30 Fall Season Things to Do with Your Grandchildren

October 13^{th —} and in our area the leaves are changing, and the days are cooler.

Last week my granddaughter and I hauled out the fall decorations to spruce up the house.  She was a joy to watch as, at four years old, she perused, placed, pondered, repositioned, and relocated each and every item.  I can assure you, not one item in the house was haphazardly plopped into place this year!

After a morning of decorating, we busied ourselves with searching Pinterest for game and treat ideas to use later this month when the cousins come to visit.

This week we will spend time together creating some of the chosen games.

As she and I are enjoying all this fall fun, I thought it would be the perfect time to re-share the ideas from 30 Things to Do with Your Grandchildren in the Fall –one of our most popular posts!

1. It is all about the leaves: Collect them.  Rake them.  Play in them.

2. Visit a pumpkin patch.

3. Carve a pumpkin.

4. Put together a leaf collection.

5. Go on a hike.

6. Make s’mores.

7. Pick apples.

8. Play football.

9. Make a scarecrow.

10. Take a flashlight walk through your neighborhood.

11. Bake a pumpkin pie.

12. Take a walk through a favorite park.

13. Make leaf rubbings.

14. Collect pine cones.

15. Collect food for a local food bank.

16. Spend a Saturday at a festival.

17. Attend a high school football game.

18. Plant mums.

19. Go for a hayride.

20. Drink hot chocolate.

21. Visit a corn maze.

22. Picnic on a blanket with your favorite fall foods: corn dogs, caramel apples, pumpkin cookies, cider.

23. Make an autumn wreath.

24. Send Thanksgiving cards.

25. Clean out the garden and flower beds.

26. Plant bulbs.

27. Decorate your mantel or front door for fall.

28. Make Halloween costumes.

29. Tell stories around a fire.

30. Fly a kite. Yes, in the fall!

Grandparent, make this a season to remember!

Grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage, scan the list, and choose two or three of the activities that call out “FUN” to you.  Then, go ahead, begin to make your plan for enjoying some intentional, face-to-face time with your grands!

And… Long Distance Grandma, face-to-face time might not be possible for you and your grands this fall, but that doesn’t mean you get a pass!  Search the list and look for two or three activities you can do with your grandchildren even across the miles.

For instance, collect some leaves from your area and mail them to your grandchildren with the suggestion that they make some leaf rubbings or place mats from the leaves.  Ask them to send you photos of their work when complete.

Or…  mail them some bulbs to plant in their yard.  Have them share the planting experience with you via photos, Skype, or a written note.  To continue the fun, they could send photos of the plants as they begin to sprout in the spring.

Or… drink hot chocolate together over Skype or a Facetime visit.

It might require a little more thought and planning, but distance does not have to knock you out of precious GRAND TIMES!

What about you?  If you have a fall season activity you and your grands particularly enjoy, please share with us in the comments below.  We’d also love to hear from you about any long-distance activities you plan to share this year.

Let’s make this a GRAND season to remember!