Fall is by far my favorite season of the year. The changing leaves, the cool (but not frigid) temperatures, the fall drinks, the light layers – everything about fall feels cozy and a little nostalgic. I was recently talking to someone about how I have many magical memories from my childhood, along with fond associations with things we used to do – especially around this time of year. I remember one year my mom played this Halloween cassette tape and decorated the house as we geared up to go trick-or-treating. Another fond fall memory was visiting our local cheese shop to pick up artisanal cheeses. After returning home from the bookstore, my mom would create a charcuterie board, and we’d all sit in the house, reading our brand-new books. It’s memories like these that we would look forward to creating for our family.
What that showed me is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to cultivate magical memories. In fact, there are many fun and affordable things you can do in and around the city to enjoy the fall season without breaking the bank. In today’s post, I am going to be sharing some of those ideas that you can partake in.
Affordable Toddler-Friendly Activities to Do This Fall
Go on a Walk at a Nearby Park or Paved Trail:
One of the great things about living in our area is that there is no shortage of trails that you can bike, walk, or run. Our daughter loves being outdoors, and despite not being much of an outdoorsy person myself, I’ve found myself seeking out opportunities to be outside and going on walks when the weather permits. She loves to walk, so any trails we do, we make sure are flat and paved, but walking around the neighborhood or park has been something she’s thoroughly enjoyed. We love bringing a cup of coffee with us, and it’s such a great way to see the fall foliage!
Do a Fall-Themed Craft Together:
As our daughter gets older, something I’ve been so excited for is doing little crafts with her. I’ve seen a few fall-themed ones where you can make turkeys using their handprint or pumpkins. There are many toddler-friendly crafts you can do with items that can be purchased from more affordable places like dollar stores or the sale aisle in a craft store. This website has a few ideas for older toddlers, but there are some that little ones can do as well!
Visit a Pumpkin Patch:
Would it be a post about fall activities if I did not mention a pumpkin patch? Pumpkin patches are such a great place to take toddlers because quite a number of them have areas that are designed for kids where they can play and explore before or after picking out your pumpkins to take home. We have a few in our area that we love because they have playground areas attached to it where you can participate in activities such as hayrides or petting zoos. If you have a younger toddler, even just putting them in the stroller for most of it, pointing out the pumpkins and animals can be a fun experience. The best part is they are usually very affordable as you typically don’t have to pay an entry fee, but you will have to pay for food, if you want to take home a pumpkin or two, and of course, if you participate in any of the fall festival activities. We love Milburn Orchards, but Fifer, Linvilla, and Shady Brook Farms are all great places to go as well!
Have a Fall-Themed Movie Night:
Queue up your favorite fall-themed and child-friendly films and shows and make a whole night out of it! Whether you’re putting on Charlie Brown, It’s A Great Pumpkin, or a Halloween-themed Sesame Street episode, you can theme your meals around the film and even decorate the house for the occasion. For example, what foods are they eating in the film? Are there any you can re-create and make toddler-safe? Add it to the menu for the night! Perhaps there are no themed foods. Try your hand at making some treats and naming them after aspects of the film or the show, such as “Great Pumpkin Muffins” baked in a pumpkin mold or “Charlie Brown Sugar Cookies.” You can probably come up with something a little more clever than me, but you get the gist. It’s things like that that they will remember when they get older because it was such a core memory for them.
Pick out and Read Fall-Themed Books:
I saw this idea on TikTok once, where this parent would cycle out the books they read to their child based on holidays. For example, around the holidays, all of the books would be Christmas or holiday-themed, and so on and so forth. I love that idea of intentionally selecting books based on the season or the holiday, and it’s something we hope to do as we continue to build up her library of books. Similarly, for the fall season, a great way to do this without breaking the bank is to, instead of purchasing new books for every season, you can also go to your local library and rent new books that are themed around the holidays. This is also a great way to save space in your house if you don’t have the place to put all of these brand-new books.
Bake a Sweet Treat Together:
If your child is at the age where they want to be involved in what you are doing, a great way to incorporate them into something that results in them creating something with you is to bake! Allow them to help mix the batter as you’re preparing to bake an apple cider cake, or pour flour into the bowl, or let them put the icing on the cookies. It will get messy, but it’s such a great teachable moment and an opportunity for you to bond through the creation of something together.
Drive Around and Look at Halloween Decorations:
Something I remember doing with my nephew and my mom when he was a toddler was going around during the fall and looking at fall decorations. We’d take walks or drive in the car to do so, and it was so fun seeing how excited he’d get over the decorations. We look forward to doing this with our daughter. Some people go all out for the holidays. It’s so fun to see what they come up with. It’s also free!
Create a New Family Tradition:
I’m big on family traditions. There are things on both sides of our family that have been done by the generations before. It’s such a nice way to continue the legacy they built. It’s also another sweet way to bond as a family and create new things together. This fall, you could have your toddler take part in creating a new family tradition – particularly if they are an older toddler. Maybe the tradition is one of the things I listed above. You do it on a particular day, such as the first or last day of fall. Whatever it is, it is something that you can establish now that you can do for years to come as a family.
Pick out Halloween costumes together:
If your toddler is old enough to want to pick out their own things, let them choose your family costume! Maybe they want to dress up as Princess Tiana. They might want you to dress up as Super Mario from Super Mario Bros. While I love a good themed family costume, I also love the idea of letting them choose for us. It’s such a cool way to incorporate choice on their part. It can also be a core memory for them. This is especially true when they look back at pictures.
