As a parent, I love the Fall as we settle back into our routines and the air turns crisp.  It’s also the perfect season for babies and toddlers to explore and create. Whether you’re looking for outdoor adventures or cozy arts and crafts to do on chilly days, there are many ways to engage your little one this time of year. Here are my top 5 outdoor and craft ideas that will keep your toddler entertained while supporting their developmental growth.

Outdoor Activities

1. Nature Scavenger Hunt The trees are changing all around us, so take advantage of the season by heading to your local park or backyard. I like to create a simple scavenger hunt for my 5 year old and 2 year old where they can collect fall treasures like colorful leaves, acorns, pinecones, or small sticks.

Developmental Benefits: Enhances sensory exploration, problem-solving, and vocabulary.

2. Leaf Pile Jumping Nothing says fall like a big pile of crunchy leaves! Gather up leaves and let your toddler run, jump, and roll through the pile. They can also help rake the leaves, which is a great way to practice coordination.

Developmental Benefits: Encourages gross motor skills, coordination, and energy release.

3. Pumpkin Patch Visits A trip to a local pumpkin patch is festive and lets your toddler explore new textures and sights. Let them pick out their own pumpkin, participate in hayrides, or meet farm animals! If you live in the city like me, you can let your toddler pick a pumpkin from your local grocery store and carve it for a sensory exploration with seeds and goop!

Developmental Benefits: Stimulates sensory exploration, decision-making, and social interaction.

4. Apple Picking Adventure Head to a local orchard for a day of apple picking! Let your toddler pick apples from low-hanging branches and collect them in a basket. Then you can enjoy some apple-themed snacks like homemade applesauce or apple slices with peanut butter.

Developmental Benefits: Supports hand-eye coordination, builds decision-making skills, and introduces farm-to-table concepts.

5. Bird Watching: The changing seasons make it a perfect time for bird watching. Use binoculars (or toy versions – even made from two empty toilet rolls taped together) to spot birds migrating or gathering food for winter.

Developmental Benefits: Improves focus, patience, and understanding of nature.

Fall Arts & Crafts

1. Color or Paint by the Numbers:  Both of my kids love exploring with colors and paints, so we created this simple paint by the numbers page you can print at home.  Plus you can explain why squirrels gather their acorns to bury before the long winter!

Developmental Benefits: Boosts hand-eye coordination and creativity

2. Leaf Rubbing Art: You can collect some fallen leaves, place them under a piece of paper, and let your toddler rub crayons or chalk over them. This reveals beautiful leaf shapes and textures. So simple and fun!

Developmental Benefits: Enhances fine motor skills and artistic creativity.

3. Pumpkin Painting: Carving pumpkins may be too difficult for toddlers, so grab some non-toxic paints and let them decorate their own pumpkin– or use stickers instead.

Developmental Benefits: Encourages self-expression and color recognition.

4. Fall-Themed Sensory Bins Fill a large bin with fall-inspired items like dried corn kernels, small gourds, mini pumpkins, or fabric leaves. Let your toddler explore different textures by scooping, pouring, and sorting the objects.

Developmental Benefits: Stimulates sensory development and supports independent play.

5. Handprint Tree Craft Help your toddler trace their hand on colored paper and cut out multiple "leaves" in various fall colors (red, orange, yellow). Draw or paint a tree trunk on a large piece of paper, and let your toddler glue their handprint leaves onto the tree.

Developmental Benefits: Fosters fine motor skills, creativity, and understanding of nature.