Making Fall Magical: The Ultimate Fall Bucket List to Do With Your Kids

There is something about fall that makes me want to slow everything down just a little bit.

Maybe it’s the cooler mornings, the changing leaves, the first excuse to pull out a cozy sweater, or the fact that suddenly everything seems to involve pumpkins, warm drinks, and baked goods. Whatever it is, fall has always felt like one of those seasons that practically begs you to make memories.

And having kids makes it even more fun.

I love finding little ways to make each season feel special for them. It doesn’t have to mean an elaborate outing every weekend or spending a ton of money. Sometimes it’s a trip to the farmers market, decorating the house together, or eating an apple cider donut in the car on the way home from the pumpkin patch.

So if you’re looking for ways to soak up every bit of autumn with your family, I put together some of my favorite ideas for a fall bucket list with kids.

Go Shopping for the Perfect Pumpkins

Obviously, we have to start with pumpkins.

Instead of grabbing them during a regular grocery run, make pumpkin shopping an actual family outing. Head to a local pumpkin patch or farm and let everyone search for their perfect pumpkin.

I love getting a colorful mix of the traditional orange pumpkins along with the funky ones. White pumpkins, tiny pumpkins, bumpy gourds, muted green varieties and all the wonderfully imperfect ones make decorating so much more interesting.

Let the kids choose a pumpkin entirely on their own, even if the one they fall in love with is lopsided, covered in bumps or almost impossible to carry.

Those usually end up being the best ones anyway.

Have a Fall Photo Shoot With Your Kids

Fall is also one of my favorite times of year to take photos of the kids.

You don’t necessarily need to book a professional photographer or plan coordinating outfits months in advance. Pick a pretty location, dress everyone in something that feels like fall and take plenty of candid photos while the kids explore.

A pumpkin patch is the obvious choice, but don’t overlook flower farms.

Visit a Local Flower Farm

Depending on where you live and the weather that year, sunflowers and dahlias can still be blooming in late summer and early fall, creating the most gorgeous backdrop for family photos. Afterwards, you can pick a beautiful bouquet to take home with you!

Dahlia fields especially have that colorful, slightly whimsical feeling that works beautifully for fall photos before everything turns orange and brown.

And don’t worry about getting the perfect photo where everyone is staring at the camera. Some of my favorite pictures are the ones where the kids are walking through the flowers, carrying pumpkins, laughing at each other or doing absolutely anything except what I asked them to do.

Spend a Morning at the Farmers Market

Farmers markets are fun all summer, but there is something different about them once fall produce starts appearing. That warm morning sun paired with the fresh, crisp air just hits different with a warm coffee or cider in hand.

Bring the kids along and wander through the booths looking for apples, pears, squash, pumpkins, fresh bread, flowers, honey and whatever else catches your eye.

You can even let each child choose one fruit or vegetable they want to bring home and figure out something to make with it together.

And, of course, if there are pastries involved, I consider that a main attraction of the experience.

Get Lost in a Corn or Hay Maze

If your local pumpkin patch has a corn maze, this absolutely belongs on the fall bucket list.

Let the kids lead the way, even when you are fairly certain they are taking everyone in the wrong direction.

For younger children, look for farms that offer smaller corn mazes, hay mazes or kid-friendly versions so it stays fun instead of turning into a two-hour rescue mission (we learned this lesson when my daughter was two!).

Bonus points if you can find one with a hayride afterward.

Visit and Feed the Farm Animals

This might actually be more exciting than the pumpkins for little kids.

Look for pumpkin patches and farms that also have goats, sheep, chickens, cows, pigs, alpacas or other animals the kids can see and, when permitted, feed.

Buy a cup of feed, prepare yourself to have your hands completely covered in goat slobber, and enjoy watching the kids lose their minds every time an animal eats directly from their hand.

Eat Your Way Through All the Fall Treats

Honestly, this could be an entire bucket list by itself.

Fall is basically permission to put apples, cinnamon, caramel and pumpkin into everything imaginable.

Some treats worth hunting down this season include:

Go Apple Picking

If you live somewhere with an apple orchard nearby, spend a morning picking your own apples.

Kids love being able to grab the fruit directly from the tree, and it gives you the perfect excuse to come home with an unreasonable quantity of apples.

Then you get to figure out how many different apple desserts one family can make before everyone gets tired of apples. When visiting one of our local orchards last year, they had free recipe cards sharing all different sorts of apple recipes that sound delicious!

Decorate Your Home for Fall Together

One of my favorite parts of a new season is making little changes around the house.

Fall decorating doesn’t have to mean completely redecorating every room.

Pull out cozy blankets and pillows. Add pumpkins to shelves and tables. Bring in warmer colors, candles, branches, dried flowers or seasonal artwork.

And let the kids help.

Give them their own little area to decorate, make paper leaves or pumpkins together, or let them decide where a few decorations should go.

Will everything be styled exactly how you would have done it? Probably not.

But they’ll be so proud every time they walk past something they helped create.

Make a Cozy Fall Movie Night

Pick a chilly evening, pile every blanket you own onto the couch and have a family fall movie night.

Make popcorn, warm apple cider or hot chocolate and choose something that feels appropriately cozy, magical or slightly spooky depending on your kids’ ages.

You could even make a little snack board with popcorn, pretzels, apple slices, caramel dip and other fall treats.

Turn off the big lights, switch on the lamps or twinkle lights and make the entire room feel extra cozy.

Take a Fall Nature Walk

This is probably one of the easiest activities on the entire list, and it’s free.

Head to a nearby park or trail once the leaves start changing and let the kids collect their favorites. If it’s raining, have fun splashing in the puddles or getting dirty in the mud.

Look for different colors, shapes and sizes of leaves along with pinecones, acorns and interesting sticks.

Bring a little basket or bag and turn it into a fall scavenger hunt.

You can even use some of what you collect for crafts or decorations when you get home.

Jump in a Giant Pile of Leaves

Some childhood traditions don’t need reinventing.

Rake up the biggest pile of leaves you possibly can and let the kids destroy all your hard work approximately three seconds later.

Take pictures.

Jump in with them.

Rake everything back into a pile.

Repeat.

Carve or Paint Pumpkins

Once those carefully selected pumpkins make it home, have a family pumpkin decorating night.

Older kids might love carving their own designs, while younger kids can paint pumpkins, add stickers or decorate them with craft supplies.

And don’t throw away the seeds! Clean them, season them and roast them for another easy fall snack.

Make Something Warm Together

Fall is when I start wanting the oven on again.

Choose something simple that the kids can help make, whether that’s pumpkin bread, apple crisp, cookies, cinnamon rolls or a big pot of soup.

They can pour ingredients, stir, sprinkle cinnamon or inevitably get flour all over the counter.

The finished product doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect. The fun is letting them be part of making it.

Have a Backyard Bonfire

If you have a safe place to do it, have a little backyard fire on a cool evening.

Bring out blankets, roast marshmallows and make s’mores while everyone sits around the fire.

You can tell stories, listen to music or just let the kids enjoy being outside after dark.

There’s something about a chilly night and a warm fire that instantly feels like fall.

Visit a Fall Festival

Check your local community calendar because September and October are usually packed with harvest festivals, Oktoberfest-style family events, craft fairs and other seasonal celebrations.

Look for events with kids’ activities, face painting, live music, hayrides, pumpkin decorating or local food vendors.

These can also be a great way to discover smaller farms and local businesses you might not otherwise visit.

Make a Fall Craft

Save some of those leaves from your nature walk and turn them into an easy afternoon craft.

Make leaf rubbings, paint pumpkins, create a fall garland, press colorful leaves between books or make little woodland creatures out of pinecones.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. Some white paint on little feet make the perfect ghosty artwork to save for years to come.

Sometimes a pile of construction paper, glue, leaves and googly eyes buys you an unexpectedly peaceful afternoon.

Make Your Own Family Fall Traditions

The best part of making a fall bucket list isn’t actually checking everything off.

It’s figuring out which things your family loves enough to do again next year.

Maybe it’s the same pumpkin patch every October. Maybe it’s taking a picture in the same sunflower field every year and watching how much the kids have grown. Maybe it’s apple cider donuts after the farmers market or decorating the house together on the first weekend of September.

Those little traditions are what eventually become the things your kids remember about growing up.

So don’t worry about doing everything.

Pick a few things that sound fun, leave some weekends completely unplanned and enjoy the season while it’s here.

Because somehow fall always feels like it takes forever to arrive… and then disappears way too quickly.