Fun fall activities to do with kids

Dec 18

Fall is a wonderful time to engage children in activities that not only embrace the season but also support their development in meaningful ways. As a therapist, I recommend activities that promote sensory exploration, social interaction, motor skills, and cognitive development—all while making the most of the autumn season. Here are some fall-themed activities that are fun, therapeutic, and beneficial for children:

1. Leaf Sensory Exploration

Developmental Focus: Sensory integration, fine motor skills
Activity: Take a nature walk with your child to collect a variety of colorful leaves. Encourage them to feel the texture of the leaves (crunchy, smooth, rough), compare colors, and sort them into categories (size, color, or shape). You can even press the leaves and use them for art projects, such as leaf rubbings.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity stimulates sensory processing, fine motor skills, and cognitive categorization. It can also help children practice language development by describing the textures, colors, and sounds associated with the leaves.

2. Pumpkin Exploration

Developmental Focus: Fine motor skills, creativity, and language development
Activity: Use pumpkins to explore a variety of textures and shapes. Have children help clean the pumpkins, scoop out the seeds (fine motor strengthening), and decorate them using markers, stickers, or paint. Older children can practice carving with supervision.
Therapeutic Benefit: The tactile experience of handling pumpkins enhances sensory integration and fine motor skills. It also offers opportunities for social interaction and creative expression.

3. Apple Picking and Sorting

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, cognitive development
Activity: Visit an apple orchard to go apple picking. Afterward, work with your child to sort the apples by color, size, or type. You can also practice counting apples, using them for simple math activities like addition or subtraction.
Therapeutic Benefit: Apple picking is great for gross motor skills as it involves reaching, bending, and walking. Sorting and counting also support cognitive development, and the outdoor environment provides a sensory-rich experience.

4. Fall-Themed Obstacle Course

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, coordination, and problem-solving
Activity: Create a fall-themed obstacle course using hay bales, pumpkins, leaves, and other items you have around the house or yard. Have children navigate the course, which could include jumping over obstacles, crawling under tunnels, or balancing on a line. Encourage them to work on balance, strength, and coordination.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity promotes physical development, balance, and coordination while encouraging problem-solving and following directions. It's also a great opportunity for children to practice their social and communication skills if done in a group.

5. Fall Storytime and Dramatic Play

Developmental Focus: Language development, social skills, imagination
Activity: Read fall-themed books (such as those about pumpkins, harvests, or autumn animals) together. After reading, encourage your child to act out the story or create their own version of the tale. Use costumes or props (such as scarves, hats, or pumpkins) for dramatic play.
Therapeutic Benefit: Storytelling and dramatic play help children enhance their language skills, boost creativity, and build social skills by practicing turn-taking and role-playing.

6. Baking Fall Treats

Developmental Focus: Fine motor skills, sensory processing, cognitive skills
Activity: Involve children in baking simple fall treats such as pumpkin muffins, apple pies, or cinnamon sugar cookies. Have them help with tasks such as stirring, measuring ingredients, rolling dough, or cutting out shapes with cookie cutters.
Therapeutic Benefit: Baking strengthens fine motor skills through actions like stirring, pouring, and kneading dough. It also supports sensory processing as children engage with different textures, smells, and tastes. The activity fosters independence, following instructions, and even math concepts like counting and measuring.

7. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Developmental Focus: Cognitive development, attention to detail, social interaction
Activity: Create a fall-themed scavenger hunt by listing items for children to find during a walk—things like acorns, different colored leaves, squirrels, or a particular tree. You can use pictures for younger children and simple written lists for older children.
Therapeutic Benefit: A scavenger hunt promotes attention to detail, memory, and cognitive processing. It also provides opportunities for social interaction, teamwork, and conversation as children work together to find the items on the list.

8. Fall-Themed Art Projects

Developmental Focus: Creativity, fine motor skills, color recognition
Activity: Create art projects using fall colors and themes. This could include painting fall landscapes, making leaf collages, or using stickers and stamps to create patterns. For a sensory activity, try using pumpkins or apples as stamps for prints.
Therapeutic Benefit: These projects allow children to express themselves creatively, practice fine motor skills, and improve hand-eye coordination. It also provides an opportunity to work on color recognition and pattern-making.

9. Jumping in Leaves

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, balance, social interaction
Activity: Rake leaves into a pile and let the children jump into them. This activity encourages physical activity and social interaction as children take turns and play together in the pile of leaves. You can also introduce simple games, such as “Who can jump the highest?”
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity strengthens gross motor skills, balance, and coordination, as well as encourages social play and cooperation. It also provides a sensory-rich experience with the feel and sound of leaves.

10. Fall-Themed Yoga or Mindfulness Activities

Developmental Focus: Emotional regulation, body awareness, mindfulness
Activity: Introduce fall-themed yoga poses, such as “tree pose,” or practice deep breathing exercises that help children relax and focus. You can use guided imagery, such as pretending to be a leaf floating in the wind or a pumpkin growing in a patch, to engage their imagination while encouraging calmness and focus.
Therapeutic Benefit: Yoga and mindfulness activities help children regulate emotions, reduce stress, and develop better body awareness. It also encourages emotional self-regulation and the ability to focus.

11. Corn Sensory Bin

Developmental Focus: Sensory processing, fine motor skills
Activity: Fill a large bin with dried corn kernels (or popcorn kernels) and let children explore it with their hands. Provide small toys, plastic scoops, or measuring cups to encourage children to practice pouring, scooping, and transferring the corn between containers. You can also hide small fall-themed items like mini pumpkins or autumn leaves for a fun treasure hunt.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity is excellent for sensory exploration, helping children engage with different textures, sounds, and smells. It also strengthens fine motor skills and coordination as children handle small objects, pour, and sort.

12. Nature Collage

Developmental Focus: Creativity, fine motor skills, cognitive development
Activity: Go on a nature walk to collect various natural items such as leaves, twigs, pinecones, acorns, and rocks. Once you have a selection, encourage children to create a fall-themed collage by gluing the items to construction paper. They can arrange the objects in a creative design or make specific pictures, like trees or animals.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity fosters creativity, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor control. It also provides a great opportunity to discuss nature and develop language skills while identifying and naming different items.

13. Fall-Themed Music and Dance Party

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, rhythm, emotional expression
Activity: Play autumn-themed music, such as songs about pumpkins, leaves, or harvest time, and encourage children to dance and move along. You can create a fun game by having children freeze when the music stops, or use scarves or streamers to enhance movement.
Therapeutic Benefit: Dancing and moving to music helps children develop rhythm, coordination, and gross motor skills. It also promotes emotional expression and can be a fun way to release energy, practice following directions, and build listening skills.

14. Falling Leaves Art

Developmental Focus: Fine motor skills, creativity, color recognition
Activity: Create fall-themed artwork by using cut-out paper leaves or real leaves for stamping. Children can dip the leaves in paint or markers and press them onto paper to create leaf prints or colorful artwork. Another option is to create a "fall tree" with construction paper leaves glued to a brown tree trunk and decorated in vibrant autumn colors.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity helps children develop fine motor skills through actions like grasping, dipping, and stamping. It also encourages color recognition, patterning, and creativity.

15. Autumn Puzzles

Developmental Focus: Cognitive skills, problem-solving, fine motor skills
Activity: Introduce fall-themed puzzles with images of pumpkins, scarecrows, or trees in autumn. Encourage children to work through the puzzle independently or in small groups. As they solve the puzzle, you can discuss the shapes and colors involved, as well as the story or picture depicted.
Therapeutic Benefit: Puzzles promote cognitive development, problem-solving, and attention to detail. They also support fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as children manipulate pieces and fit them together.

16. Pumpkin Bowling

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, social skills
Activity: Set up a bowling game in your yard or a large indoor space using small pumpkins or gourds as bowling balls. Use plastic bottles or other lightweight objects as pins. Children will practice rolling the pumpkins and aiming for the pins, improving their hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills.
Therapeutic Benefit: This fun game helps children practice rolling, aiming, and coordination. It can be a great group activity that encourages turn-taking, social interaction, and friendly competition.

17. Fall Nature Walk with Journaling

Developmental Focus: Cognitive development, emotional regulation, language development
Activity: Take a nature walk through a park or your neighborhood to observe the changes of the season. Have children collect items such as leaves, acorns, or pinecones. Once home, encourage them to draw or write in a nature journal, documenting what they saw, felt, or learned during the walk.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity strengthens observational skills and language development as children describe their surroundings and document their findings. Journaling can also support emotional regulation by offering an opportunity to reflect and express feelings.

18. Fall-Themed Science Experiments

Developmental Focus: Cognitive skills, scientific inquiry, problem-solving
Activity: Conduct simple science experiments with a fall twist. For example, try an experiment where children observe how apples float or sink in water. Or, experiment with the changes in color of leaves by placing them in different environments. Another fun experiment involves creating a "pumpkin volcano" using baking soda and vinegar.
Therapeutic Benefit: These activities help children develop cognitive and problem-solving skills while learning about scientific concepts like buoyancy, chemical reactions, and plant biology. It also promotes curiosity and critical thinking.

19. DIY Fall Sensory Bottles

Developmental Focus: Sensory processing, fine motor skills, creativity
Activity: Create fall sensory bottles by filling clear bottles with items like small colored leaves, glitter, tiny pumpkins, or even liquid with food coloring. Secure the lid tightly and let children shake or roll the bottles to explore different sounds and visuals. You can encourage children to observe how the contents move and react inside the bottle.
Therapeutic Benefit: Sensory bottles help children engage in visual and auditory sensory play. This can be especially soothing for children who need help with self-regulation, offering a calming experience while also enhancing fine motor skills as they interact with the bottle.

20. Fall-Themed Cooking Class

Developmental Focus: Fine motor skills, sensory integration, life skills
Activity: Host a fall-themed cooking session, such as making apple cider, pumpkin soup, or homemade granola. Children can help with tasks such as stirring, mixing, pouring, and chopping (with supervision). This hands-on experience enhances motor skills and can be a fun way to introduce children to healthy foods.
Therapeutic Benefit: Cooking fosters sensory integration as children engage with different textures, smells, and tastes. It also builds life skills, teaches basic math (measuring ingredients), and promotes independence as children practice following directions and contributing to the meal preparation.

By incorporating these fall activities into your routine, you can provide children with valuable learning experiences while keeping them engaged and excited about the season. Each activity not only supports key developmental skills but also offers an opportunity for quality bonding time and enjoyment. As a therapist, these activities are designed to be both fun and therapeutic, offering children opportunities to grow, explore, and express themselves in meaningful ways.

Here are additional fall activities specifically designed to focus on gross motor skills development for children. These activities involve large muscle groups and promote physical coordination, strength, and balance, all while engaging in fun and seasonal activities:

1. Pumpkin Roll Relay

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, balance, coordination
Activity: Create a relay race where children roll small pumpkins from one point to another using only their hands. For added challenge, you can have them balance the pumpkin on a spoon or their heads while walking or running to the finish line.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity encourages balance, coordination, and controlled movement while also promoting teamwork if done in a group. It also strengthens core muscles as children engage their whole body to balance and roll the pumpkins.

2. Scarecrow Sack Race

Developmental Focus: Leg strength, balance, coordination
Activity: Set up a traditional sack race using large burlap sacks, and have children race from one point to another. To tie it into fall, children can wear scarecrow costumes or face paint. This activity can be done individually or in teams for friendly competition.
Therapeutic Benefit: Sack races are fantastic for improving leg strength, balance, and coordination. The hopping motion helps children develop better control over their movements and strengthens their lower body muscles.

3. Leaf Jumping

Developmental Focus: Coordination, balance, and strength
Activity: Gather a large pile of leaves and encourage children to jump in and out of the pile. To add variety, you can create different challenges, like jumping over leaves, hopping on one foot, or even jumping in place to see how high they can go.
Therapeutic Benefit: Jumping engages core muscles and leg strength while enhancing balance and coordination. It’s also a fun way to release energy and practice gross motor control through different variations of jumping.

4. Autumn Obstacle Course

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, agility, problem-solving
Activity: Set up an outdoor autumn-themed obstacle course using items like hay bales, pumpkins, cones, and fallen branches. Have children run, crawl, jump, and balance as they navigate the course. You can include tasks like “climb over the hay bales” or “balance on a log” to encourage coordination and agility.
Therapeutic Benefit: Obstacle courses are excellent for developing a variety of gross motor skills, including balance, coordination, strength, and agility. It also allows children to practice following directions and problem-solving as they work through each challenge.

5. Pumpkin Toss

Developmental Focus: Arm strength, coordination, hand-eye coordination
Activity: Set up several buckets or baskets at different distances and have children toss small pumpkins or soft balls into the containers. For a competitive element, see who can get the most pumpkins into the baskets in a given time frame.
Therapeutic Benefit: Tossing pumpkins helps improve arm strength, hand-eye coordination, and aim. It also provides practice in motor planning, as children must judge distance and adjust their movements to make a successful throw.

6. Fall-Themed Dance Party

Developmental Focus: Rhythm, coordination, flexibility
Activity: Play autumn-themed music (like “The Pumpkin Song” or fall-related tunes) and encourage children to move to the rhythm. You can create fun, seasonal movements like “twist like a leaf” or “jump like a jack-o'-lantern.” This can also include freeze-dance games where children stop moving when the music halts.
Therapeutic Benefit: Dancing helps children develop rhythm, body awareness, flexibility, and coordination. It’s also a great opportunity for gross motor control and helps children regulate their energy levels in a fun, interactive way.

7. Apple Barrel Roll

Developmental Focus: Core strength, balance, coordination
Activity: Use large barrels or make-your-own “barrels” by rolling pumpkins or large balls. Have children roll these items across the yard or indoor space using only their bodies, either pushing or rolling them in specific patterns. Add obstacles to navigate around for added fun.
Therapeutic Benefit: Rolling and pushing items helps strengthen the core, arms, and legs. This encourages children to practice using their full body in coordinated movements, enhancing their balance and coordination.

8. Hay Bale Climbing

Developmental Focus: Strength, coordination, balance
Activity: If you have access to hay bales, create a climbing challenge by stacking them and encouraging children to climb up, over, and around them. This could be an individual activity or done in teams, where children work together to navigate the bales.
Therapeutic Benefit: Climbing helps build upper body strength, coordination, and balance. It also promotes spatial awareness and body control as children move in three-dimensional space.

9. Fall-Themed Relay Race

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, teamwork, coordination
Activity: Set up a fall-themed relay race, where children have to complete tasks such as jumping over a pumpkin, crawling under a “vine,” running to pick up fallen leaves, and carrying them to a designated spot. Create several stations that require different gross motor skills, from hopping to skipping to balancing.
Therapeutic Benefit: Relay races encourage teamwork, improve stamina, and enhance a variety of gross motor skills. They also build communication skills as children learn to collaborate and encourage each other.

10. Pumpkin Balance

Developmental Focus: Balance, coordination, focus
Activity: Use small pumpkins or soft balls to practice balance. Children can balance the pumpkins on their heads or in their hands while walking along a straight line or through an obstacle course. You can also challenge them to walk while balancing a pumpkin without letting it fall.
Therapeutic Benefit: Balancing objects while walking strengthens core stability, improves posture, and builds coordination. It also provides a fun challenge that encourages concentration and focus.

11. Tug-of-War with a Fall Twist

Developmental Focus: Strength, coordination, teamwork
Activity: Set up a friendly tug-of-war competition using a sturdy rope. You can add a fall twist by having the teams “pull” towards a pile of leaves or pumpkins. This could be an outdoor or indoor activity where children work in teams to pull the rope.
Therapeutic Benefit: This game helps build upper body strength, coordination, and teamwork. It also fosters cooperation and social interaction, teaching children how to work together towards a common goal.

12. Autumn Freeze Dance

Developmental Focus: Balance, coordination, rhythm
Activity: Play fall-themed songs and encourage children to dance freely. When the music stops, they must freeze in place. You can challenge them by encouraging different positions, like "freeze in a leaf pose" or "freeze like a pumpkin."
Therapeutic Benefit: Freeze dance enhances coordination, balance, and rhythm. It also promotes self-regulation and listening skills, as children must pay attention to the music to know when to freeze.

13. Fall Relay with Puzzles

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, problem-solving, teamwork
Activity: Create a relay race where each child has to complete a physical task (like jumping, crawling, or skipping) to retrieve a puzzle piece hidden around the yard or park. Once all pieces are gathered, children can work together to solve the puzzle.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity encourages teamwork, problem-solving, and physical movement, all while incorporating cognitive skills like memory and spatial awareness when they put the puzzle together.

These gross motor-focused fall activities are perfect for strengthening a child’s physical abilities while also encouraging creativity and teamwork. As a therapist, I recommend incorporating these exercises into playtime because they not only help develop essential physical skills like balance, coordination, and strength, but they also offer plenty of opportunities for children to engage socially, build confidence, and enjoy the autumn season.

Here’s a list of fall activities designed specifically for children with developmental delays that focus on developing gross motor skills in an engaging, accessible, and therapeutic way:

1. Pumpkin Push and Roll

Developmental Focus: Arm strength, coordination, balance
Activity: Use small pumpkins or soft balls and encourage children to push or roll them across the ground. Set up targets or obstacles like cones or boxes that they can aim for, making the task more fun and interactive.
Therapeutic Benefit: This simple activity helps children with developmental delays build upper body strength, coordination, and focus. The act of pushing or rolling provides sensory feedback and encourages cause-and-effect learning.

2. Leaf Pile Jumping

Developmental Focus: Balance, strength, coordination
Activity: Create a small pile of leaves and encourage children to jump into it, or jump over it, depending on their physical abilities. For a less intense activity, children can simply sit in the leaves or crawl through the pile to engage their motor skills.
Therapeutic Benefit: Jumping helps strengthen leg muscles, build balance, and improve coordination. For children with delays, this also provides tactile feedback, supporting sensory integration and helping to regulate their bodies.

3. Autumn Sensory Obstacle Course

Developmental Focus: Balance, coordination, motor planning
Activity: Set up an indoor or outdoor obstacle course using soft, fall-themed items such as pumpkins, leaves, hay bales, and fabric tunnels. Children can crawl under objects, walk around or over low barriers, or practice balance by stepping on different textured materials like soft mats or rugs.
Therapeutic Benefit: This activity engages multiple sensory systems and supports motor planning. It promotes coordination, strength, and balance while helping children learn how to navigate obstacles and follow a sequence of movements.

4. Pumpkin Toss with Large Targets

Developmental Focus: Hand-eye coordination, motor planning, strength
Activity: Use soft, lightweight pumpkins (or any safe object) and create large, accessible targets—such as laundry baskets, buckets, or marked areas on the ground. Children can practice tossing pumpkins into the target, either standing, kneeling, or sitting.
Therapeutic Benefit: Tossing objects helps develop hand-eye coordination, motor control, and aim. For children with developmental delays, this can be a fun, less stressful way to build fine and gross motor skills while working on focus and spatial awareness.

5. Fall Leaf Crawling Challenge

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, strength, coordination
Activity: Scatter fall-themed items such as leaves or fabric cutouts around the floor or yard, and encourage children to crawl from one side to the other to collect them. To add more difficulty, you can set up small obstacles or tunnels for children to crawl through.
Therapeutic Benefit: Crawling helps develop core strength, coordination, and proprioception (the awareness of one's body in space). For children with delays, crawling challenges can also help with sensory regulation, as they experience different textures and positions.

6. Pumpkin Balancing

Developmental Focus: Balance, focus, core strength
Activity: Using small pumpkins or balls, ask children to balance the pumpkin on their heads or hands while walking in a straight line or around cones. For children who need more support, this can be modified by having them balance on a table or a low surface.
Therapeutic Benefit: Balancing helps strengthen the core and improve overall body stability, which is key for coordination and balance. For children with developmental delays, this activity can be adapted for different levels and abilities, offering both physical and sensory benefits.

7. Leaf Throwing and Catching

Developmental Focus: Hand-eye coordination, motor planning, social skills
Activity: Collect a variety of fall leaves (or use soft fabric leaves for safety) and encourage children to throw them in the air or toss them to one another. This can be done in pairs or in small groups, and can also be modified to include catching the leaves in a bucket.
Therapeutic Benefit: Throwing and catching help improve hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and motor control. This activity also supports social development as children practice turn-taking and communication while interacting with peers.

8. Scarecrow Dance and Freeze

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, coordination, rhythm
Activity: Play autumn-themed music, such as a “Scarecrow Song,” and encourage children to follow along with various movements like twirling, stomping, or swaying to the music. When the music stops, children must freeze in place, imitating the stillness of a scarecrow.
Therapeutic Benefit: Dance promotes body awareness, coordination, and rhythm. For children with developmental delays, dance offers an opportunity for expressive movement and social interaction. Freeze games also help with self-regulation and listening skills.

9. Autumn Relay Race with Modified Tasks

Developmental Focus: Gross motor skills, teamwork, motor planning
Activity: Set up a fall-themed relay race where children perform simple physical tasks such as hopping over pumpkins, crawling under fabric tunnels, or skipping to the finish line. For children with developmental delays, tasks can be adapted to match their abilities, such as walking or rolling a ball instead of skipping.
Therapeutic Benefit: Relay races support physical fitness, teamwork, and social interaction. By modifying tasks, you can tailor the activity to each child's physical and developmental needs, helping them practice skills at their own pace.

10. Pumpkin Bowling

Developmental Focus: Balance, hand-eye coordination, motor skills
Activity: Set up a pumpkin bowling game where children roll small pumpkins or lightweight balls to knock over plastic bottles or pins. You can create a fun, fall-themed atmosphere by decorating the pins with autumn colors or images of pumpkins.
Therapeutic Benefit: Bowling helps children develop balance, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness. It encourages fine and gross motor skills as they aim and roll the ball toward the pins. This activity can also be modified to allow children to roll from different distances or angles, depending on their abilities.

11. Tug-of-War with Fall-Themed Ropes

Developmental Focus: Strength, teamwork, coordination
Activity: Use a large, soft rope or long piece of fabric for a tug-of-war game. Children can play individually or in teams, pulling against one another to move the rope in different directions. To make it fall-themed, you could tie in colorful scarves or ribbons to represent “autumn leaves” or “pumpkin vines.”
Therapeutic Benefit: This game builds upper body strength, coordination, and teamwork. It also promotes social skills, turn-taking, and communication as children work together to pull the rope in different directions.

12. Fall-Themed Sensory Walk

Developmental Focus: Balance, tactile exploration, coordination
Activity: Create a sensory walk using materials such as crunchy leaves, soft moss, or even fake pumpkins. Lay these materials on the floor or ground and have children walk barefoot or in socks, guiding them through the different textures. Encourage them to step slowly and carefully while navigating each texture.
Therapeutic Benefit: Sensory walks engage children’s balance, tactile senses, and coordination. They can also help children with developmental delays practice body awareness, which improves both gross motor skills and sensory processing.

13. Crawl Under the “Pumpkin Patch”

Developmental Focus: Core strength, coordination, motor planning
Activity: Create a low obstacle or barrier (like a string or soft rope) and have children crawl under it while pretending they are in a pumpkin patch. You can also use fabric tunnels or boxes to create a similar crawling challenge. As they crawl, they can "pick" pumpkins from the ground or reach for fall-themed objects.
Therapeutic Benefit: Crawling helps develop core strength, balance, and body awareness. This activity encourages children to use their whole body to move in different positions while improving coordination and muscle strength.

These fall-themed activities are tailored to support children with developmental delays by focusing on gross motor skills, sensory integration, and coordination. The activities provide opportunities for children to engage with their environment, improve their physical abilities, and have fun while participating in seasonal, nature-inspired games. By modifying these activities to suit individual needs, you can create a supportive and inclusive atmosphere for all children to enjoy.

Sameer Sardana