The kids are back to school (or will be soon enough), the days are getting shorter, the nights are cooling off. For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s hard to deny it any longer: fall is coming. Fortunately, that means it’s time for lots of fall fun with your kiddos.
The other mama bloggers and I at the Mom Bloggers Tribe have gotten together to make sure this is your family’s BEST. FALL. EVER. From fun outings and easy crafts to yummy recipes and even Halloween costume ideas, we’ve got your back. So read on and relax, fellow mamas – we’ve got this one covered.
Grab those empty fall fun bucket lists and get ready to fill them up!
- Here’s a great fall bucket list post from Amy at Discovering Whimsy. And Devon’s bucket-list post at Army Wife with Daughters includes free printables!
- Taylor at Taylor411 put together a printable fall checklist for the toddler set.
- White Sand and Cool Breezes has a great list of 5 fall activities that will make you feel alive.
- Fall not your favorite season? Living for the Sunshine has a post on reasons to be happy it’s fall, plus more bucket list ideas.
- Even better, if you want to take your bucket list one step further, you can make a physical fall bucket list with this cute craft idea.
- And when you’re done, here are some great fall books to enjoy with your kiddos, compliments of Niki at Toot’s Mom Is Tired.
Speaking of fall books – here are some of our family’s favorite story books for fall:
And this one is my girls’ absolute all-time FAVORITE silly Halloween story:
Fab Fall Food
Even if you do only a few of the usual fall fun bucket-list activities, chances are good they’ll involve an apple orchard or pumpkin patch. Or maybe you’re hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year. Either way, you might be hunting for some fabulous new fall recipes.
- What to do with that 20 lbs of apples your ambitious little pickers brought home from the orchard? Why, make some Salted Caramel Apple Dumplings, of course, with this recipe from Ashley at Hello Nature.
- Or if you’re a pumpkin spice fan, like I am, try dipping wedges of raw apple into my super-yummy pumpkin dip. (Warning: it’s addictive!)
- Fall is also prime season for carrots, sweet potatoes, and other root vegetables. Check out this great recipe for the best roasted root veggies ever!
- Or you can whip up a batch of these tasty oatmeal-and-carrot-cake cookies with your kiddos, using this super recipe from Orchids and Sweet Tea. (Shh – don’t tell your kids, but they’re actually HEALTHY, too!)
- Going Crunchy Not Crazy has more great recipe ideas for easy, healthy Halloween treats for your family’s next Halloween-themed get-together.
Need help coring those apples or carving those pumpkins? These are the tools my family uses – I cannot recommend them highly enough! Even my five-year-old can safely and easily core her own apples with the apple-coring tool!
Ready to get your fall fun crafting in gear? These activities are guaranteed kid-friendly fun:
- I love Jen’s idea at Diapers & Dog Food (scroll to the end of the post) for a beautiful fall collage.
- The fall bucket list at Seaside Sundays includes several inexpensive fall DIY craft ideas, from glitter gourds to corn shakers.
- Amy at Sass & Shamrocks has a how-to post for this amazing Halloween spider-web wreath.
- Or help your toddler make adorable fall trees with this easy how-to from Ashley at Spit-up and Sit-ups.
Fall Holiday Fun
Halloween is many people’s favorite fall holiday – but it’s not the only one!
- Need ideas for a not-too-scary Halloween date night at home? Check out this list of Halloween movies to stream at home.
- While you’re enjoying your date night, you can send your kids on a Halloween scavenger hunt!
- And of course, don’t forget about trick-or-treating safety!
- Need an easy alternative to the proverbial roasted turkey for feeding that Thanksgiving crowd? Go to The Professional Mom Project and check out Nicole’s recipe for super-simple, super-yum slow cooker turkey breast.
- Your turn to bring the apple pie to this year’s Thanksgiving feast? This easy apple pie recipe at Mama Needs Cake has you covered.
Fun Costume Ideas
And lest you thought I forgot – fun Halloween costumes rank right up there with candy for why lots of us love Halloween so much!
- Julie over at Fab Working Mom Life has a post on adorable infant and toddler costume ideas under $15.
- If you’re looking for adorable matching costumes to wear with your kiddo, see this post by Viktoria, the mama behind the Awesome Alice blog.
- Or if you’re more the DIY type – or looking for quick costume ideas from stuff you might already have on hand – see my own DIY Halloween costume archives. There you’ll find easy step-by-step instructions for making a ladybug, bumblebee, jack-o-lantern, and the quintessential ghost costume, among others.
However you and your family celebrate the arrival of fall, here’s wishing you lots of fall fun this season!
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Wonderful fab Fall fun compilation of many wonderful things to do in the Fall! I will have to bookmark this post for awhile. Strangely we are still experiencing heat waves in my part of the country. Wishing for the Fall climate to get here already!
So glad you liked it! Our neck of the woods can’t decide if it is summer or fall – 90s yesterday, 60s today…
This is such a fun round-up, but what I really want to know is, how is it fall already? Where did my summer go?
Um, yeah – I’m right there with ya! (Glad you liked the post!)
All these lists are making me crave cooler temps and being able to wear jeans and boots. 🙂 I always love going to the pumpkin patch and hanging out more often in our driveway with neighbors. It is too hot in the summer.
I agree COMPLETELY about the summer heat! Here’s to more socializing outside as the temps turn cooler 🙂
I’m looking forward to wearing my boots in the fall and just having cooler weather. These are some great fall activities.
Ooh, BOOTS! I forgot about my boots! Much as I love my summer sandals, you’re right – another reason to cheer fall! So glad you liked the post 🙂
These are all great ideas! I just love Fall so much, especially Fall recipes…YUM!!!
I love this post. Having these ideas all in one place helps with planning down the road. I especially like the bucket list. Printing and placing in the command srction so the family can all see.
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love all the food and the colors and all the great outdoor and indoor activities you can do.
Thanks, Cindy – hope this post helps get you and yours off to a great start for your favorite season! 🙂
Wow! What a list. Thank you! This is so helpful for my 2 sons. I appreciate it!
You are more than welcome! – so glad you got some good ideas from it! 🙂
Fall is definitely my favorite season! Interesting to see all of the other Floridians on these comments. Yes fall is not the same here as up north but I love this guide and I see some great things I can do with my 3 year old daughter 🙂
You’re right, now that you mention it, there ARE a lot of people from Florida and other warm climes checking in! I confess, though, much as I love the slightly cooler mornings, it always throws me for a loop when I have to switch to warmer clothes – fortunately, I’ve got several weeks til I have to put away my shorts and skorts for the winter!…Anyway, have fun doing some of these activities with your daughter! 🙂
I feel like I just read the perfect fall survival guide! I love how you incorporated so many other bloggers great ideas. I can’t wait to try that pumpkin dip–though I’m a little worried about developing an addiction. 🙂
So glad you liked the post, Angela; thanks for the kind words! (And yes, the dip is addictive; sorry 😉 …)
Wow ! You have got it all covered. I cant wait to try the Halloween scavenger hunt with my boys and the delicious fall recipes. Thank you for putting up such a wonderful post.
You’re more than welcome – so glad you liked it! 🙂
I am so ready for fall. Here in Florida, we don’t really get fall but I have already been making pumpkin pie and doing fall crafts with my kids, despite the 100 degree weather. I love this list!
Thanks, Kristen! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, and are enjoying fall even though it’s still hot where you are…the day I hit “publish,” even as I’m standing around sweating in my tank top and shorts, my girls HAD to have hot chocolate. Whatever 🙂
Fall, or autumn, and Halloween isn’t quite such a big thing here as it is in the States….but I love the change in season for so many reasons. The colours, the change in temperature (helps my health probs) and the start of the new school year!! At Halloween I still decorate the house, even though my kids think they are too old, and I absolutely adore the costumes on Strictly come Dancing (Dancing with the Stars)! I have pinned this & do fancy having a go at those Salted Caramel Apple Dumplings…..
Thanks for reading/commenting, Claire! Enjoy the cooler temps and those dumplings – I can’t wait to try ALL the recipes! 🙂 (And here’s to being healthy enough to decorate for Halloween! – I’m hoping I’ll at least be up and about again in time for Xmas decorating…)
Fall is my favorite time of year! Thanks for all the great suggestions!
Thanks, Jessica – so glad you liked them! 🙂
I love all the seasons. But what I love about fall/autumn (I’m an Englander!) are the sounds and colours. The crispy red leaves. Some great ideas for my little nieces here thanks ?
Thanks, Gemma – have fun sharing these activities with your nieces! 🙂
Loads of great ideas!
Thanks so much, Ritu – glad you enjoyed the post! 🙂
I love fall so much!!! Although it’s really the spirit of it I love… out here in Phoenix we only have two seasons: burning hot season and pleasantly warm season 🙂
Ugh, I know what you mean, Shell – have lived places with a much more limited range of seasons, too, and I do miss the proper range of hitting all four when that’s the case. Maybe your local Starbucks will do iced pumpkin spice lattes for you? 😉
These sound like great post for fab fall fun crafts, foods, activities, holidays, and costume ideas for Halloween. I will have to share this post with my sister and nieces for their kids. Thanks for sharing the fab fall fun.
Thanks so much, Rebecca, and thanks for passing it along – hope they all have fun with it! 🙂
This is really a greta post for Fall season. I loved reading your ideas. Food, costume, fun all at one place. The fall season is here and your post is a real help to moms like me who wish to plan everything. Loved it; thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Jiya – glad you liked it! Hope the ideas in this post help give you a head start on your own fall planning for your family! 🙂
I SO love bucket lists at the beginning of the season! It just makes everything more fun and exciting especially when you see the kids having as much fun as you crossing out activities on your list. I think these are great ideas!
Thanks so much, AnnMarie – hope you got some great new ones from these lists! (I know *I* did!) Enjoy fall fun with all the kiddos in your life! 🙂
It doesn’t feel at all like fall is coming where I am. But there is an area about an hour from where I live where the weather is considerably cooler. And they do have lots of apple orchards and apple picking. That’s always a great fun fall activity.
I know what you mean, Erica! – I was really quite surprised when my kids asked for hot chocolate yesterday, as I was still dying of the heat and stickiness in my tank top and shorts! But whatever. They’re in the spirit, at least – hope this post helps get you into the fall spirit, too!
I can’t believe that fall is right around the corner! I love fall activities and I can’t wait to make fall-themed recipes. This is a great roundup of posts.
Thanks, Katie – glad you enjoyed it! I hope you have fun with the recipes – I can’t wait to try them all! 🙂
My kids and I had been counting down to September 1 and the start of fall! We put up our fall decorations today and will add more as we make more crafts! We also have so many fun activities planned.
I’m so glad this post is right up your alley, then, Heather! You always have the best craft projects, I know, so I know you and your little ones will have a blast with some of the things on this list!
Hi Flossie, great ideas for fall, will it be ok to share those on the keepy.me social media?
Absolutely – by all means, and THANKS! 🙂
Fall is in the air! I love it when you can share great information from other mommies. I can wait to look into some of these activities and recipes. 😀
Thanks for reading and commenting, Stephanie! I have to tell you, the hardest part about writing this post for me was with so many great ideas from my fellow MBTribe members, I had a hard time focusing on the writing because I just wanted to drop everything and go out and do/make/bake/cook them all! 🙂
As I sit here in 108° weather all I can think is when will fall arrive! Thank you for reminding me how great it will be! Fall is my favorite season. I love the trees turning or the weather chilling, but mostly I love all things pumpkin. Your pumpkin dip looks fab! I will definitely give that a whirl, even before it’s fall!
Aww, thanks, Bonnie! I admit to being more partial to the pumpkin spice combo in the dip, Starbucks’ fall lattes, etc. than anything else pumpkin – but as soon as I can get my hands on some good local apples, I’m going to throw together a batch too and start dipping!
I LOVE fall and everything about it! Especially pumpkin things. I can’t wait! Great tips all around!
Thanks, Jenn – glad you enjoyed them, and thanks for reading!
I was getting so sad that summer was ending and it was getting colder. You have shown that fall has a lot of fun things to do and we should welcome it.
Thanks, Melissa! I’m already missing summer, too, but the first time I get to have fresh apples with pumpkin dip, dig out my denim jacket for chillier weather, and enjoy some pretty fall leaves, I’ll get over it! 🙂
I hate cold weather but I LOVE Fall. It’s so beautiful and the leaves change color and so many wonderful things to do!! Since moving to a place that has 4 seasons I think fall is becoming my favorite season!!
Aww – living in a 4-season place is a definite plus – much as I like warm sunny weather that’s not too hot, I miss my seasons when I’m living somewhere that doesn’t get a good dose of each one! 🙂 (even the cold!)
This is an amazing resource for Fall ideas! I’m pretty excited to check out the pumpkin dip recipe. I’m also going to check out the post for inexpensive baby costumes. Doesn’t everyone love fall?
Thanks so much, Kate – glad you like it! The dip is truly delish! Hope you find a costume you like, too! 🙂
I love Fall! I would love to take my kids apple picking.
I am hoping I get to do that again sometime this fall with my kids!
There is something wonderful about autumn isn’t there, the colours the scents and the food for sure!
YES!!! Especially the food!!! I can’t wait to get back to our local orchard and start eating an apple a day for my morning snack again!!!
I am so ready for fall! Sadly we live in Florida and don’t really get to experience a fall, so I have to get creative. These are some great ideas.
That’s true, perhaos not as much fall foliage where you live – but if nothing else, there are always yummy fall foods and Halloween costumes! 🙂