October play and learn activities for kids are some of my favorite during the year. It’s such an exciting month and the season of fall is full of golden treasures, as well as other bright colors too. Nature seems to invite us outdoors to enjoy the sun as much as we can since the days are getting shorter and shorter. Play, of course, has it’s own magic but we’ll try and do some of our own too with cooking and science. As for learning, there’s sequencing, making patterns, following instructions, counting, sharing books and stories, singing, and more. Print off this calendar below and enjoy these October plays-of-the-day!
For some fun this month, print off the September learn and play activities calendar below. Check each day for your play-of-the-day suggestion and inspiration. Enjoy! There will be more fall actiities for October.
Harvesting and gathering are two major activities at this time of year so it’s appropriate they are part of autumn traditions for kids. North America, with Columbus Day in the U.S. and Thanksgiving in Canada, isn’t the only place that has holidays at this time of year. The dates may not be the same but some of the celebrations are similar.
Columbus Day is not celebrated in all the States. In some places though, families will have an extra day to spend time with each other and enjoy the autumn season. In Canada, Thanksgiving is a major holiday and families gather together. Meals are centered around the bounty of the harvest with turkey and pumpkin pies. Thanksgiving happens in November in the U.S. where winter doesn’t arrive quite so soon.
Although the Moon Festival was earlier in September this year, it sometimes falls in October. This is also a celebration to give thanks for the harvest and for family reunions. The moon is at its brightest and roundest in the fall. This is a major holiday in China and Vietnam and areas where there is a large population of Chinese people. The video below is based on the book, Thanking The Moon, by Grace Lin.
Traditions certainly connect families. More than that, as Anisa Raoof at Kidoinfo writes, “Traditions connect our children with our personal and cultural history and form the memories they will later share with their friends and families.” These ones also connect us with Nature. In places where we’re not actively involved with harvesting our own food, it’s easy to forget Nature’s central role.
For a play-of-the-day, is there a nature activity your family can enjoy? Maybe it will be visiting a pumpkin patch or a corn maze. It could be raking leaves in the yard and jumping in the piles, followed by mugs of hot chocolate. This might be the last camping trip of the season or a hike in the woods to see the fall leaves. Whatever the activity, can your family be creating new autumn traditions and memories?
This button bead fall twig tree is as much fun for adult hands as it is for kid ones. Plus, it’s bright and colorful for a holiday centerpiece. Our weather has turned cold, wet, windy, and grey so we didn’t spend very much time outside. Only long enough to gather a few twigs. Sticks were … Continue reading Button Bead Fall Twig Tree – Autumn Activities for Kids #7→
You may have done this apple science fall fun experiment before but kids like to ask and do the same thing over and over again. Have you noticed? Get out an apple, fun some water in the sink or a bowl, and here we go. Science experiments start with wanting to know. In this case, … Continue reading Autumn Activities #6: Apple Science Fall Fun Experiment→
Today’s play-of-the-day is some fall yoga for kids. No matter the season, kids absolutely need to move, not only for bodies but for brains too. Movement activities can include vigorous whole body ones like going to the playground, racing around in the yard, jumping on a mat in the living room, or running up and … Continue reading Autumn Activities and Movement Fun #5: Fall Yoga for Kids→
The seasons follow a pattern, our days follow a pattern, our bodies and brains do too, so our play of the day is fall patterning math activities for kids. Please don’t let the word math scare you away or cause any anxiety. There are no numbers to multiply or divide or problems to solve. This … Continue reading Fall Patterning Math Activities and Play for Young Children→
If Nature Could Talk What Would It Say? Fall is in the air and what better way for kids to start this exciting, colorful month than some fun outdoors with October nature time? Let’s play outside. Fall isn’t the only thing in the air, so is this little one. Good thing his dad is right … Continue reading Fall In The Air: Let’s Go Outside for October Nature Time→
Fall has its own special treasures and a fall nature treasure hunt comes with some we don’t see, like a connection to nature and golden feel-good moments. On a scavenger hunt, there is usually a list of things to find. These could be specific items like pine cones and seeds, or things to go with … Continue reading Fall Nature Treasure Hunt – Golden Moments of Time→
The first day of each season we like to go for a walk to see signs of change. Would you like to come with us on our first day of fall nature walk? We look up and down, and all around. In the sky and on the ground. In a bush and under a rock. … Continue reading First Day of Fall Nature Walk – Connecting to Nature→
