Family Inspired Fun for the Fall Season

The weather will be getting cooler, colors will be changing on leaves, and nights will be darker earlier and longer. Moms are inspired to promote family togetherness during the fall season. The hectic hubbub of Thanksgiving and the truly hectic season of Christmas has not quite hit, but the changing season draws upon the natural instinct to join together and celebrate family. Need some ideas for family activities this fall? Take a look at some of the following suggestions, and see if any would inspire some quality time for your family!

Bike Riding: Whether you like to ride bike paths, neighborhood sidewalks, mountain trails (probably best with older children), beach bike paths, etc. this always make s for great family fun. The cooler weather of the fall season makes bicycle riding even more enjoyable. Make sure everyone in the family has properly fitting gear, most especially helmets. If you have very young children or for those families with a baby, try a trailer designed especially for them, or perhaps you might prefer a child carrier seat in back of your seat on the bike itself. No matter which you use, don't forget the helmet for those little riders!

Zoo Trips: Perfect for families. Check ahead with the zoo for any special children activities that the zoo may be having,, so you can schedule your trip accordingly. Be sure to take along sunscreen, strollers (or you may want to check to see if rentals are available at the zoo), comfortable shoes for walking, and water bottles for sipping on as you stroll around checking out the wildlife.
Make mealtime plans before you go; you will find many eating choices at the zoo, but you may prefer to pack a lunch and find a spot to picnic at the zoo.
When you return home, kids can make animal masks using paper plates, crayons, string, and scissors. Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth areas, and make small holes on each side of the plate for string to go through, and color away!!

Movie Night: Make one night a week movie night. The evenings will be getting dark earlier, and this will help with keeping the kids from getting bored being indoors earlier than they may have been during summer. Rotate turns for each family member to be in charge of picking the movie. Plan a dinner theme around the movie, and continue the same theme with snacks for the movie. Shark Tales could inspire a meal of fish sticks as a main course, and shark shaped gummy snacks for a movie treat. Let the kids try and come up with menu suggestions that will go with the theme of the movie.

Gather Your Memories of summer: Collect pictures from your family's summer adventures and place them in a special photo album or scrapbook. Each family member can write down a special memory that goes with each picture.

Take An Evening Walk: Fall is a perfect time to get out and enjoy the beautiful brisk evenings. After dinner, stroll the neighborhood and discuss the day, and the week's events. Children love to chat, and this is a good time to walk and talk! Collect leaves as you walk. Try to collect two of each type of leaf that you see. These can be used for a matching game later. Admire fall decorations as they begin to be displayed this fall season.

Matching Leaf Game: The leaves that were collected during evening walks can be used for a play on the usual matching game. Just glue each leaf to an index card, making sure you have two of each type of leaf. Play the game with the cards turned with leafs side down. Try to match like leafs.

Charades/ Skits: Tried but true family fun for those Fall evenings. Kids will like putting on skits with dress up costumes and props! Let imaginations run wild as kids act out their own inspired skit, or play out a scene from a favorite book.

These are just a very few ideas to help create quality family time this fall. Brainstorm with your family to come up with your own ideas. Remember, take pictures for your Fall Memory Book!!