5 Inexpensive Fall Family Activities

If you have trees in your yard, it's a given that they will drop leaves and, more than likely, limbs, too. Grab your kiddos, and start raking up the leaves and gathering fallen branches and limbs. Are you fortunate enough to live near the woods? Take the opportunity to clean up trees that have failed due to storms or diseases in the past year. 

If neither of these is an option, many people are selling firewood and, sometimes, giving it away! If you are in the neighborhood, ride on back roads, or take a trip out to the country, keep your eyes peeled for signs for firewood; many times, they are homemade and can easily be missed.

If neither is an option, you can grab one of the fire logs at the grocery store, borrow a fire pit, or go to a park with designated places to build a fire. Food is not required for a good bonfire, but the good news is that hot dogs and marshmallows aren’t expensive and are easy to roast over an open flame.

2. Jumping in Piles of Leaves

Many of those reading this will ask why I included something that seems very obvious. But, as a society, we’ve abandoned the simple pleasures for the over-the-top experience, so many of the experiences we had as children are overlooked. 

Now, as adults, we see that our hours of playing in the leaves were an excuse for our parents to get free yard work and some quiet, but boy, didn’t we have fun? So, grab a rake, gather a big pile of leaves, and jump! If you don’t have any trees in your yard, it's not a problem. Find a neighbor, friend, or even better, a shut-in from your church, and give the gift of a freshly raked yard. While you work, incorporate some play!

3. Take a Hike

I understand that not everyone will have the luxury of a day trip to the mountains, but don’t let that stop you from getting outdoors. All areas of the country experience fall; check your local weather listings for the best time to catch changing colors, grab your boots or just a good pair of sneakers, and get moving.

Make a day trip, pack a lunch, and scope out places to camp if you're feeling really adventurous. I’ll be honest: camping is not my thing; however, with cabin-share programs and many parks offering discounts and promotions for groups, I can get behind a night or two in a fully enclosed lodging. Groups get the best tickets, entries, and accommodation deals, so invite your friends or family. Put a sign-up sheet at church, share on social media about your upcoming plans, you never know you might want to join–and share the financial burden.

4. Host Your Own Backyard Fall Festival

Don’t overthink this; this can easily be put together with minimal planning. Like most things, it's more fun with friends and family. Share the weight of hosting, and ask people to bring things. Tell your aunt to grab a bag of apples, a big bowl, and a viola! Bob for Apples is born! Pop a few bags of popcorn, ask your best friend who is wandering in the kitchen to make her famous brownies, fill up the water bottles, and you have refreshments!

I mentioned above the bonfire idea, which is great for a crowd. But don’t forget a game of football, touch, flag, or tackle you choose! Ask everyone to bring their lawn chairs or a blanket for sitting and eating. Remind people to dress in layers, encouraging guests to stay outside. Have friends bring a pumpkin and have a pumpkin carving contest, or maybe paint pumpkins if you have little ones or just don’t love the mess. 

Disclaimer: No one will check out your baseboards, so don’t stress yourself out on the cleaning. Make sure you have toilet paper in the bathroom, an extra mat for people to wipe off their choice, and, if desired, a dollar tree pumpkin candle for added coziness.

5. Look for a Place That Offers Multiple Fall Activities in One Place

Our family has five people with five ideas on what constitutes fall fun. It’s not an option for us to do every seasonal activity, so we have learned to pick a place that offers something for everyone. My oldest daughter loves apple picking and can spend hours hanging out in the orchard. My middle daughter loves anything that involves being outdoors. Are there trees to be climbed? Are hills to be rolled down? Wait, there’s a playground here? My youngest daughter just wants to eat her way through the season. Where can she find apple donuts, apple cider, apple fritters, and did someone say apple cobbler with apple ice cream?

While my husband and I are fortunate to have experienced numerous fall festivities throughout our lives and typically make the day about our girls, we incorporate one or two things the whole family can enjoy. There’s a farm that is about an hour away and offers all the above for our daughters. They also have a corn maze (included in the price of picking apples), bringing my husband sheer delight as he dusts off his Boy Scout navigational skills. 

What a treat that we have so many options to spend time with our families this season and, really, throughout the year. But let us remember that it's not really about the activity but the time spent in fellowship with one another. There’s nothing wrong with attending an over-the-top festival or getting the best shot at the pumpkin patch, but enjoy the moment and the gift of living in a world of Octobers.

Also by Laura Bailey: 5 Tips for Hosting a Fun Fall Festival

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/The Good Brigade

Laura Bailey is an author and Bible teacher who encourages women to understand what they believe, why it matters, and how to apply biblical truths to their lives. Her recent book, Embracing Eternity in the Here and Now, explores how the timeless truths of Ecclesiastes help us live more peaceful, purposeful, and plentiful lives today.

She lives in Upstate South Carolina with her husband and three young girls, where she serves as director of women's ministries at her church. Her passion is teaching the Bible to women, equipping them to live with an eternal perspective. Invite Laura to speak at your next event or learn more: www.LauraRBailey.com connect on Facebook and Instagram.