Outdoor Activities for the Kids this Autumn

The weather is cooling down quickly and the children are beginning to play with their thumbs, or more realistically, their smartphones again! Gone are the afternoons spent in the pool or beachside trips in shorts and, instead, we’ve packed out their coats and long socks. But, just because the sun has gone into hiding doesn’t mean that we have to hide them and keep them indoors, does it? Well, no, because there’s still plenty to do outside!

Many parents may worry that letting children play in the park or in the backyard when it’s chilly can be a bad idea. It could be, but as long as they’re all tightly kitted up with gloves, scarves and a pair of Wellies, playing outside is still a great idea. With so many of our children stuck with their noses in our phones or sitting immobile in front of the TV, going outside and having some fun may be just what the doctor ordered to keep them active and happy!

Of course, one of the best things about playing outside is knowing that that are some yummy snacks packed away in a picnic basket somewhere, or as soon as they get home! So parents, feed those empty tummies with lots of delicious snacks that you can make, found on our website.

Some fun, outdoor activities for autumn can include the following:

1. Wooden pick-up sticks: have the children collect fallen twigs of different sizes and length and play the classic game of “pick-up-sticks”. An adult can provide a blanket to sit on the grass with, while the kids have great fun picking up twigs from a pile without disrupting the rest of it.
2. Have a scavenger hunt: hide some toffee-apples or any other snack in undisclosed locations around your backyard. Then, have the children invite some friends over, give them some silly directions and the game is on!
3. Colour-in the monster with leaves: draw two large monsters/robots/aliens on white paper and give each child (or groups of two/three children) a glue stick. Tell the children that they have to colour in the pictures with yellow, brown and red leaves that they can find on the ground.

As with most children’s games, provide a small prize if you can. Whether it be a piggy-back ride around the park or an extra melted marshmallow, we’re sure the kids will love it!