Fall Bucket List – 125 Awesome Things to Do With Your Kids This Fall

Fall is finally here! Check out this Fall Bucket List for kids to see how you can make the most of this season as a family!

Fall is such a wonderful time of year.

The weather cools, the colors change, school starts again, and routines are back in place (mostly, right?!).

At Jen Bradley|MOMs we’re all about celebrating every season of the year in simple ways that can have a big impact.

Keep on reading to get your hands on our Fall Bucket List and get all the details on each of the activities we feature on the list!

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What is a Bucket List?

First, the term “Bucket List” refers to making a list of things that someone has not done but wants to do during their lifetime.

Thanks to the 2007 movie Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the term “bucket list” has become more popular in recent years.

The items on our Fall Bucket List on Jen Bradley|MOMs are a bit more light-hearted than a typical adult’s lifetime Bucket List.

Instead, you’ll find tons of great ideas for family fall activities that can help your kids feel excited about the season and holidays ahead.

Printable Fall Bucket List for Kids

To get your copy of our Fall Bucket List from our Etsy shop, simply click on this link right here or on the image below!

Once you’ve got your printable Fall Bucket List, keep reading to get more details on each of the activities we’ve listed.

If you want to edit your Fall Bucket List, you can easily choose the fall activities that are the best fit for your kids’ ages and interests!

We’ve organized our list into five categories:

Fall indoor activities
Outdoor activities ideas
Halloween Bucket List ideas
Thanksgiving Bucket List ideas
Out and About fall activities for kids

125 Great Ideas for Your Fall Bucket List

Let’s get started with our indoor ideas for the Fall Bucket List for Kids!

Indoor Ideas

1. Make a leaf rubbing

Find some pretty dried leaves, cover them with wax paper, and use the side of an unwrapped crayon to make a leaf rubbing.

2. Keep a family gratitude list

This is the season for an attitude of gratitude! Keep a list of things you’re grateful for and add to it often.

3. Make homemade caramel apple dip

Yum! This recipe right here from Lil Luna takes 10 minutes and is super easy!

4. Celebrate National Read a Book Day

Kids love to celebrate National Days! September 6th is National Read a Book Day, so have everyone curl up in the living room with their favorite book.

5. Read fall picture books

There are so many adorable fall picture books available!

Here are a few of our faves:

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
The Leaf Theif by Alice Hemming
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

6. Make a fall craft

Check out these 40 cute fall crafts for kids from Good Housekeeping. We love the leaf mosaic the most!

7. Celebrate Labor Day

Spend the day having one last summer barbeque with friends or family!

8. Make a simple birdhouse or feeder

This cute DIY wooden bird feeder just might catch the attention of birds migrating south for winter.

9. Paint pumpkins

Why not skip the mess and paint your pumpkins instead of carving them?

10. Have an indoor campout

What kid doesn’t love pulling the sleeping bags into the living room for an indoor family campout?

11. Learn to sew or knit

This is the perfect time to learn how to knit a pretty winter scarf.

See if your local recreation center or craft shop offers classes!

12. Make homemade pumpkin muffins

Adding chocolate chips to these incredible pumpkin muffins from 100 Days of Real Food is a must!

13. Have a bake-off competition

Challenge your inner chef and have a bake-off competition one afternoon!

Think Great British Baking Show and let your kids have a blast creating their best fall dessert.

14. Celebrate Columbus Day

The discovery of America is still kind of a big deal. Check with your kids to see what they’ve been learning about Christopher Columbus in school!

15. Make friendship bracelets

Grab some embroidery floss from your local craft store and let your kids experiment with making friendship bracelets.

If you’d rather have an all-in-one kit, check out this one right here that comes with a 58-page instruction book.

16. Host a costume party

Invite your neighbors and friends over for a pre-Halloween costume party.

17. Celebrate the first day of fall

Welcome in the fall by doing any of these activities on this bucket list!

18. Make a pot of chili together

Let your kids help you whip up your favorite chili recipe together.

19. Give away old summer clothes

Go through your kids’ old summer clothes and donate the lightly used clothing they won’t be able to wear again in the future.

20. Choose Halloween costumes

Late September or early October is a great time to decide on costumes.

21. Have a family talent show

Choose a Saturday or Sunday night and let everyone in the family show off their skills.

22. Roast pumpkin seeds

Whether you scoop them out of the pumpkin yourself is entirely up to you!

23. Write a letter to a grandparent

Grandparent’s Day is September 11th, so help your kiddos write a sweet card or draw a picture and put it in the mail together.

24. Make apple crisp

Sure, apple pie is delightful. But apple crisp is SO much easier! Check out this delish apple crisp recipe that we’ve been using for years!

25. Put together a LEGO set

If your kids love LEGO, grab a new set and spend a chilly afternoon putting it together.

26. Try a new soup recipe

Are you a creamy soup or brothy soup person? Either way, try to add a new soup recipe to your repertoire this fall!

27. Cheer on your team in the World Series

Starting in October and running through early November, follow your favorite Major League baseball team and see if they’ll take home the championship!

28. Make slime

Halloween is a fantastic time to make slime.

This easy fluffy slime recipe from Best Ideas for Kids uses glue, shaving cream, and contact lens solution.

29. Try a new fall fruit or vegetable

Brussel sprouts, cranberries, pumpkin, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and squash are all at their peak right now.

30. Drink apple cider

Warm up some apple cider and curl up on the outdoor furniture for a cozy evening as a family.

31. Send leftover Halloween candy to the troops overseas

Do a good deed and donate extra Halloween candy to those who would really appreciate it!

Outdoor ideas

32. Plant a winter garden

Beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, and radishes are all great candidates for a fall and winter garden.

33. Play flag football

Get some buddies and head to an open field for a fun game of flag football!

34. Walk a dog

If you own a dog, this may not seem that exciting. But taking your dog to a new place to go on a walk could be a lot of fun.

And if you don’t own a dog, ask a neighbor if you and your kids can take their well-mannered dog for a walk. Doing something novel can make a slow summer day much more exciting!

35. Look for fall-colored leaves on the trees

Keep your kiddos on the lookout for the first red, orange, and yellow leaves of the season!

36. Watch a sunrise

Get the kids up early, make warm oatmeal, and head outside to watch the sunrise on a cool fall morning.

37. Visit a corn maze

Check your local farms to see if any of them have a corn maze. This is a great way to spend a fun fall Saturday afternoon!

38. Outside read-a-thon

If you have kids who love to read, have them bring their books outside and read for a set amount of time every day.

They could read while lying on the trampoline, up in a treehouse, resting in a hammock, swinging on a swing, or spread out on a blanket in the grass.

39. Watch a sunset

Go on a walk and watch a sunset as a family.

This simple activity is one we love to do on Sunday evenings.

40. Go apple picking

The quintessential fall activity. Head to the nearest orchard and let your kids pick apples to their heart’s content!

41. Go on a leaf hunt

Hit the neighborhood or a local park and look for uniquely colored and shaped leaves with your kids.

42. Dine al fresco

Take advantage of the cooling evenings and eat dinner outside for a change.

43. Jump in a leaf pile

Once you’ve raked all the leaves into one big pile, don’t hesitate to let your kids jump in!

44. Play croquet

Croquet is a great family game because it doesn’t require much set-up OR much skill!

This highly-rated six-player croquet set comes with a handy carrying bag too.

45. Find sunflowers

Go on a nature walk and search for some super tall sunflowers.

46. Watch a movie in the backyard

Watching movies is fun.

But watching a movie in the backyard?

That’s even more fun!

Check out our article right here with all the best details on How to Have an Awesome Outdoor Movie Night at Home.

47. Play at the park

Head over to the park on an early fall weekend morning and get some fun playtime!

48. Have a fire pit night

Light up the fire pit and roast some yummy s’mores with your kids.

Then sit around the firepit together and tell funny or spooky stories – it’s up to you!

49. Fall scavenger hunts

Kids love scavenger hunts, so be sure to check out our 5 different fall scavenger hunts for kids below!

50. Plant spring bulbs

Fall is the best time to let your kids dig in the dirt and plant some spring bulbs!

Daffodils, iris, tulips, and hyacinths are all lovely options.

51. Go on a hike

Pull on those hiking boots or tennis shoes and get out into nature together!

52. Rake a neighbor’s leaves

Do a good deed and rake your neighbor’s leaves on a weekend morning.

53. Jump on an air pillow

You can often find air pillows at fall farm harvest events. They’re the next level of trampoline fun!

54. Carve pumpkins

Because it is fall, after all, right?

55. Try geocaching

Geocaching is using GPS coordinates to find treasures and surprises left by others in specific spots all over the world.

For more info on how to get started, check out this article here.

56. Go on a walk in your neighborhood

Look at the cute fall or Halloween decor too!

57. Pick up trash

Spend an hour at the local park doing something good for the earth.

58. Birdwatch

Many types of birds migrate south for the winter, so fall is the best season to birdwatch.

59. Take your family Christmas photo

Yep, it’s time to coordinate your outfits and go stand in a field.

Everyone say, “Cheese!”

60. Stargaze

The end of Daylight Savings Time is a great time to let your kids stay up and watch the night sky.

If you really want to see some cool things, we’ve had a great experience with this Celestron refractor telescope.

Additionally, download the StarChart app on your phone to make sense of what you’re seeing in the sky!

61. Have a treasure hunt

What kid doesn’t love a backyard treasure hunt?

Hide a special fall treat or a new book or two.

Then give your kids a map of the backyard that leads them on a short quest!

62. Go on a family bike ride

Pull out the bikes, put on your helmets, and go for a fall bike ride together.

63. Play tag

For another fun and simple fall bucket list idea, play tag as a family in the backyard.

Mix it up by playing freeze tag or TV tag too!

64. Plant chrysanthemums

Mums are THE flower of fall! They come in all the pretty fall colors and are usually pretty hardy.

Buy a couple and let your kids help you pot them and put them by the front door.

65. Decorate the front porch

While you’re at it, involve your kids in decorating the front porch with pumpkins, mums, and haybales too!

Halloween Bucket List ideas

66. Go trick-or-treating

Of course, if you have kids, this goes without saying, right?

67. Matching family costumes

If your kiddos are up for it, wear some matching family Halloween costumes this year.

A few easy ideas? Think Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, or any other pop culture phenomenon with lots of different characters.

68. Carve pumpkins

Listed before in our fall list, we felt carving pumpkins needs to be here too!

69. Attend a trunk or treat

Similar to trick-or-treat, trunk-or-treat is a chance for your kids to walk around a parking lot, collecting candy from parked cars. It’s an especially great activity for younger kids!

70. Visit a haunted house

The fright level of the haunted house and the maturity of your kids are definitely worth thinking about before going to a haunted house as a family.

71. Paint pumpkins

Painted pumpkins are so fun! Make little spider pumpkins by painting Jack-be-Littles with black paint, attaching googly eyes, and black chenille stems for legs.

72. Invite the Switch Witch to come over

The Switch Witch is a lot like the Tooth Fairy, as she brings a gift in exchange for Halloween candy.

We love her at our house!

73. Start the Neighborhood Boo

The Neighborhood Boo is a simple and easy way to spread some friendly cheer throughout your community.

Learn more about it by reading this article here!

74. Have a Halloween movie night

Are you a Bewitched, Addams Family, or Charmed type of family?

75. Do a Halloween scavenger hunt

Use our cute, free Halloween scavenger hunt to spend a fun afternoon with friends!

76. Play Halloween minute to win it games

If you’re hosting ANY type of Halloween event, you’ll definitely want to check out our best ideas for Halloween Minute to Win It games right here!

77. Make a Halloween playlist

“Thriller,” “Monster Mash,” and “I Want Candy” are basically prerequisites.

78. Decorate your yard/front porch

Maybe you enjoy the spooky giant spiders and open coffins, or maybe you’re more of a friendly ghost type of family.

Either way, let your kids help decorate for Halloween!

79. Make a Halloween cookie house or sugar cookies

Yep, Halloween cookie houses are now a thing.

Check out this cute Halloween cookie house kit right here!

80. Read Halloween picture books

Our favorite Halloween picture book of all time is Room on the Broom.

Be sure to use a cackly witch voice when you read it!

81. Have a Halloween game night

Play games like One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Cauldron Quest, and Hocus Pocus.

82. DIY costume challenge

Give your kids a bin of random dress-up or fabric pieces and have them come up with their own DIY costumes.

83. Do a Halloween puzzle

This bright and fun 550-piece Halloween puzzle would be great for the whole family!

84. Play Halloween Pictionary

How well do you think your family members could draw a mummy, a haunted house, or a skeleton?

Give them a test by playing a few rounds of Halloween Pictionary.

Thanksgiving Bucket List ideas

85. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Tune in to the most-watched parade in America while the turkey’s in the oven.

86. Play Thanksgiving Family Feud

One of our favorite new Thanksgiving traditions! Check out how to play Thanksgiving Family Feud right here!

87. Try a new Thanksgiving side dish

Brussels sprouts with bacon and a touch of maple syrup are on our list this year!

88. Read Thanksgiving picture books

Check out these sweet Thanksgiving books at your local library (or grab them on Amazon if you can’t find them there!):

89. Watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Give your kiddos a break from football and parades with a throwback Charlie Brown movie!

90. DIY Thanksgiving placemats

Let your kids create their own Thanksgiving placemats by covering the kids’ table with brown kraft paper.

Give them some crayons and let them make their own masterpiece!

91. Play flag football

Get everyone outside after the meal and play a backyard game of flag football.

92. Have a family board game tournament

If board games are more your speed, that’s cool too.

Pull out your favorite party games and have groups of four to six people rotate through the games.

93. Plan a Friendsgiving for your neighborhood

Whether you do it before Thanksgiving or on the actual day, let your kids help you plan a fun Friendsgiving event for your neighborhood or church group.

94. Collect canned goods for a food pantry

Before Thanksgiving, go through your pantry with your kids and choose canned goods to donate to those in need this season.

You could also help your kids coordinate a larger canned goods drive within their school, youth group, or sports teams.

95. Make a gratitude list

Have all of your Thanksgiving guests write what they’re thankful for on a giant piece of paper.

The older kids and adults can help the littles!

96. Do a Thanksgiving scavenger hunt

Get your guests up and moving with a fun Thanksgiving scavenger hunt.

97. Play Thanksgiving bingo

Bingo is a fantastic game for kids of all ages. Even toddlers can play with a bit of help!

98. Participate in a Turkey Trot

Before the big day of eating begins, get your family out and participate in a Turkey Trot race.

(You’ll be glad you did it when it’s time for pie!)

Out and About ideas

99. Visit a pumpkin patch

Probably the most anticipated fall outing for moms is the annual visit to the pumpkin patch!

Grab your camera and get ready to capture some adorable photos of your kids picking their pumpkins.

100. Go on a hayride

Hayrides are a great way to get out and enjoy a crisp fall evening.

(Just make sure your hayride isn’t a haunted hayride before you bring the kids along!)

101. Visit a nature center

Nature centers often offer lots of great fall programs for kids.

Check to see what is happening near you!

102. Go to a high school football game

Sport your team colors, dance along with the band, and cheer with the cheerleaders for a night of Friday Night Lights with the fam!

103. Go to a botanical garden

You may think that a botanical garden would be super boring for kids, but we’ve found the exact opposite!

Look for I Spy or Scavenger Hunt-type pages or other kids’ activities in the visitor center.

104. Visit a farm

Harvest season is THE best time to take everyone to the farm!

105. Attend a fall festival

Check your local Chamber of Commerce website to find out what’s going on in your town or city this fall.

106. Go camping

Fall is a wonderful season for camping!

Be sure to take lots of layers if it’s cold at night.

107. Visit a “spooky” place

The level of spooky you select will definitely depend on your kids’ ages. Maybe it’s a haunted house, or maybe not.

That’s okay!

108. Try a new local restaurant

Eat at a restaurant you’ve never tried before.

On the way home, let each member of the family give it a star rating.

109. Visit the Farmer’s Market

Support your local Farmer’s Market and get your hands on some super fresh local produce.

You may consider allowing your kids to try a fruit or vegetable they’ve never had before.

110. Shop at a yard sale

Take your kids along one early Saturday morning and let them find some treasures of their own before yard sale season cools down for the winter.

111. Go to a local theatre performance

Support your local arts and attend a play together as a family.

112. Go to the zoo

Going to the zoo during the fall is a great idea! Since it’s usually not so hot, the animals are likely to be more active.

113. Check out a Renaissance Fair

Ever been to a Renaissance Fair? Fall is the season to check one out!

114. Take a day trip to a small town

Get out as a family and enjoy some small-town charm for a day.

115. Visit a science museum

Help your kids have an educational experience at a great science museum.

The best part is that they may not even realize how much they’re learning!

116. Feed the ducks at the pond

The next time to take a walk near a pond, take along some bread to feed the ducks.

Feeding the ducks is a surprisingly fun activity for a wide variety of ages!

117. Visit a petting zoo

Kids love the chance to get their hands on different animals, and fall is a fantastic time to visit a petting zoo.

Just make sure they wash their hands super well before you leave!

118. Go to the library

There’s never a bad time to go to the library, right?

119. Attend an outdoor concert

Check to see if there are any outdoor concerts happening near you.

Even if it isn’t your favorite type of music, give it a try anyway!

120. Go to a drive-in movie

Drive-in movie theaters are springing up all over the country again, so take some blankets and go catch a movie the old-fashioned way!

121. Support a neighborhood cleanup or service project

Kids of all ages can often get involved in local service projects.

Go to Just Serve and enter your zip code to find volunteer opportunities happening near you!

122. Visit a planetarium

Find out what’s happening in the night sky this season by taking a trip to your local planetarium.

123. Take a train ride

Many small towns still have operating trains. Take the family on a leisurely train ride one afternoon – you may even see some colorful fall leaves along the way.

124. Do an escape room

An escape room might sound like an older kid event, but there are some escape rooms for kids as young as six!

125. Shop Black Friday sales

If you’re a Black Friday shopper, heading out and hitting the sales early can be its own special type of fun.

Why Kids Love Bucket Lists

Bucket lists are great for kids for several reasons:

They give kids something to look forward to as the seasons begin to change
Kids look forward to the personal interaction with you
Having a list can help kids visualize what’s coming up in the next few months
They help kids understand the importance of planning
They create lots of fun family memories!

Final thoughts about this Fall Bucket List

As with all things here at Jen Bradley|MOMs, we are here to help you find meaningful ways to connect with your kids WITHOUT adding a ton of extra work to your already-super-busy life!

We hope you and your kids will enjoy these ideas on the Fall Bucket List for Kids!

Remember, whatever activities you choose from our Fall Bucket List for Kids, keep it simple! What your kids really want most is the opportunity to connect with you and have a little fun in the process!

Which Fall Bucket List items are you excited to try with your kids?

Fall Bucket List - 125 Awesome Things to Do With Your Kids This Fall

Hi there! I’m Jen and I’m so glad you’re here. I am a mom who believes that meaningful connections with our families can happen in small and simple ways. Read More …