There are so many wonderful ways for a family to spend time together in the fall. The weather is getting a little bit cooler, but it is still warm enough to spend time outside together in the backyard or on the patio. Here are 8 fun ways to spend family time:
1. Backyard barbecue
It’s still nice enough in most areas to spend time in the yard. Whether you are scraping the remaining weeds out of the garden, or just hanging out on the porch, there are still plenty of evenings where you can gather as a family in the backyard. Having a barbecue is one way to celebrate fall. Throwing some meat on the grill, and a few veggies too, sounds good. Corn on the cob tastes incredible when it is wrapped in tin foil and grilled. Many homes have a patio that is already set up for parties and barbecues for family and friends to gather around the firepit, for a bit of food and fun, which can include roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.
2. Movie night
As the evenings get colder, it’s a great idea to create a movie night for your family. You can plan dinners around the night, such as making it a pizza night or grabbing a meal at a restaurant. Popcorn and special treats can be included, and you can ask the kids what kind of movie they want. Just spending time together enjoying a movie is one of my favorite memories of my own family. Watching a movie together as a family helps to promote a sense of security in children and shows them they can enjoy being at home and don’t always have to be on the go to have fun. They can relax and feel safe in a loving home environment.
3. Leaf gathering
You could plan a leaf raking day, or you could go on a walk with your children in the neighborhood for a leaf gathering excursion. Small preschool children and those in grade school would enjoy this kind of activity. After you have gathered many different types of leaves, you can sit down and look at them together and then paste them into a homemade book, or put them into frames. Using thrift store frames is an inexpensive way for children to cherish the leaves they have gathered with you. Another idea is to use the leaves for leaf rubbing pictures. You simply place the leaves beneath the paper and rub sideways with a pencil or crayon, to create a beautiful picture. You could also press the leaves in a book or leaf-presser, to be viewed in a week or so.
4. Tidy up the yard
One of the best ways to celebrate Fall is to work on cleaning up the yard as a family. If you decorated your yard for Halloween, now is a good time to take it down, and you can clean up the yard by raking leaves. With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday around the corner, you can also think of ways to dress up the yard for that. There are so many interesting ways to decorate your yard. You can use solar lights along the walkways to make your yard more visible in the evening or string lights in the trees for the Christmas holiday. The best time to put up lights is before the weather turns cold, so now is a good time to plan your decor. Children love to be a part of creating yard displays or yard art. Just shop around for ready to hang decor, or make your own. The important part is just doing it as a family and letting your children help make decisions and letting them put it together.
5. Family bike ride
Everyone is familiar with bike riding, but it can be extra fun when the whole family participates. This can be a very relaxing thing to do, which helps build confidence in youngsters and to helps to create a bond between parents and kids when they go on rides together. This is one of the easiest things to do as a family and it usually doesn’t cost any money. You can bike ride around your neighborhood, or find some paved trails near a park in your city. Your children can enjoy the outdoors and also learn about things like how to wear helmets and how to ride safely. The whole family will be getting exercise too.
6. Go on a hike
Another idea is for the whole family to load up in the car and drive somewhere to hiking trails. This can be an exciting thing for the children because they are exploring new areas and building confidence, along with their muscles. Even very small children can go hiking. If necessary, you can carry your kids in a carrier on your back, if they are too small to keep up. Family bonding time is so very important, and it’s a good idea to do it as often as you can. There are many things to teach children out in nature, and it’s important to take time to let them enjoy it, and not push them too hard. If your children are very young, even a stroll at the park can be enough of an outing to make them happy. Being outdoors, especially in the fall, is a great way for all of you to enjoy the beauty of nature.
7. Bake cookies
Baking cookies is a simple project to undertake, and it can get really interesting when you let your children do it with you. Walking them through the process and teaching them how to bake cookies, step by step, is something that nearly every child enjoys. Not only are they learning how to do something, but they can be having fun and then they get the reward of tasting them afterward. When the weather begins cooling down, baking cookies is a great thing to do with your kids. Or, if they like some other type of baked goods, you can do that too. Before you know it, they will be offering to do it themselves and you can supervise. They can make the treats, while you just watch.
8. Do a craft project
The fall is a time best suited to craft projects for children, especially because they are back in school. You can use crafts to explore their interests and see what kind of projects they enjoy the most. Whether it is drawing, painting or putting pieces together with glue, crafting is one of the funnest things to do as a family. Children can learn to express themselves and enjoy creating something special, which can gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. There are even garden art projects your kids can make. The coming of the holidays is a perfect opportunity to do craft projects with your kids. There are dozens of ideas available from many sources on the internet, or even at your local craft store that will inspire you to try doing new things with your children. They can make something special to hang on the walls, or on the door. Or, for Thanksgiving, they can work on table or window decorations, and for Christmas, they can start making ornaments for the tree. Family activities are something you should always make time for in today’s busy world. It may seem hard for families to come together in the fall, because of busy school and work schedules, but you should take the time to do them. When you make creative use of everyday activities, you are bonding with your children and building memories of family fun that your kids will remember for years to come.
