Autumn outdoor activities for kids – Ad

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Are you looking for some autumn outdoor activities for kids? Autumn is a great time for getting kids outdoors. The temperatures are usually mild compared to the winter months which always makes spending time outside with young kids easier. There’s an abundance of changes in nature that kids can see and so many natural loose parts that you can collect and use in your play or crafts. Autumn activities for kids are some of the best!

Ad – this post is written in collaboration with Learning Resources. I love their products for kids and we have a lot in our house. They’re well made and designed to encourage learning through play. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.

Outdoor activities for kids in autumn

Autumn is a great time for getting kids outside. There are so many classic and simple autumn activities that they will enjoy on autumnal family walks or playing in your garden.

Here you’ll find ideas that need no preparation and just a few that need a little bit of preparation. Most will be free and use things you already have around the home. All of them can be done in your garden, the local woods or the park. 

1 – Collect “autumn treasures”

Kids love collecting things on walks and autumn is hands down the best time of year for this. There are always plenty of sticks to collect but in autumn you’ll also find lots of different coloured leaves, sycamore seeds, acorns and conkers. All these natural loose parts are fantastic for collecting and taking home to use in your nature play and crafts. Find lots of ideas for things to do with sticks here.

They’re also great for introducing kids to the changes that happen in nature in autumn. Why not take a magnifier with you to take a closer look at them. Learning Resources do lots of child-friendly magnifiers in bright colours including this Primary Science® Magnifier & Tweezers.

2 – Spot the signs of autumn on a nature walk

As well as collecting nature you might also like to do an autumn scavenger hunt which is a great mark-making activity for young kids and an introduction to the changes that happen in nature for older children. You can get my free autumn scavenger hunt printable by signing up to my email list below.

3 – Play in the autumn leaves

Kids love autumn leaves whether it’s kicking them or throwing them in the air. A childhood classic activity for a reason.

4 – Go pumpkin picking

Why not make a day of picking your family a pumpkin to carve for Halloween. There are so many fantastic pumpkin patches springing up across the UK each year. There are simple, low-cost options as well as more expensive full-day outs with extra activities on top. If you’re in the North West of England then you can find a guide to all the pumpkin patches across the region here – pumpkin picking in the North West.

5 – Mud kitchen play

There are so many things that you can add to your mud kitchen play in autumn such as conkers, acorns and some small apples. If you don’t have a mud kitchen, a couple of pans and a wooden spoon on the grass works just as well for young kids.

6 – After dark lantern walk

As the nights get darker earlier and earlier in autumn, why not take your kids on an after-dark mini adventure? You could make your own DIY paper lantern with kids and then take it on an early evening walk around the neighbourhood.

7 – Try bug hunting

The damp conditions that often occur in autumn are perfect for bug hunting. Next time you are on a walk or in the garden, try lifting up a rock of searching in the leaves and see what you can find.

We love our GeoSafari® Jr. Bugnoculars from Learning Resources. There is a magnifier on one side and through the viewfinders at the top. Inside you can try to catch a bug to view or even something like an acorn, pine cone or leaves.

You might like to use this great insect spotters sheet.

Below is my daughter viewing the ladybird we caught and then safely set free again after seeing it through the magnifiers.

8 – Feed the birds

Now is a great time to start feeding the birds. You could buy a bird feeder or why not make your own? Find out how to make a pine cone bird feeder here.

9 – Bird spotting

Once you have put some food out for the birds in your garden you can start watching out for them. You could also spot birds on your family walks. Learning resources have a fantastic bird spotting sheet that you can download for free here.

Of course, any mini bird spotter needs a good pair of children’s binoculars and we love these ones – GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars®. Learning Resources also do a pair that enhance the sound as well which is even better for mini bird watcher – GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars® Extreme™.

Find my Learning Resources Geosafari jr kidnoculars extreme review here.

10 – Look for fairy toadstools on your next woodland walk

You’re more likely to see mushrooms growing on your woodland walks in the autumn. If you’re really lucky, you might find some of the red ones which seem to enchant children the most, probably due to them featuring in many fairy tales.

Don’t forget though that many wild mushrooms are poisonous, so remind children to look but not touch.

11 – Take your learning outdoors

Autumn is a great time to take your learning outdoors. Learning Resources have so many educational related toys that you can use outdoors. One of my favourites is 5-in-1 Outdoor Measure-Mate which is fantastic for outdoor maths.

This tool lets you measure loads of things outdoors and you’ll find lots of options right now. The trundle wheel will let you measure distances such as the length of the garden or the distance between 2 trees. You can also measure smaller items like conkers using the callipers.

I have done a full review in the past, you can find it here Learning Resources Measure Mate review

Another great way to take learning outdoors for maths is to use natural loose parts for counting practice.

12 – Make clay hedgehogs

A cute nature craft to make this season are these clay hedgehogs. All you need is a piece of air-dry clay and some sticks to make yourself this adorable hedgehog.

13 – Make nature art on the ground

Why not make a picture on the ground with all the loose parts that you find in autumn? Autumn coloured leaves make perfect flames for this campfire picture below. Children, particularly older ones may also like to make a symmetrical mandala.

15 – Roll conkers down a cardboard tube

Such a simple activity that keeps some young kids entertained for a surprisingly long time. All you need is a pile of conkers and a cardboard tube (such as a poster tube or wrapping paper inner tube).

16 – Fly sycamore seed helicopters

There’s something a little magical about sycamore seed shapes that kids love. Have you shown them how to fly them yet?

17 – Build a den

Next time you are down the woods, why not make a stick den? My kids love them. We are often lucky enough to find ready-built ones on our walks which my kids adore.

18 – Plant some spring bulbs

Autumn is a great time to get your kids helping in the garden. Why not choose some spring bulbs and plant them together. You’ll be rewarded with a beautiful display of flowers in the spring.

So there you have 18 different ideas for things to do outside with kids this autumn. I’d love to hear in the comments what your favourite things to do outside in autumn are.

Don’t forget to head over and check out the full GeoSafari® Jr. range at Learning Resources. They’re fantastic toys for using outdoors all year round. You can also find more great, free printables for outdoor activities (and indoor too) here.

Where to next?

• Looking for art activities to do with all those autumn treasures you are collecting? Look no further, find 20+ ideas for Autumn art projects for toddlers here.
• Would you like more ways to use nature in your learning this autumn? Find a Simple autumn preschool math activity here.
• Find our favourite autumn children’s books here
• Find more seasonal activities for kids here.
• How about visiting a scarecrow trail? Find loads here – scarecrow trails

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