With the weather getting colder and wetter, we find ourselves looking for indoor ways to keep everyone laughing and having fun. So switch off those televisions and celebrate the harvest with some good clean family fun.
Here are some “laugh out loud” ways to keep everyone warm and amused.
- Explore the inside of a gourd or pumpkin with your little ones.
Let them feel, taste and smell the wonder of the season. Save those seeds for…. - A pumpkin seed spitting contest (save this for outdoors if possible)
- Bob for apples. (not suitable for under 3’s)
- Fill a wagon with hay and take your little one on a
“hay ride” around the neighborhood. If you don’t have access to a wagon- find out about local farms offering hay rides. - Paint a pumpkin. Have fun decorating the pumpkins you have hollowed out.
- Play Ring the Pumpkin:
~Line up three large pumpkins with longer stems..
~Use any sort of ready made hoops or make hoops with rope and duct tape.~ Mark a throwing line on the floor and take
turns trying to ring a pumpkin stem. (Adapt it for smaller children by allowing them to attempt to ring an entire large pumpkin with a hula hoop!) - Play Roll the Gourd:
~Use empty plastic bottles for bowling pins.
~Each child gets three chances to roll the gourd into the pins.
~The gourds don’t roll in a straight line so this is a real challenge! - Play Needle in a Haystack
Get a few bales of hay and spread it around.Hide pennys or prizes in the pile of hay. Let the children take turns digging to find prizes. - Play Follow the Leader:
Use the traditional playing rules for follow the leader. BUT dress the leader as a scarecrow– march, hop, skip around pumpkins, jump in a pile of hay etc. - Sing “I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow” and do the actions.
- Make Hot Chocolate with marshmallows
- Bake a pie or tart using seasonal fruits or make toffee apples.
- Make a bird feeder (see our clever feeder in the art and crafts section)
- Have a “Pumpkin Party”. Make sure everyone is dressed in orange and green. Cover the floor in hay. Feed them pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin and cinnamon fritters, do pumpkin crafts (use some of the ideas above).
- Play find the pumpkin (or apples if you prefer). Hide a few pumpkins or apples around the house. Have everyone search for them and bring them back to a designated room. For each one returned, they may choose a treat from your goodie bag. *If you don’t want to use real items, photocopy pictures of pumpkins/apples and have them find those!
Just because the sunshine is no more, it is not time to get lazy. With a little preparation, you can fill the cold, dark days with favourite family moments and make Autumn something your children look forward to each year!
I am a preschool and primary school teacher and mum to 3 children. I have been involved in education since 1997 and have trained in a variety of educational specialist areas. It is with this expertise that I write articles to help parents and educators provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care.
