Days are getting shorter and colder and we start to spend more time indoors. In order to not get bored but rather get everyone into the cozy “autumn spirit”, I have collected some ideas of activities that can easily be done with kids.
1. Make lanterns
In Germany, on November 11th is St. Martin’s day, the Patron saint of beggars and soldiers. On this special day, in the early evening children participate in a procession with their previously prepared paper lanterns. For the little ones this is always very exciting, as walking the streets in the dark with their lights is quite magical. You don’t live in Germany and no lantern processions around? No problem. Walking your lantern in the streets when it’s dark can also be fun without a huge amount of people and will for sure be an attraction.
The lanterns can be prepared at home, so get your scissors, glue and tracing paper ready. You can find plenty of models in the internet to get an idea about sizing and forms, but let your children’s creativity run wild on themes. What’s your kid’s favorite? A traditional stars and moon? A unicorn lantern? One with abstract colors?
2. Bake panellets
The ones living in Catalonia or Valencia know this for sure, this is the traditional sweetie of All Saint’s Day. Before Corona children used to prepare them at school, as it’s easy to do and involves using the hands, so kids just love it. Give it a try at home and you won’t be disappointed. This is great to keep the kids busy, is quite fast and hassle-less and you have some tasty snacks for the next days.
Boil 50g potato and 50g sweet potato. Let it cool down, crush with a fork and mix with 200g ground almonds, 150g icing sugar. Put for some time into the fridge and then form small balls (wet your hands to avoid the dough sticking to them) and roll them in pine nuts, chopped almonds or coconut flakes. My kids’ favorites are the ones rolled in cocoa powder. Put into the oven for 5-6 mins at 175 degrees.
Bon profit!
3. Carve pumpkin ghosts
Halloween is approaching, and one of the kid’s greatest pleasures at this time of the year is having a pumpkin ghost illuminating the balcony at night.
Whether it’s small or big, whether you prefer it to have a friendly or a scary face, the important thing is to have one. Let the kids decide what it should look like and then help them with the carving – or if they are still small you may want to do that task yourself. The kids can then put the tealight inside and put the lid back on and then you can decide all together where the ghost should be placed for best visibility.
The best part is that you can use the pulp to prepare a creamy, steaming, finger-licking pumpkin soup that will warm the whole family up and tends to be popular with the kids as well.
4. Make creative nature handicrafts
Nature itself provides plenty of materials to use for some decoration at home. Here are some ideas:
- Collect some leafs and paint them, then use them for an automnal garland or stick the different shapes on white paper to create a creative picture.
- Use chestnuts to create small chestnuts and toothpicks to create funny figures.
- Paint pine cones and use them to create gnomes or small animals like owls or hedgehogs.
5. Get some fresh autumn air
Spending time in nature is always a good idea, no matter the season.
Always popular are walks in the forest where you can hear the leaves rustling beneath your shoes and the sunlight breaking through the trees paints this magic light at that time of the year. Observe the different colors of the leaves and identify different fruits like chestnuts, acorns, pine cones or maples.
Another great idea is flying kites. With some help even small kids can hold them and will be excited to see how they soar and move above their heads. Just pick a windy day and find an open meadow. With older kids you can even build your own kites. In the internet there are plenty of instructions.
If you are looking at additional, non-season specific activities, check out my post about family activities.
