Autumn is one of those seasons that provide great opportunities for outdoor play and creative craft projects. The leaves are beautiful, the weather is (usually) fair and the parks are an ever-changing treasure trove of natural wonders just waiting to be explored.

Here are some ideas to help you and the kids enjoy a wonderful Autumn:

Leaf prints

Leaf printing is a lovely experience for little ones and can be enjoyed by all ages. The feel and smell of new leaves is amazing…even brownish ones, past their best have a smell all of their own. Encourage your child to choose lovely leaves with a good, interesting shape (both big and small) then talk about the trees they come from and how different the textures are. You can start small by collecting leaves from the back garden or make the most of a sunny day by exploring the local parks, woodland and forests, collecting as many colourful leaves that you can find.

The best way to do leaf printing is on a flat table rather than an easel. Provide paint and rollers and let the kids loose! Paint can go either on the backs of the leaves, then pressed onto paper OR they can gently roller the backs of the leaves by placing the paint upwards and pressing paper down on top. An alternative idea is to use the leaves to sketch, draw around or rub – all lovely and interesting ways to create their own unique masterpiece.

Autumn collages

Each time you go out, ask your child to collect any interesting leaves, conkers, bark or twigs that interest them and store them at home in a box or bag. Once they have a healthy collection in place, set out some paper, glue and craft materials and help them make a collage. This could be one big collective scattering or you could encourage them to build it into the shape i.e of a tree.   

You could add extra materials like coloured tissue paper, string and glitter or let them add colour to the finished article with paints, crayons and felt tip pens.   

Conkers

Kids love the smell and feel of conkers. The best way is to allow them to handle them by rolling them around in their hands and describing that gorgeous texture and smell. You could also play a sensory game by placing conkers in a bag with other autumn finds (acorns, twigs, leaves etc) and asking them to put their hand into the bag to retrieve the conker using touch only.  

Conkers also make great art projects. Encourage your child to paint the conkers and attach string to make decorations or let them go crazy with foil, tissue paper and pens to make their very own signature conker collection.

Exploring nature

Autumn is a wonderful time to teach your child about nature and there are plenty of ways to make your own fun. Use local walks to explore the natural environment, look at birds, plants and trees and ask your child to make note of anything they see that interests them. You could take snaps on a camera or have a pad and crayons at the ready for them to draw pictures and store any special objects they come across.

Fallen leaves make great hiding places and are super-fun to run through and kick around. You could also turn piles of leaves into an educational game by asking your child to try and find the original tree they came from.

Bird watching

Autumn is a popular time to watch birds and your child will love the different colours, shapes and sizes of the birds they see in the garden or park. Encourage birds to make regular visits to your garden by putting bird seed out for them (you don’t need a bird table, just your usual garden table or a flat surface will suffice). Make the most of an early rise by using binoculars to locate and identify birds – this is usually the most peaceful time of day so they are out in abundance. Find out more on our page on feeding birds.

A bird watching book will increase your child’s interest in birds and help them to learn more about the different breeds – you could also include special stickers for each time they identify a bird and make it their responsibility to lay the food out each day.

Treasure hunt

An autumn treasure hunt is a lovely way for children to have fun, use their imagination and get a healthy dose of fresh air. Set some treasures out in the garden with little clues at each stop or take the fun elsewhere by selecting a nice little spot at the park. Considering their age and level of ability, give clues that will get them thinking about autumn and all of its wonderful attributes or set miniature tasks they can get involved in such as collecting mossy twigs, a black stone or different coloured leaves.

Take some hot chocolate and hot buns as a treat and reward them with stickers or badges for completing the tasks.  

Weather watch

Autumn is one of those adorable interchangeable seasons where we can watch the world around us change colour in preparation for winter. There’s a chill in the air (though it’s not yet freezing) and the skies are often blue – a heady mix that can inspire kids and adults alike to enjoy the great outdoors. No doubt your child has already noticed the drop in temperature and the falling leaves everywhere so make the most of their inquisitiveness by talking about the seasons and explaining the changing patterns in weather.

A weather chart is a great way for them to keep track of the changing season and it provides a good opportunity to get creative too. Lay out some card and ask them to design a tab for sunshine, rain, cloud and fair weather. They can use these to mark each day and make a fresh new chart at the end of the month. Find out more on our dedicated page on learning about the weather.

Article from netmums.com