It’s spooky season! With Halloween around the corner, the weather getting cooler, and pumpkin patches everywhere, I’ve found myself searching for the best fall activities to do with my 18-month old. We’ve had a blast enjoying this season and so I decided to put together a list of all the fun fall activities that we came across to make this fall fun for all of you out there with one year olds. So if you’re looking for fall fun, check out this list!
Go To a Pumpkin Patch:
This one seems like a no brainer, but I had to include it! We actually tried to go to a pumpkin patch as soon as October hit, but it epically failed. It had so many crazy cool activities but they were all designed for older kids. So this is my reminder to research the pumpkin patch before you go, and keep it simple! My son had an absolute blast just walking around a field with pumpkins and exploring a corn maze. A whole afternoon of fun with just that!
Apple Picking:
If you live within driving distance of any Apple orchards, try apple picking! I know it might seem a little difficult to do with a toddler, but I promise you’ll all love it. Nothing screams fall fun more than picking apples and it’s actually a great way to get your younger kiddos involved in the seasonal excitement. They are most likely capable of pulling some low hanging apples off themselves, and then they get to enjoy the apples they picked themselves later on! It’s a win win since you encourage fruit eating as well. (Although if your grocery bill looks anything like mine the constant toddler berry addiction might keep their fruit intake up anyways).
Corn Maze:
I mentioned this along with the pumpkin patch because they usually go hand in hand, but check out a corn maze! If you have a kid that is old enough to walk, they’ll love it. They can touch the big corn stalks for a sensory experience, and enjoy some time in nature exploring the maze. It’s fun for the whole family and shows them how mom has to problem solve to find her way out too!
Sticky Leaves:
This one was so fun because my son loved collecting things from nature. What we did was go on walks or to parks and collect any rocks, sticks, leaves (mainly leaves), and flowers that we could find. Then we came home and stuck them all on some paper to create artwork! I’ve heard some people use parchment paper for this, but I used regular printer paper and double sided tape and it was so fun! It got us out in some beautiful fall nature and also gave us a way to bring nature back inside with us. Definitely worth trying!
Pumpkin Boats:
This one was fun… but honestly hard work for the parent involved lol. You have to find a space you can have a big enough bucket of water to put pumpkins in and then carve out abunch of pumpkins. But if you’re up for this it’s a blast! My son was giggling his booty off the whole time! We put his toys inside the pumpkin boats and let him push them around the water as we splashed and played a whole game from it. There’s probably an easier way to have the same type of fun than carving pumpkins, but I’m all for embracing the fall spirit!
Playdough Pumpkin Patch:
Another fun pumpkin inspired idea is making pumpkins or other pumpkin patch inspired items out of playdough! If you’re having trouble finding the right color for your activities check out my post on how to make homemade playdough and pick your own colors! Some toddlers might be a little young for this, but it’s definitely worth a shot. My son is so into pumpkins this October so he thought it was so silly that I kept making them out of play dough!
Fall Coloring Pages:
If you have a kid that loves to color grab them from fall inspired coloring pages! Whether that be leaves or pumpkins or ghosts, it doesn’t matter! Give them some washable crayons and watch the beauty of 18-month old artwork unfold. (Just have the baby wipes ready)
Corn Husking:
This one I definitely found on Pinterest, and it was so simple, yet so fun! We got some corn to make for dinner and I just passed off the chore of husking to Oliver (don’t worry I did it with him). He thought it was such a fun time pulling the husks off and then we had a fun fall themed dinner after. If you’re a family that likes corn, why not give it a shot?
Pumpkin Decorating:
I purposefully used the word decorating just because it can look so different depending on what your kid is into. I saw a lot of suggestions to carve pumpkins with your kids as a fall activity, but that seems like a MUCH older kid activity. I ended up letting Ollie finger paint our pumpkins and we had sooooo much fun! We did one just random finger paints and one with hand and foot prints and it turned out SO cute. I would definitely recommend buying a white pumpkin and letting your little ones put hand and foot prints all over it. If you’re not up for the finger paint mess then you can let your kids use crayons, markers, stickers, or whatever else you have to decorate your pumpkins without having to use sharp objects. Pumpkin decorating is absolutely an October must do, and I’m excited to see what fun and creative ways you guys come up with for your kids to decorate your pumpkins!
