This is one of my favorite times of the year! Pumpkin patch visiting, hot or frozen cider sipping, leaves falling… all the fall fun! This is a season where I generally do a ton of activities with the kiddos because the weather is great and I do not mind going anywhere when I can throw on a comfy hoody!
Here are just a few fall/Halloween ideas that you can entertain doing with your littles:
- I think this one is obvious – visit a pumpkin patch. I had no idea how many pumpkin patches there were in the Dayton area until I was updating our very own DMB Pumpkin Patch Guide. I love taking the kiddos to pick out pumpkins, have some apple cider slushies and we often end up with a baked good treat or two! It is generally a nice and inexpensive way to spend a day or evening.
- Like the idea of carving pumpkins, but want to do it with less mess?! One word, Funkins! There are many local stores that sell Funkins – fake pumpkins that you can carve! The best part, you can keep them year after year! There are also stores (like Target) that sell kits where you can turn your pumpkin into a Paw Patrol character or Cinderella’s carriage! These are easy to place in the pumpkin so you can guide your little but you will not have to worry about cutting anything! You can also place these kits on real pumpkins.
- Painting pumpkins and hand/footprints! This is the perfect time of year to buy a pumpkin, Funkin, small canvas, or utilize some construction paper and have your littles make thumb pumpkins or paint pumpkins! Each year, we pick Halloween characters and make them out of the kiddos’ hands and feet. For example, Frankenfoot is a pretty popular one for my kiddos as we capture painted footprints and then add the Frankenstein face. Great keepsakes for momma and a fun project for kids.
- Have a bonfire outside and roast some food/marshmallows. When we think bonfires, sometimes summer is quick to the mind, but fall bonfires where you snuggle up with kiddos, make s’mores (with Reese’s PB pumpkins!) and tell some tall, not-so-scary Halloween tales can be a very magical time for a child. This is also a pretty affordable way to spend an evening!
- Halloween window decals everywhere! One tradition my children have come to love and what they ask to do first in the fall season – grab some Halloween window decals from a local shop and decorate the windows in the house. It is a great way for them to contribute to decorating for the holiday and they are rather easy to get off of windows once the season has passed. The window decals we purchased for this year were $1.99 a pack, which seems to be about the going rate, not too terribly expensive for a little bit of fun!
- Make hot chocolate together. Hot cocoa is not just for Christmas. If you have an Instapot, there are recipes on Pinterest for hot cocoa, but of course, you can make do without! We like to creatively think about what we want to put in our cocoa – which generally ends with marshmallows galore, whipped topping, and odds and ends the kiddos want to try. The kids may get a little hopped up on the sugar, so this is a great thing to do prior to an evening activity.
- Speaking of evening activities, each year we like to either find a fun trail to do with the kiddos around Halloween or we make our own trail in our backyard. The kiddos will carry flashlights or wear flashing Halloween necklaces and we all get out to enjoy the fresh air and the feelings of Halloween. If you do not want to go on a trail, you can also check out some local downtown areas, such as downtown Fairborn to see all of the Foy’s setups and decorations. You can even circle around the Fairborn area via car to take in all the Halloween décor.
- If you have passes to area attractions, such as King’s Island, Cincinnati Zoo or Columbus Zoo, be sure to look on their websites and plan to attend one of the not-so-scary Trick or Treat events geared toward children. This is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit and if you already have a pass, it is a rather inexpensive way to spend the day! Of course, daily admission prices are also listed on the websites.
- Have Halloween come to you! If you have some lights and decorations, let the kiddos help you set up a little Halloween scene outside. It is a fun way to spend the evening and the kiddos will be proud to have set something up themselves. This year, we used skeletons and made a fun scene where they are sitting around a bonfire (Hint: use orange lights to make it look like a fire)!
- In this day and age, you do not have to wait until Trick or Treat night to take the kids out for some tricks and mainly treats. Check out local Trunk or Treat events that are happening all around the Dayton area. Social media is a great place to search for Trunk or Treats! These are usually free events that allow your children to dress up spooky and see some decorated cars.
Do you have your own traditions with your children or any other ideas that mommas could use to make the fall season extra fun? Share below!
