🪵 Simple Fall Play Ideas
If your daycare or family has one of our outdoor play products, fall is a great time to make them feel new again with a seasonal twist.
🍁 1. Leaf Soup in the Mud Kitchen
Grab a few buckets of water, some spoons, and let kids “cook” with leaves, acorns, and flower petals.
Encourage them to name their creations — “Autumn Apple Stew” or “Pumpkin Leaf Pie.” It’s messy, imaginative, and full of laughter.
🌰 2. Sensory Table of the Season
Fill your Farmhouse Friends Sensory Table with pinecones, dry corn, cinnamon sticks, or scoops of rice dyed with fall colors.
For younger children, hide little treasures (plastic pumpkins, nature cards, or stones) and let them dig and discover.
🪣 3. Pumpkin Washing Station
Using one of our Sensory Tables, turn cleanup into a fun sensory activity — kids can scrub mini pumpkins or gourds with warm water and brushes.
Add a few drops of orange-scented soap for an extra sensory kick.
🧺 4. Storytime at the Picnic Table
Bundle up with blankets and a thermos of cider, and host a story time outdoors.
Read about nature, harvest, or thanksgiving, and let the kids enjoy snack time surrounded by falling leaves.
🌿 Fall Play Ideas Without Any Equipment
You don’t need special products to make outdoor play meaningful — just a little creativity and a willingness to explore.
🍃 1. Leaf Scavenger Hunt
Give each child a basket or bag and challenge them to find leaves of every color they can.
Afterward, sort and glue them into a “leaf rainbow” collage.
🪶 2. Nature Art
Set out sticks, stones, and leaves and let kids make patterns, mandalas, or pretend campfires.
It’s an excellent activity for teamwork and quiet focus.
🌾 3. Fall Obstacle Course
Use hay bales, pumpkins, or cones to create a course for balancing, hopping, and racing.
Add in counting challenges (“Jump over 3 pumpkins!”) to sneak in some math fun.
🍎 4. Harvest Picnic
Nothing beats a snack outdoors. Pack apple slices, granola, and warm cider and have a “mini fall feast.”
You can even let the kids decorate their picnic space with leaves or pinecones.
Why It Matters
Fall is fleeting — and that’s part of what makes it so meaningful. These weeks of changing colors remind us to slow down and enjoy small moments of discovery.
Outdoor play in fall teaches children to embrace change, explore new textures, and use their imaginations in new ways.
Whether you’re playing with a Farmhouse Play Essentials Mud Kitchen, exploring a Sensory Table, or simply walking through the leaves, every moment spent outdoors this season builds memories that last a lifetime.
🍂 Make the Most of Fall
If your daycare or family is looking to expand your outdoor play space, now’s the perfect time.
Go Boldly – Live Wisely,
Charlie Buurma
Farmhouse Friends Founder
farmhousefriends.ca