Want to know the fall bucket list ideas that every family must try? These are the top family activities sure to make your fall an unforgettable season.
During the fall there are so many fun family activities and if you are anything like me you enjoy making bucket lists in order to make the most of each season. As a family of five, these are the top fall bucket list ideas we love doing as a family every year.
You are going to learn about the top fall bucket list ideas from apple picking to pumpkin carving, scavenger hunts and more!
After learning about these fun fall activities, you and your family are going to make this season one to remember.
This post is all about the top fall bucket list ideas that every family must know about.
Top Fall Bucket List Ideas
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1. Apple Picking
Find a local apple orchard and bring the whole family. Not only is apple picking a fun family activity that kids of all ages can enjoy, but it’s typically a whole lot cheaper than buying apples at the store.
2. Make Apple Recipes
With all of those apples you picked at the orchard, make some yummy apple recipes. Here are a few of our fall favorites:
- Applesauce
- Apple Crisp
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Apple Cider
- Apple Muffins
- Caramel Apples
- Apple Pie
3. Pumpkin Patch
Nothing says fall like going to the pumpkin patch. Most pumpkin patches have an array of activities for the whole family from hayrides to corn mazes, farm animals and more! There is sure to be something for everyone to enjoy.
Don’t forget to have everyone pick out a pumpkin to bring home and carve!
4. Hay Ride
Find a hay ride at a farm, pumpkin patch or fall festival and take the whole family. Hay rides in the fall are such a fun way to relax and take in the beautiful views of the season.
5. Bon Fire
Who doesn’t love sitting around a cozy fire on a crisp fall evening? Snuggle up with some blankets and bring out the s’mores fixings to make the night even more enjoyable!
6. Haunted House
If you or your children enjoy the adrenaline rush of being scared than you’ll want to add a haunted house to your fall bucket list ideas. Be prepared to scream because these can be pretty scary so I wouldn’t recommend taking your littles along.
They do however make not-so-scary haunted houses that are geared for younger children. These houses are filled with decorations and spooky music rather than scares around every corner.
7. Make Cinnamon Play-Doh
If your kids love playing with play-doh try making some homemade cinnamon playdough.
There are a lot of different recipes you can look up but the ingredients you’ll need are flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, oil and cinnamon.
It will be fun for the kids and will leave your house smelling absolutely delicious!
8. Jump in Leaf Piles
Kids love leaf piles so have everyone work together to rake up the leaves and let them jump in it. Your yard will be raked and your kids will have fun!
9. Spooky Music
Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!
Make a Halloween playlist and put it on repeat the week leading up to Halloween. It is a fun way to get everyone looking forward to the holiday.
10. Halloween Costumes
Dressing up for Halloween doesn’t just have to be for kids. Whether you are taking the kids trick-or-treating, staying home to hand out candy, or attending a halloween party get the whole family involved.
Let the kids decide on their own costumes or have everyone come up with a family theme and get coordinating costumes. Dressing up as a family can be so much fun.
11. Carve Pumpkins
Get some pumpkin carving tools like these and decide on a jack-o-lantern design. I recommend carving pumpkins a few days before Halloween so that all the trick-or-treaters will get to see your pumpkins before they get rotten.
If you have young kids who aren’t quite old enough to carve on their own, you could have them draw the face they want on their pumpkin and you could cut it out.
You could also get one of these stencil and hammer kits. The kids could put the cookie cutter shapes on the pumpkin and hammer them in to achieve a jack-o-lantern face.
Another idea is to just get out some paint, newspaper, brushes and stickers and let them paint and decorate their pumpkins instead.
Pumpkin Carving Tools
12. Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Save those pumpkin seeds you took out carving your pumpkin and roast them to make a yummy snack!
13. Drink Hot Cocoa
There is nothing like a cup of hot cocoa on a cool fall day to make you feel nice and cozy!
14. Halloween Movies
Have a family movie night and watch a halloween/fall movie! Make sure to get out the popcorn and choose one of these family-friendly movies:
- Casper
- Hocus Pocus
- Halloweentown
- Coco
- Hotel Transylvania
- It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
- Toy Story of Terror
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Monsters Inc.
- The Haunted Mansion
- Twitches
{RELATED POST: 7 Insanely Fun Family Movie Night Ideas Your Kids Will Love}
15. Paint Pinecones
In the fall pinecones are scattered all over the ground. Grab a few and bring them in.
Have a family paint night and decorate some pinecones. When you are finished make sure to add these to your fall decorations.
16. Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a fun way for families to get outdoors, unplug from technology and bond. During the fall the weather is perfect for walks so print off an online scavenger hunt or come up with your own list of items.
You can work together as a team to find all of the items or break into teams and see who can find all the things on the list the fastest.
{RELATED POSTS: FREE Outdoor Nature Scavenger Hunt Printable For Families}
17. Watch/Play Football
Play a game of backyard football and/or watch your favorite team together. You can make it even more fun with game time snacks and wearing your team’s apparel.
18. Corn Maze
I’ll be honest, getting lost in a cornfield does not top my list of things I want to do. I have seen one too many scary movies to know that never ends well.
However, many people love going through corn mazes, including my kids, so it’s on our fall bucket list and every year I put on my brave face and do it for them.
If you have littles who like to run up ahead you may want to consider a safety harness backpack while going through the maze so they don’t get lost.
19. Burn Fall Candles
Open up the windows and light your favorite fall candle. It will make your house feel extra cozy and immediately put you in the fall festive mood.
Hello There Fall Candle
20. Make Tie Blankets
Fall is the season for blankets so why not make your own. Tie blankets are super simple to make so add this to your family’s fall bucket list ideas.
21. Trick-or-Treating
Hands down, trick-or-treating is my kids’ favorite activity in the fall.
If your kids are older and don’t want to go trick-or-treating hand out treats at your house instead. It is so much fun seeing all the different costumes and the kids’ excitement for candy.
22. Camp in the Backyard
Pitch a tent in the backyard and camp out. Make sure to bring out your new tie blankets or any other blanket you have because fall evenings can get a little chilly depending on where you live.
23. Thankfulness List
As a family, make a thankfulness list and hang it up. Our family makes a turkey and on each feather we write things we are thankful for.
It makes a great Thanksgiving decoration, and serves as a wonderful reminder of how fortunate we truly are.
{RELATED POSTS: 25 Best Thanksgiving Traditions To Start With Your Family This Year}
24. Go for a Bike Ride
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather by taking a family bike ride.
25. Homemade Soups
Homemade soup is the perfect meal for cool, fall days. Here are some soup ideas that we plan to try this fall:
- Chili
- Pumpkin Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
26. Hang Fall Decorations
Get in the festive spirit and hang up some Halloween or fall decorations.
27. Farmer’s Market
Support your local farmers and head to your nearest farmer’s market. Not only does it directly benefit the farmer’s in your area, but the produce is 10x better.
28. Take a Nature Walk
Take a nature walk to see the leaves changing color and soak up all the beauty this season has to offer.
For some added fun play a game on your walk and make guesses on how many houses you’ll pass with fall decorations.
29. Take Fall Pictures
The fall foliage makes the perfect scenery for some family pictures. It’s also just in time to add on to those annual holiday cards.
30. Glow-in-the-Dark Tag
Glow-in-the-dark tag is a fun way to get outdoors with your family.
Get some glow-in-the-dark sticks, wait for the sun to set and head outside. This game is sure to bring out the kid in everyone.
31. Eat Candy Corn
When it comes to candy corn are you a love it or hate type of person?
I absolutely LOVE candy corn and could eat an entire bag in one sitting it’s that good. So if you or your kids are like me, make sure to pick up a bag this fall.
You can add it to some trail mix, make candy corn cookies or just eat it by the handful.
32. Read Halloween Books
In the couple weeks leading up to Halloween, head to your local library and check out a bunch of Halloween books. Not only is reading very beneficial for kids but it is a fun way to get them even more excited for Halloween.
Here is a list of our favorite fall books:
- 5- Minute Halloween Stories
- Room on the Broom
- Ten Timid Ghosts
- Spooky Pookie
- Eek! Halloween!
- Bear Says Thanks
- How to Catch a Turkey
How to Catch a Turkey
Bear Says Thanks
{RELATED POST: 19 Best Halloween Children’s Books You Must Read Aloud This Year}
33. Make Pumpkin Recipes
My favorite thing about fall is pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING. I hate that this has to be a seasonal flavor because it could be the middle of summer and I would always be down for some pumpkin bread.
Here are the pumpkin ideas we plan to try this season:
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pancakes
34. Outdoor Movie Night
Enjoy the cool fall nights before winter weather arrives by having an outdoor movie night. Make sure to put on sweatshirts and grab a few blankets before heading out.
{RELATED POST: FREE Printable Movie Night Tickets For Your Next Family Movie Night}
35. Visit a Fall Festival
Check out your local city or surrounding towns and see if there are any fall festivals.
Many towns have a fall celebration with fun family-friendly activities such as live music, food trucks, face painting, animals, games, and even parades.
This post was all about the top 35 fall bucket list ideas to make this season the best one yet.
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