Tip:
You can play Halloween-themed ‘Would You Rather’ while you are on your way to the pumpkin patch. It just sets the holiday mood!
Going to the Farmers’ Market
Spending a day at the local farmer’s 👩🏽🌾🧑🏽🌾 market with your kids is a great way to do your shopping for the Halloween party as well as teach them about the different food items and vegetables harvested during the fall season.
Going to the Zoo
Our local zoo hosts a special ‘Boo at the Zoo’ during the fall. Kids wear their favorite costumes and give pumpkins to the animals 🐅. Search online for the Halloween events going on at a zoo. Your kids will love it!
Raking Leaves
I often ask my kids to rake the fall leaves 🍂 in our yard and form a pile. Then, they jump in that pile and play for the entire afternoon. This can be a great way to have fun while cleaning!
Pro Tip:
You should buy kid-sized rakes to make sure that they don’t get hurt while raking leaves.
Going to the Botanical Garden
Visiting a botanical garden 🌳 during the fall educates your kids about the beauty of nature. They can play around, watching and understanding the transition of leaves. Guides take kids on tours to see the plants and flowers of the season.
Building a Fort
I always try to cultivate the creative side of my kids. So, I provide them with sticks and other stuff and ask them to build a fort 🏰. Trust me, kids have imaginative ideas that even we would never think of.
Pro Tip:
Ask the kids to be careful with sharp, pointy objects. Have someone look after them while they are playing.
Gardening
My kids buy saplings from the market so that they can plant beautiful flowers 🌷 in pots. This engages them in gardening and also makes your house look beautiful. Kids should spend more time outdoors, in the presence of nature.
Taking a Long Walk
My husband and I take our kids for a long walk🚶🏽♀️in the local state park every weekend. It’s the best time of the year to see the fall colors. We also collect beautiful leaves to make a scrapbook later.
Playing ‘I Spy On Your Hike”
I always try to make things interesting for my kids. While on our hike, we play “I Spy on Your Hike,” and it’s so much fun. There are plenty of printable fun worksheets 📑 available online that you can carry along.
Collecting Leaves
While we are on a hike, I ask my kids to collect leaves 🌿 they find unique and pretty. We use them later for fall crafts. You can ask your kids to make a collage or leaf rubbing with collected leaves.
Making a Sensory Bin
My elder one was assigned the project of making a fall-themed outdoor sensory bin 📤 in the fifth grade.
Since then, we’ve made them every year using pine cones, small pumpkins, leaves, etc. Even now, both my kids love doing it!
Playing Halloween Games
The fall season isn’t complete without Halloween 👻 games, right? We often have game nights where everyone in the family sits together and plays fun Halloween games. I always ask my kids to pick out the games they want to play.
Going to A Haunted House
This activity is okay if your kids are old enough. My boys enjoy going to this Haunted House 🏚️ Halloween fest organized by the local club. It’s a fun day, and even the adults in our family love to go there.
Making a Scarecrow
Well, is it even Halloween without a scarecrow? This is one November activity that my boys absolutely love. They buy hay from the farmer’s market and stuff some of their old clothes. We end up having so many of them!
Pro Tip:
To hold in the hay, try tying the shirt 👕 and pants 👖 ends with a string. You can use an artificial pumpkin to make the head of the scarecrow.
Going to an Amusement Park
Often, local amusement parks 🎢 conduct fun November events and festivals for kids. You can simply search online for the ongoing fests at the nearest park and take your kids for a fun day out. They will surely love the rides!
Going on a Hayride
We have a very old tradition of going on a hayride with the entire family because it’s a good bonding time. We never miss it, and I always try to teach my boys how important it is to value tradition.
Pro Tip: Never forget to carry hot chocolate for everyone while you are going for a hayride!
Going to a Costume Parade
Our locality also organizes a costume parade for the kids. I have signed up my kids for it every year.
They dress up in their favorite costumes 💃🏽 and really enjoy a day out with their friends, playing and running around.
Arranging a Bonfire
If you have a fire pit in your backyard, you can use it to make smores with your kids. Since it’s cooler outside, it’s the best time to have a bonfire 🔥 party. We often invite the neighbors over the weekend.
Pro Tip:
Always be careful when the kids are near the bonfire. Don’t let them go too close.
Going Camping
The entire family goes camping 🏕️ during the fall season. We have a lovely campground which is just an hour’s drive.
We do fun activities like star gazing, discussing horror stories, and eating smores and hot chocolate around a lovely bonfire.
Decorating the Front Yard
Make this a family project so that everyone can work together. My elder one even sketches a design of how the decorations 🏵️ will be every year. Trust me, it’s lovely to look at on the day of the Halloween party.
Pro Tip:
You can put the leaves you rake in a pumpkin bag and use it for decorations.
Playing Hide and Seek
My husband often plays hide 🫣 and seek 👀 with the boys in the yard at night during fall. We put glow sticks on their wrists, and trust me, it’s fun. It’s dark and cold, giving a spooky feel to the game.
The ‘Glow in the Dark Hunt’
You can hide mini pumpkins made of plastic in your yard, and place glow 🌟 bracelets inside. Then ask your kids to go out and find them. Make it a contest to see who wins. Offer candies to the winning candidate!
Pro Tip:
Put insect repellent creams on the boys to make sure they are safe while playing outside.
Having a Sack Race
When the family comes over for brunch on the weekend, we often have a sack race 🚩. The kids love it, and the adults also participate to keep up the spirit. This is a great way to bond with the family.
Doing a Family Photoshoot
A Halloween party is the best day to get together with your loved ones. I never miss an opportunity to arrange a family 👨👩👧👦 photoshoot before the party starts. We all dress up in matching clothes and get our pictures clicked.
Conduct Fall Experiments
If your kids are into science, you can also buy a workbook and make a list of experiments 🧪 you can do during the fall.
For example, my boys examine the collected fall leaves to understand why the color transition happens.
Going to a Playground
There’s nothing like it if you have a playground in your area. I take my boys to play football ⚽️ with other kids on the block. All the moms also get to sit together. That’s a nice afternoon for everyone, no?
Going for a Picnic
For me, November is the best time to have picnics. We take our kids to a playground or the zoo and have a nice picnic 🧺.
Imagine sitting with everyone and eating sandwiches and warm coffee in the crisp autumn air!
Having a Football Game
If your kids love sports, this is the easiest fall activity you can do. You can either watch a football 🥅 match together or arrange one for the kids in your area. You will make a great day out of it.
Indoor November Activities for Kids
Now, it may happen that the weather ⛈ isn’t that great, and you can’t take your kids out for an outdoor activity. Well, no need to worry.
I will discuss some equally engaging, fun indoor activities you can try out this fall.
Trust me, the kids are going to love it!
Making Pumpkin Cookies
If your kids love baking, you could ask them to help you out in the kitchen once in a while. Baking cookies 🍪 is a great way to spend some quality time together and make fall-themed desserts for the Halloween party.
Playing Halloween Bingo
One of the most loved indoor games in our family is Halloween 👻 Bingo. The boys love it, and we have also somehow become used to it being a part of our Halloween parties. You can find printable game cards online.
Thanksgiving Coloring
Another great way to explore the creativity in your kids is to get them interested in art. I always use color-by-number activity sheets with Halloween and Thanksgiving themes and ask my kids to color 🖍️ at least one sheet each day.
Carving a Pumpkin
What’s Halloween without pumpkins? I have always tried to teach my boys how important pumpkin 🎃 carving and decoration are as a tradition during the fall season. So, we sit together over the weekend and decorate pumpkins for the Halloween party.
Pro Tip:
If you want the pumpkins to last longer, don’t carve them open.
Making Halloween Costumes
I am a bit of a costume designer, you know? So, I make costumes 🧥 for the Halloween party myself.
I ask my boys to get creative, give their opinions, and pitch in their ideas. They do good, I must say!
Eating Caramel Apples
My mother used to give me a caramel apple 🍏 every day during the fall season. I have tried to pass on the tradition to my kids. You can buy apples from the farmer’s market and make caramel apples at home.
Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
If you want to make the best out of pumpkins 🎃, you can ask your kids to separate the seeds in a bowl. Roast them later, and you have a healthy and tasty snack for the rest of the autumn season!
Pro Tip:
Bake the pumpkin seeds at 300 degrees for 45 mins. Later, add some salt and toss them.
Apple Bobbing
None of our Halloween parties are complete without a fun game of bobbing for apples 🍎. Everyone loves it, and we all share a good laugh.
You can make it a fall tradition and make sure everyone participates, especially your kids.
Game Night
I arranged a sleepover 🛏️ for my boys and their cousins and friends from the locality to have a game night.
You can also make Halloween treats and serve the kids. They will know and believe you are a Super Mom!
Pro Tip:
My most preferred dinner in the fall is crockpot chili. You can also add a buffet of toppings for the kids.
Planning a Movie Night
My boys love horror movies 🎥. So, we have frequent Halloween movie nights during the fall, where we watch horror films.
I also try to make them watch fall-themes movies to get them to know this time of the season better.
Making Popcorn Balls
Sounds a bit old-fashioned, but I love it! I make popcorn balls and popcorn 🍿 bars with my kids. While we have a movie night or a party, I add them to the popcorn everyone eats, and it’s great fun, too!
Pro Tip:
To add a twist of Halloween to the toppings, use candy corn or orange. You can also add brown M&Ms.
Planning the Halloween Party
I think the most important thing to do indoors is to plan the Halloween party 🎉. It’s a great deal in our family, and I make sure it’s perfect. You can ask your kids to help with the costumes and decorations.
Playing Halloween-themed Games
Since Halloween 👻 is just around the corner, you can spend your evenings playing games like Pumpkin Toss, Halloween Charades, and Halloween Bingo.
They are a major hit in our household, and it’s actually very fun to play with your family.
Making Mystery Boxes
I make spooky Halloween-themed mystery boxes 📦 for my kids. Then, I ask them to guess what’s inside- witches’ teeth, candy corn, or spaghetti. If they get it right, they get a surprise gift. There’s nothing better than receiving a present!
Pro Tip:
You can use tissue boxes, construction papers, and spooky objects to make the boxes.
Making a Halloween Obstacle Course
You can also try making an indoor/outdoor obstacle course 🚩 so that the kids can run around. You can ask them to go around plastic pumpkins.
I often find my boys walking over a broomstick or crawling under spider webs.
Making a Fall Wreath
DIY fall decorations are a major hit in our house. I always make fall wreaths 🏵️ with my boys, and we all feel that they truly bring out the essence of the fall. You can hang them on the front door.
Making a Sensory Table
If your kids love sensory play, you can try making a sensory table with your kids. You can also put dried corn and leaves in a bowl as a replacement.
A construction truck helps you push and dump the ingredients easily.
Apple Tasting
We buy plenty of apples 🍎 from the farmer’s market. The fall has so much variety to offer, and even local grocery stores have apples of many colors and flavors. You can have an apple-tasting session for your kids at home.
Apple Stamping
If you want to keep your kids busy, you can ask them to do apple 🍏 stamping. They can use a scrapbook to note 📝 down the various apples they eat. This will also be a colorful and beloved memory they will cherish forever.
Conclusion
These are some of the most common November activities I try for my kids to engage themselves in during the fall 🍁 season. Not that we can do everything every year, but we try to have fun as well as learn something new. As a mother, I always try to help my kids find their hobby or something they are passionate about.
I hope you loved reading these activities and ideas that are super easy and fun to try out. There’s nothing better than having a good time 😊 with your little ones.
Please let me know about your opinion regarding the activities I’ve discussed. Leave a comment, and share if you have any questions. I would love to hear back from you! 😁
🎃Happy Halloween!🎃
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I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. I’m here to help you with play-based learning activities and crafts for kids ages 0 – 8. ( Cledemy.com is my Next startup on Pre to 8th Grade Printable and Worksheet Education Resources)