Awesome Autumn: 10 Autumn Activities To Do With The Kids
What’s not to love about autumn? It’s the season of cosy coats, conker collecting and crunchy leaves, plus all the fun of Halloween and Bonfire Night too! Make the most of the new season thanks to our friends at Day Out With The Kids — they’ve pulled together the ultimate list of autumn activities to tick off with your family. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time for an adventure…
1. Hunt for conkers
Collecting conkers is something you can only do for a few months of the year, so make sure you don’t miss it! Grab a bag and head to your local park, forest or anywhere else nearby with horse-chestnut trees and see how many you can find. There’s loads of things you can do with them after too, from playing the famous game, to arts and crafts activities.
2. Pick a pumpkin
If you’d usually head to your local supermarket to pick your pumpkin, then let us persuade you to swap the aisles for a real pumpkin patch instead! Make a full day of it, by wrapping up warm and heading out to a field packed full of pumpkins, of all different sizes and colours! With handy wheelbarrows to help you carry your pumpkins back to the car, kids will love picking their favourite, and loads of places even have carving activities on site too. It’s becoming more popular every year, but if you need some ideas for where to go, don’t miss this guide to pumpkin picking in the UK.
3. Plan a spooktacular Halloween day out
Halloween is one of the biggest dates in the autumn calendar, giving you the perfect excuse to plan some family fun. Loads of attractions around the UK have special events, from spooky shows and fancy dress competitions, to haunted houses and even more frighteningly good fun! Check out some of your local attractions to see what’s on.
4. Go on a welly walk
Some of the best adventures come from the simplest days out, which is why we love going on a family walk! Let the kids lead the way, either choosing a well-trodden trail or finding your own route, making sure to take a good look at your surroundings along the way - just don’t forget your wellies!
5. Do leaf crafts
There are two reasons why we love the fall of autumn leaves at this time of year: the first is jumping in piles of crunchy leaves, and the second is collecting a handful to take home for arts and crafts! Hunt out all the best colours, from golden yellows to deep reds then use them to make autumn suncatchers, a colourful autumn collage or try some leaf printing and painting too.
6. Go apple picking
It’s the time of the year for harvest, and apples are no different. September through to October is the perfect time to visit an orchard and pick a range of different apples, and there’s even a whole day dedicated to apples on 25th September! Our top tip for picking? Twist upwards rather than pulling down, if they’re ripe and ready, it won’t be hard to pick!
7. Visit a deer park
October is the best time of year to visit a deer park, because it’s the start of rutting season. Rutting is part of a deer’s mating rituals as the males try to impress the females, but for us, it means the chance to see deers locking antlers on a head-to-head battle. Some parks even hold events to get a better look - just remember to stay a safe distance and keep all dogs on leads.
8. Pack an autumn picnic
You may think that picnic season is over, but the good news is that we think otherwise! Autumn is a fantastic time of year to eat al fresco, just remember to pack some jumpers and coats for when it gets chilly. You’ll want to pick a dry day full of autumn sunshine, but pack up your picnic baskets and blankets, head to the local park and tuck in to all your favourite treats. Plus, you can combine it with some other activities on this list, like conker collecting too!
9. Get lost in a maize maze
There’s not long left before the spectacular maize mazes from this year get harvested, so don’t miss your chance for a great family day out. Featuring incredible designs cut into the crop, you’re tasked with navigating your way through the maze towards the middle, before trying to take a different route to find your way back out. With varying degrees of difficulty you’ll need to keep your wits about you to avoid the dreaded dead ends, but with dinosaurs, unicorns and even spy themed mazes around this year, it’s great fun for the whole family.
10. Plan October half term fun
School is next out towards the end of October, but it’s never too early to start planning. Whether you’re looking for some family fun on your doorstep or something further away, a big attraction you’ve wanted to visit for ages or a little hidden gem you’ve recently discovered, you’ll find it all at dayoutwiththekids.co.uk! Search by postcode, town or city, and use the handy filters to tailor the results to your family. Why not let the kids help choose too?
Looking for even more autumn activities and ideas for exploring the new season? Find everything you need from days out to family-friendly recipes at www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk.