Fun Fall Activities With Your Kids || Why Fall Is The BEST
Ah this is it…the time of year I look forward to. When that Tennessee heat calms down and it doesn’t feel miserable to be outside. Having my own kids now, fall leaves me so nostalgic for my own childhood as I watch them experience the smells and life in fall. Leaves on the ground, making s’mores by the fire with your parents, going to the pumpkin patch, playing outside til dusk riding bikes. Man fall was everything when I was little. I have SO many fond memories of camping and outdoor play. It makes me smile to reflect back on that time of my life when I was careless and just happy. My parents did such a good job at showing me only the good so my only worry was who was I gonna play with on the weekends. I know the world has changed so much since I was a child but in so many ways it’s still the same. What are some fun fall activities with your kids that have stayed the same since you were a child? Let’s take our childhood memories and talk about how we can bring those same wonderful memories into our children’s lives for them to pass on to their kids.
Taking them for bike rides.
Man do I remember this fondly? My dad and stepmom would take my brother and I biking through the woods and down trails to get candy every weekend. It was very much something I looked forward to. Then when I got older my bike was a VITAL part of life. It was my only way to travel, clearly I couldn’t drive. I remember every single part of my bike riding journey from the day I learned, to the day I had my first bad wreck, when I got really good at it and drove around all cocky doing stunts. I miss those days. Recently Matt and I got the girls Woom bikes. Even though Charlie isn’t old enough to ride a bike, we got her the Woom 1 bike which is designed for ages 18 months to 3.5 years old. The Woom 1 is the ideal bike to introduce your young child to the concept of two wheels. It has a really low entry point along with an adjustable seat so your child can enjoy riding as soon as they can start walking! Keatyn has the Woom 3 and also the Woom 4 for when she grows out of her current bike. The Woom 3 is designed for children ages 4-6 to fit their height (41″-47″) and has a low center of gravity triangle frame paired with a high cockpit to improve your child’s riding skills. Also it has a front and rear V-brake and no foot brake. I love how their rear brake is a green lever to catch their eye so they don’t confuse it with the front brake.
The Woom 4 is designed to teach children about gears. We got it for Keatyn’s next biking adventure after she gets more comfortable. I can’t wait to take her on bike rides like my stepmom and dad used to do with my brother and I. Also as far as assembly, my engineer husband LOVED the engineering of the bikes and said it was made extremely well. He was so impressed. And since kids grow so quickly, the size and fit are important when buying their bikes. Woom has a program in place where you get 40% back of the original purchase price when you order a new bike with 24 months. The old bike must be less than 2 years old and in rideable condition. They will also give you a prepaid shipping label to make the process simple.
Teaching Keatyn to ride her bike has brought back all of the memories of myself as a child. I remember the day I got my first bike. My mom got it for me and I remember learning to ride it in South Carolina. As soon as I mastered it, I rode my bike all through the woods, down to the gas station for candy, raced my friends…I was unstoppable with her. Who doesn’t wanna give those same fond memories to their children? It was one of the happiest times in my life.
Take them outside as much as possible. Staying inside usually equals them eventually trying to watch tv or play games on a tablet. Studies have shown how truly horrible screen time is for their behavior and I can attest to that. I completely understand as a parent who is trying to get something done like cook dinner or finish up work, it can be the only option to distract them at times. Just try not to make it a regular habit, learn from my mistakes. Keatyn has been begging me for a playground since we moved in but I would’ve had to level the yard etc to build a full on playground. I found this adorable combo with a playhouse we keep on the deck and play set. It’s ALSO on major sale right now so it would be a perfect birthday or Christmas gift.
The playhouse is so fun for the girls, they pretend like it’s their little home. My youngest daughter is two and she loves to ring the doorbell, open and close the shutters, and come in and out the door saying “hello.” The floor is durable. We actually have the sweetheart playhouse also that we got second-hand years ago for Keatyn and we plan on pressure washing it and letting them be neighbors in their houses. These houses really age well. The Woodland climber is awesome too! The girls play with it nonstop and it’s wonderful to foster their imagination. Keatyn and our neighbor play princess on it and pretend like they’re driving a ship. The slide is also perfect for Charlie as an introductory slide.
I chose the Rain Showers water table for 2 specific features, the size (to accommodate my preschooler and twin toddlers), and the rain shower effect (my oldest gets a kick out of doing something her brothers can’t do yet). This table and all of the accessories far exceeded my expectations. All three of my kids were able to work on a different task with room to spare! I loved that despite the age difference, my 3 ½ year old had just as much fun as my 15-month-old twins! My kids loved the accessories, with multiple options to scoop, dump, and pour! Summer hasn’t even begun, and this table has earned the MVP of Summer!
When it’s raining and the kids wanna be inside, we pull out the engaging toys and crafts. I saw this roller coaster at a friend’s house and now I can’t get Charlie off of it (the older girls steal it after school too). It’s also easy to set up and take down to store in its original box .The coaster is also very sturdy and well-constructed. I can’t begin to tell you how much happiness it brings Charlie. She always leads us to the toy room each day to play with it and she’s finally mastered how to ride it on her own. Plus her big sissy helps her. I’d say it’s an IDEAL gift for a child her age and up.
Keatyn also steals this coupe Charlie drives all around. They pretend they’re on a police chase and just push each other since we did opt to put the floor in. Just goes to show you even big girls play with the little kid toys ha. I just love watching the kids play and use their imagination as opposed to playing with an iPad or watching tv. My fondest memories were playing house, creating scenarios and playing with my barbies. It seems as if nowadays kids resort to screen time but that’s so bad for them.
Let them be their own photographer. We got Keatyn this insta polaroid camera to let her explore her creative, artistic side and really explore the things she loved the most. I love the idea of letting her create her own story through photographs and the way she totes them around is adorable. It’s just so vulnerable and delicate to see her capture precious moments in life she holds valuable.
Last but not least, crafts at home. My kids LOVE their crafts. I get the craft activity sets from Michaels because they are always running sales and also their S.T.E.A.M. sets to activate Keatyn’s engineering side. Introducing STEAM learning early on to a child will help make learning it less intimidating.
So get their imaginations going, play with them. Remember memories are so special and that’s what they will take with them. These activities and toys are definitely perfect for entertaining the kiddos and would make the perfect gift for holidays or birthdays. Xo.
