30+ Fun September Activities for Children That are Amazing! 

Most parents 🤱 will agree with me that September acts as a buffer between the chaos of the summer vacations and the chaos of the holiday seasons. With the kids finally back to school and the beginning of fall upon us, September🍁 is a great month to be outdoors with your kids and enjoy the weather. 

My focus with the activities and exercises recommended during the month of September is that it acts as an aid for helping the kids get a better understanding of the concepts they are learning at school🏫. 

I have tried to incorporate several activities, exercises, and even snacks in this list that will keep your child stimulated and engage them in critical thinking. 

Interesting September Activities For Kids

Research has shown time and time again that the most efficient way of teaching kids🧒 is by engaging them in fun and entertaining activities. I grew up in a household where academics came before everything, even my own mental health. And I can see the folly of such a strict system. 

As a parent, I want my kids to be well-mannered and do well at school, but I also want them to have fun, explore their creativity, and don’t grow up thinking that my love for them is conditional. 

Therefore, whenever I have some free time from my busy schedule, I look for ways to invite my kids🧒 to participate in activities that we can all enjoy. I hope that you and your kids have a lot of fun taking part in the activities mentioned below. 

Beaded Corn on the Cob 

Corn🌽 is such an integral part of fall and its aesthetics. My kids and I used the end product to decorate the house.

What you need- 

Pipe Cleaners and red, yellow, white, brown, and orange pony beads. 

Steps- 

• Cut four 12-inch pieces of the pipe cleaner. 
• Line the pieces so they are even, and then twist them in the middle. 
• Once you have twisted the pipe cleaners, spread each piece in the shape of a star. 
• Ask your child to start putting the beads in each piece. They can even make a pattern. 
• Once you have fed the beads to the pipe cleaner, carefully gather the ends of the pipe cleaner and tie them in a knot. By leaving at least 2 inches towards the end, you can even braid the pipe cleaners. Repeat the process again and again. 

Pro Tip- For September, I like to use fall-related colored beads, and in October, I’ll use Halloween-inspired colored beads. 

Fall-Inspired Tree Art 

When my kids were learning about different weathers, I felt that making them paint these scenes was very insightful as there is nothing like a child’s perspective. 

What you need- 

Used brown paper bags, kitchen sponge, toothbrush. Paint colors, cartridge paper, color mixing bowls🥣, scissors✂️, and glue. 

Steps- 

• The first step is preparing the canvas. Our canvas is the cartridge sheet and the brown paper bag. 
• Cut several slits into one end of the brown paper bag. Twist these slits into small branches. Twist the remainder of the bag into the tree trunk, with the roots at the end. Paste on the white sheet. 
• Create a fall-inspired color palette🎨. Our palette had the colors orange, brown, yellow, and purple. 
• Now, ask your child to use the kitchen sponge and toothbrush to make the leaves of the tree.  

Back To School Self-Portrait 

Right before summer vacation is about to end, do this exercise with your children🧒. I have saved my kids’ self-portrait sheets because their answers are so sweet and innocent.

All you need to do is give your child a piece of paper with some prompts. Ask them to answer these questions and draw themselves in the empty space below. 

Pro Tip- I wrote the following questions- What is your height, age, and name? How did their vacations go? And what they expect from school🏫 that year. You can make your own questions. 

Teach Your Child to Make Apple Crisp 

The apples🍎 available in September are perfect for baking. Apple Crisp is a fairly easy-to-make dessert that you can make along with your children. 

What You Need- 

Diced apples🍎, flour, butter, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, sugar, and oatmeal. 

Steps- 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, grease a baking pan with butter and put the diced apples🍎 on it. I like to cover the baking sheet, wall to wall, with apples. 
• Put half a cup of sugar and flour on top of the apples and mix it well. 
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine a third of a cup of room-temperature butter with a quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda, half a teaspoon of salt, three-quarters of a cup of flour, oatmeal, and brown sugar. Ask your child to mix the mixture with a spatula. 
• Cover the apples with this mixture and bake for at least 30 minutes or until the crisp is golden brown. Let it cool before serving. 

Pro Tip- While the crisp is baking, you can show your kids how to whip cream. If you are not a big fan of whipped cream, then you can serve the crisp with plain vanilla ice cream 🍦as well. 

Fall Themed Corn Art Project 

Keep your child busy with this corn art project. 

What you need- 

Colored expired corn🌽 kernels, food colors, water, vinegar, plastic cup, glue, pencil, and construction paper. 

Steps- 

• Fill 1/4th of a cup with corn kernels and top it off with water and vinegar. Mix in some food coloring and leave it overnight. Repeat the process with other colors. Strain the kernels and let them dry completely. 
• Meanwhile, draw a portrait, landscape, monster, or anything your kid wants.
• Once the kernels have dried, ask them to color the drawing made earlier using the kernels and glue. 

Pro Tip- To acquire expired corn🌽 kernels, you can visit a nearby grocery store or farmer’s market. 

Scented Sweet Apple Play Dough 

Make sweet apple-scented🍎 play dough for your child this fall. 

What you need- 

Flour, water, salt, cream of tartar, apple fragrant shampoo, oil, and red food coloring. 

Steps- 

• In a large mixing bowl, mix a cup of plain flour, two teaspoons of cream of tartar, and half a cup of salt🧂. 
• In a measuring cup, mix two tablespoons of oil, 200 ml of water, red food coloring, and 50 ml of apple fragrant shampoo. 
• Now, slowly mix the wet and dry ingredients using a whisk and pour the mixture into a saucepan. 
• Cook this on medium heat until the slime has become thick; take off the heat, let it cool, and then knead on a clean surface. 
• The play dough is ready to be played with. 

Pro Tip- You can also add cinnamon and caramel extract to the mix. 

Visit an Apple Orchard and an Apple Cider Mill 

September is the perfect month to visit an apple🍎 orchard. I love taking my kids to the orchard in September before the October crowd rushes in.

If possible, look for an orchard that also distills cider on the side, as you can get a tour of the distillery and teach your kids how cider is made. 

Pro tip- An apple🍎 orchard is a great place to take your annual family portraits. 

Leaf Face Activity for Toddlers 

Ask your child to collect as many leaves as they can from the backyard. Ask them to sort through these leaves and pick 10 of the best-looking leaves🌿, then give them a marker and ask them to draw different characters on the leaves.

Your toddler will love them. After finishing this exercise, my daughter spent at least two days role-playing with the leaves. 

Pro Tip- Throw away the leaves🌿 once they start to wilt or appear wet. 

Fall Leaf Craft for Toddlers 

With the leaves your child collected for the activity mentioned above, your toddler can create this beautiful fall leaf🍂 craft that strengthens their motor skills. 

What you need- 

Fall leaves🍂, glue, cartridge paper, and marker. 

Steps- 

• On a large cartridge paper, draw the branches and stems of a tree🎋. 
• Give this sheet to your child and ask them to use the leaves they have collected and the glue to stick it to the tree. 

Take Your Kids on a Nature Walk 

Plan a nature walk with your kids 🧒on a beautiful September weekend. Fall is a great time to be outdoors and engage with nature.

You can take your children for a hike to the nearest national park or plan a scavenger hunt for them in the park. You can also ask them to gather as many different things as they possibly can during this trip as well. 

Make a Suncatcher 

With the items your children collected during their nature walk, you can help them make a suncatcher. 

What you need- 

Dead leaves🍁, paper plate, box cutter, punch hole, shoelace, flower petals🌸, and contact paper. 

Steps- 

• Using the box cutter, cut a circle in the middle of the paper plate using a box cutter. 
• Cut a piece of contact paper that is just a little bit smaller than the plate. 
• On the sticky side of the paper, ask your child to paste the items they had collected during their walk in a pattern or otherwise. 
• Using the punch hole, make two holes on one side of the plate and thread a shoelace through it. The suncatcher is ready. 

Apple Taste Testing 

Did you know that there are at least 20 different types of apples🍏? As September comes to a close, you can introduce your kids to the different types of apples🍎available to you.

I could find only six types of apples at the local farmer’s market. As my kids tried each apple, I asked them to describe the difference in their taste and appearance.  

Apple Alphabet Match 

With this easy game, you can improve your child’s alphabet recognition ability. You can play this game on a photo editing software like Photoshop or create a template for it on Photoshop. 

Steps- 

• Download a jpeg of a bucket and an apple. 
• Make twenty-six replicas of the bucket on a worksheet and write the alphabet 🔤in it (in the uppercase). Print this sheet and cut the buckets. 
• On another worksheet, write the alphabet in lowercase, print it, and cut out the letters. 

Shuffle through these photos and hand them to your child. Ask them to sort the bucket alphabetically and to match the uppercase letters to the lowercase letters.

A corn Counting Exercise 

Improve your child’s mathematical abilities with this fall-themed exercise. 

What you need- 

A whiteboard, a marker, a duster, and plastic acorns. 

To work on my child’s adding and subtracting skills, I like to write a sum and make them use the acorns to find the answer. Do the same with subtraction. 

Pro Tip- I also encourage my kids to reverse engineer a number and find as many possible pairs of numbers that can be added to make that specific number. This exercise can help them when they learn multiplication. 

DIY Bird Feeders 

As it starts to cool down, many birds will begin their migration for the winter. Therefore, during September, my backyard is full of different types of birds🐦‍. This exercise is a great way to teach your child about what birds eat along with migration. 

What you need- 

Bird🐤 feed, a teacup, and a saucer, glue, and twine. 

Steps- 

• On the opposite side of the teacup handle, spread some glue and place the teacup on the saucer. Let the glue set. 
• Cut three long strands of twine. Take these three strands and gather them around the teacup in such a way that it supports the weight of the teacup. Tie the three strands together and hand it to a tree. 
• You can add the birdfeeder to the cup. 

Fall Potato Stamp 

Encourage your kids to create unique art with this method. 

What you need- 

Orange, brown, yellow, and red paint colors, potato, and hot glue. 

Steps-

• Cut the potato in half for your child. 
• Using the hot glue, help them make an original pattern. 
• Let the glue dry. Your potato 🥔stamp is ready. 
• Now, ask your child to use just the stamp to make an original artwork. 

Pro Tip- You can substitute the potato🥔 for other fall vegetables and fruits like apples, pumpkins🎃, and gourd. 

Paper Plate Scarecrow 

Your kids will absolutely love to decorate their room with this artwork. 

What you need- 

Paper plate🍽️, orange, blue, yellow, and brown construction papers, plastic spider, scissors✂️, and a black marker. 

Steps- 

• Help your child draw a straw hat on construction paper and then cut it with scissors✂️. 
• Use the yellow construction paper to make some strips and attach them to the top and bottom of the hat (just like straws will poke from a straw hat). 
• Cut a tiny triangle from the orange construction paper and two small pink circles. 
• Using the glue, paste the hat on the paper plate. 
• Draw two eyes using the marker just beneath the hat and then place the orange triangle in the middle. Paste the small pink circles on either side of the nose. 
• Use the markers🖋️ to create other features and paste the plastic spider on the hat. 

Read Fall-related Books to Your Toddlers and Preschoolers 

Reading books 📚about fall can help them understand weather changes and even notice the leaves falling and the weather cools. 

I read to my toddlers the following books- The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming, The Berenstain Bear’s Harvest Festival, Fall Mixed Up by Robert Raczka, and Pete the Cat Falling for Autumn by Kimberly and James Dean. These books had beautiful illustrations and loveable characters. 

Painted Paper Leaves 

Teach your kids how to make realistic-looking leaves. 

What you need- 

Construction paper, watercolors, paintbrush, and plastic table mat. 

Steps- 

• Draw a variety of different types of leaves on the construction paper and help your child cut it with scissors. 
• On your working table, place the plastic table mat. 
• Create a palette of fall watercolors and hand your child a paintbrush to paint over the leaves. 
• Once the leaves have dried, your child can use them to create new artwork. 

Apple Stacking Competition

Improve your kids’ problem-solving abilities with this fun, competitive game. 

What you need- 

Plastic or decorative apples🍎 and playdough. 

Provide your kids with these items and ask them to make the tallest apple🍎 stack in 5 minutes. Let them develop their own technique and do not assist. 

Pro Tip- Make sure you have plenty of playdough and apples for each player. 

First Day of School Sign 

I love to click a picture of my children on their first day of school🏫 for a keepsake. This year, we decided to create a sign of the grade they’ll be starting. 

What you need- 

Printed construction paper, scissors✂️, marker, and tape. 

Steps- 

• On a large construction sheet, write the grade your child is starting that year. Using the scissors, cut the letters. 
• Using the tape, paste the letters to each other. Your sign is ready. 

Pro Tip- You and your child can put your own spin on these signs. My older son decided to make a car out of a sheet of cardboard and write his grade on it. 

Paint a Birdhouse 

As the weather cools down, I have been noticing several different kinds of birds in my backyard. My kids and I have placed at least 5 DIY birdfeeders in the backyard and are now noticing the need for a birdhouse. 

What you need- 

Store-bought birdhouses, acrylic paint, and paintbrush. 

Give your children their own birdhouses, along with a paintbrush and acrylic paint. Let them paint over the birdhouse as they like. You can also let your kids decorate the birdhouse with other art supplies as well.

For instance, at the entrance of the birdhouse, my daughter glued a tiny dog🐕 figurine, which, according to her, will protect the birds while they sleep. 

Teach Your Child About the Lifecycle of an Apple 

Apple🍎 is an important fixture of fall. Fall is the perfect time to take your children’s apple-picking and make apple-related desserts. 

But where do apples🍎 come from, and what happens to them after we eat them? Teach your kids all about apples and their life cycle with this easy craft. 

What you need- 

A whiteboard and whiteboard markers (Red, green, and black). 

I looked up a science lesson online and simplified it for my preschooler. Using the markers, I showed her the different stages of development. 

For instance, the seeds we find inside the apple fruit are sown in the ground, from which the apple tree grows. As the flowers on the apple tree start to mature, the fruit starts to form. 

Pro Tip- If your kids are older, then you can explain the process of fruit and flower formation in greater depth. 

Leaf People Crafts 

With an abundance of leaves around your backyard, you can encourage your kids to make ‘Leaf People.’ 

What you need- 

Dead leaves🍂, glue, googly eyes, construction paper, and marker. 

Steps- 

• Encourage your kids to use the dead leaves instead of colored pencils and crayons to make a family portrait. 
• Once the bodies have been made, they can use the marker to add other features and paste the googly eyes👀. 

Fall Leaf Wreath 

Make a fall leaf wreath for your kids’ door. 

What You Need- 

Plastic autumn leaves🍁, metallic paint, glue, embroidery hoop, and ribbon🎗️. 

Steps- 

• Paint the plastic autumn leaves with metallic paint. 
• Glue the plastic autumn leaves on the embroidery hoop. Your wreath is ready. 

Record a Back To School Interview 

Help your child conduct a back-to-school interview with their friends and siblings, with one kid interviewing the other kid. I showed my kids how to record sound and shoot🎥 a video, along with helping them formulate questions. 

Then, I let them conduct the interviews. Since I have some rudimentary knowledge of editing, I showed my kids how to use video editing software, and we edited the video ourselves. This exercise was a massive hit in the parent group. 

Teach about Monarch Butterfly 

Did you know that monarch butterflies🦋 start their migration towards Mexico every September?

Therefore, September is the perfect time of the month to teach your children about this endangered species of butterflies🦋 and the role it plays in our ecosystem. 

My kids and I watched an extremely informative video on the monarch butterflies 🦋and their life cycle. 

Fall Sand Writing Tray 

In a shallow container, pour some yellow, red, and orange sand from the market. Let your child use the sand as a canvas for practicing their letters and numbers skills🔢. 

Preschooler Bobbing Apples Game 

Your preschoolers will have a lot of fun with this game and will even get a chance to work on their motor skills and counting skills. 

What you need- 

Plastic apples🍎 (preferably of different colors), a large container or kiddie pool, water, and kitchen utensils🥄. 

• To minimize wastage of water, I like to use the kiddie pool for this game (Don’t worry, the kids will not be picking the apples with their mouths). 
• Fill the pool with plastic apples and ask your children to pick one kitchen utensil each. 
• To play this game, assign different points to each color of apple and ask your kids to pick as many apples as they possibly can using only their chosen utensil🥄. 
• Once they have collected all of the apples, ask them to count their points. 

Pro Tip- if you can’t find plastic apples of different colors, use a permanent marker to write different points on the plastic apples. 

Pinecone Painting for Toddlers 

While you and your kids are on a nature walk this September, ask them to collect as many pine cones as they can. Once you are home, clean the pinecones with water 🚿and vinegar, and bake them in the oven to remove any and all impurities. 

The pine cones are ready to be painted on. Let your toddler express their creativity with paint and other art supplies. 

Handprint Fall Tree

Help your child create artwork that you can cherish every year. Whenever I bring out this handprint 🖐️fall tree out of the box, I remember precious memories from their early childhoods. 

What you need- 

Brown, yellow, orange, and red construction paper, glue stick, paper plate, green acrylic paint, clean pinecones, and an empty paper towel roll. 

Steps- 

• Paint the paper plate green. 
• Once the paint has dried, paste the empty paper towel roll on the paper plate using tape and scissors. I like to cut inch-long slits on one end of the paper towel and turn them outside to secure the towel roll to the plate. 
• On the construction papers, help your child trace their hands 🖐️and supervise them while they cut it with scissors. 
• Start gluing the hands on the paper towel roll. Decorate the bottom of the tree with the pine cones. 

Fall Bowling Game 

Make a fall-themed bowling🎳 set for your children using upcycled plastic bottles. 

What you need- 

Pumpkin, ten plastic bottles, black marker, googly eyes, and glue. 

Steps- 

• Customize the ten plastic bottles using the black marker and googly eyes. My kids made cartoon faces on plastic bottles. 
• Place the plastic bottles in the form of a triangle at one end of your backyard. 
• Standing on the other end, ask your child to roll the pumpkins towards the bottles. Keep score and follow the usual bowling🎳 rules. 

Clay Leaf Ornaments 

Decorate your child’s room this fall with these clay leaf🍀 ornaments. 

What you need- 

Baking soda, corn starch, warm water, leaf cookie cutter, glue, paintbrush, and straw. 

Steps- 

• To make clay dough, mix 1 cup of baking soda, ½ cup of corn starch, and 3/4th cup of warm water in a pan and stir over medium heat until the mixture is thick and there are no bubbles. Allow the heat to cool down. 
• Knead the dough and roll the dough on a flat surface using a rolling pin. 
• Use the cookie cutter to cut as many leaves as possible. Using the straw 🥤makes tiny holes in one corner of the leaves. 
• Keep the clay dough in a dry room and let it harden. 
• Using the paintbrush, paint some glue on each leaf and sprinkle glitter over it. Tap the cookie to remove loose glitter. Your leaf ornaments are ready. 

Pro Tip- This craft can be used to make other types of personalized ornaments as well. For instance, my kids and I used the same recipe to make Halloween decorations. 

Fall Marble Painting 

This is another great activity for toddlers and preschoolers. It is great for refining their fine motor skills. 

What you need- 

Yellow, brown, red, and orange paint🎨, marbles, a shallow container, and paper. 

Steps- 

• Place the paper in the shallow container. 
• Add a few dollops of each paint color 🎨in the middle of the page. 
• Ask your child to pick the marbles and use them instead of a paintbrush🖌️ to paint the page. 

Pro Tip- Make sure to use paint that is non-toxic and can be easily removed with water. 

Parts of Pumpkin Craft 

This craft is perfect for children in elementary school who are learning about parts of plants and fruits. 

What you need- 

Orange paper plates, brown and green construction paper, green and yellow pipe cleaners, saran wrap, and cotton balls. 

Steps- 

• On an orange paper plate, scatter some small cotton balls on the sheet along with small pieces of the yellow pipe cleaner. Cover the plate with saran wrap. 
• Cut two leaves from the green construction paper and paste them on the top of the plate. Using the brown paper, cut a stub that will represent the pumpkin🎃 stem. 
• Take two small pieces of the green pipe cleaners and twist them around your figure. Paste each of these pieces behind the leaves. 
• Now, cut a large circle in the middle of another orange paper plate and paste it on top of the other plate. 
• Using Post-it notes, help your child label all of the parts of the pumpkin. For instance, the yellow pipe cleaners are the fibrous strands, the green construction paper is the leaves, the green cleaners are the tendrils, the cotton balls are the seeds, and the paper plate is the skin. 

Leaf Monsters Craft 

Your children will not only love making this art but also playing with the monsters. 

What you need- 

Leaves, googly eyes👀, paint, and paintbrush. 

Steps- 

• Ask your child to create leaf monsters using the leaves, paint, and googly eyes👀. 

Pro Tip- You can also use pine cones to make these monsters. 

Scarecrow Painting 

My preschooler spent hours creating her very own life-size scarecrow painting. I provided her with the materials and gave her free reign to showcase her creativity and make a unique scarecrow. 

Provide your kids with their regular arts and crafts supplies and even encourage them to use fallen leaves and pine cones from the backyard to make a lifesize scarecrow painting. You will be surprised by the results. 

Footprint Fall Painting 

Your children will absolutely love participating in this project. 

What you need- 

Paint, construction paper, artificial feathers, glue, and black marker. 

Steps- 

• To make this turkey 🦃painting, paint your child’s feet with brown paint and stamp it on the construction paper. 
• To make the crown of the turkey🦃, paste a few artificial feathers around the heel of the foot. 
• Using the black marker, make the turkey’s 🦃features. 

Melted Crayon Leaf Activity 

My children really enjoyed this activity. 

What you need- 

Broken crayons🖍️, paper, scissors, and cupcake liners.  

Steps-

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Line the cupcake🧁 liners on a baking sheet and place the crayons 🖍️in the liner. 
• While the crayon🖍️ is melting in the oven, draw leaves on used paper and cut them. 
• After you take the baking sheet out of the oven, use a pair of tongs to dip the leaves in the crayon 🖍️and let it dry on a cooling rack. 

Conclusion 

With the kids finally back to school🏫, September frees up a lot of time in every parent’s calendar. Make sure to take advantage of the beautiful fall 🍁weather and engage your kids🧒 in more fun and exciting activities that help them express their creativity and even learn a thing or two. 

Hope these activities will help you have fun with your children🧒. Sound off in the comments down below what your favorite activities were.