Fall Activities for Babies
Check out these fun and simple fall activities for babies! Enjoy sensory play with leaves, explore pumpkins, take nature walks, and try seasonal flavors to celebrate autumn with your little one.
- Introduce baby to the beauty of fall with sensory activities involving colorful leaves, pumpkins, and gourds.
- Enjoy comfortable fall weather by taking baby on nature walks, visiting apple orchards, or exploring pumpkin farms.
- Let baby try fall flavors like cooked apples and pumpkin, and read fall-themed books to teach them about the season.
Play with fall leaves
One of the most beautiful parts of fall comes to us for free: fall leaves! They come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Some ways baby can interact with fall leaves are:
- Make a sensory bag with fall leaves in it, and give it to baby while they do Tummy Time.
- Give baby leaves while outdoors, and let them crunch and play with the leaves.
- If baby is old enough, sit them up on the ground and put a little pile of leaves around them. Let them play and explore!
- Again, if your child is old enough, ask them what color the leaves are or which ones they like the most.
Explore pumpkins & gourds
Pumpkins are a fall favorite to see, decorate, and eat! Expose your child to pumpkins and gourds and let them explore seasonal squash.
- Let children touch the outside of a pumpkin or gourd. Some gourds are covered in little bumps, which can make for an interesting sensory experience!
- If you’re carving pumpkins, use the inside to make a pumpkin sensory bag.
- Let your child paint a pumpkin.
- Buy canned pumpkin or prepare edible mashed pumpkin from the grocery store. Let your child smell and taste it!
Go on an autumn nature walk
Autumn usually has many cool but comfortable days that are perfect for exploring outdoors! Make sure baby is dressed for the weather [link to article when it goes live], and try taking in fall by:
- Walking around a park or neighborhood and looking at the changing trees.
- Visit an apple orchard or pumpkin farm.
- Going to a corn maze (if your little one is old enough to enjoy this!).
Try fall flavors
One of the reasons autumn is a favorite season for so many is the delicious seasonal produce! From apple cider to pumpkin pie, there’s many treats we eat during fall. Even if baby isn’t old enough to indulge, they can try seasonal produce when it is cooked or mashed! Some ideas for fall food for baby:
- Cooked apples with a small sprinkle of cinnamon
- Cooked and mashed squash
- Cooked and mashed pumpkin
- Cooked sweet potatoes
- Cooked cranberry blended with oranges and apples (for natural sweetness)
Read a fall-themed book
Reading with baby is beneficial at any age. From Halloween books to those that celebrate fall colors, there’s many seasonal stories you can read to baby during this time of year.
When reading a fall story, point out the things that make it fall themed! This helps to teach your little one about the season. Some of these things may be:
- The colors (orange, red, yellow)
- The leaves and nature
- Pumpkins, squash and gourds
- Animals, like squirrels storing their nuts or bears getting ready to hibernate
- Halloween costumes, colors, characters or decorations
There are so many ways to enjoy fall as your little one gets older! Check out these fall activities for families, and at-home Halloween ideas for every age.
