Autumn activities for kids: 33 outdoor ideas for all ages

Discover our ultimate guide to autumn activities for kids and families. Whether you’re heading out with energetic toddlers, adventurous youngsters or nature-loving teens, you’ll find plenty of ways to make the most of this magical season together.

Enjoy autumn scavenger hunts, wildlife spotting, imaginative outdoor play, sensory adventures, nature photography and ideas for the inevitable rainy days. It's a wonderful time to explore!

Autumn activities for toddlers and preschoolers

Autumn offers so many opportunities for tiny tots to play and explore. These ideas will help you and your child connect with nature while building sensory awareness, curiosity and language skills.

1. Make an autumn sensory basket

Go on an autumn walk with your little one and hunt for soft grass, exciting twigs, bumpy pine cones and tickly feathers – anything safe and interesting to touch, smell and investigate.

Collect them in a basket or container, then find a nice spot to sit down and explore them together. Talk about how they look, smell and feel. You could even make up funny stories about each object. A pine cone could be a grumpy hedgehog, or a feather could belong to a magical bird!

2. Kick up a leaf storm

Kicking through deep piles of crunchy leaves never gets old, and this activity adds a playful twist. Tell the story as you explore and encourage your little one to do the actions with fallen leaves.

"A breeze blows gently through the tree tops." Start to gently rustle the leaves with your feet.

"As the wind gets stronger…" Rustle the leaves more loudly.

"The leaves dance and swirl in the air – the storm has arrived!" Throw handfuls of leaves in the air.

"After a while, the storm passes and the forest is calm once more." Rustle quietly before fading to silence, ssshhh.

3. Catch a falling leaf

Look out for autumn leaves drifting down from the trees. Can you catch one before it reaches the ground? Don't forget to make a wish!

4. Go on a rainbow ramble

Autumn is the most colourful season of all, so challenge your little one to find the colours of the rainbow in nature. Can they spot:

• red berries

• orange fungi

• yellow leaves

• green moss

• blue sky

• purple fruits?

5. Enjoy playing shops

If your child loves role-play games like shops, here's a brilliant way to take it outdoors. Hunt for colourful leaves, shiny conkers, unusual seeds and huge pine cones. Lay them out on a fallen log or tree stump, just like a shop shelf. Your customers can pay with acorns or pebbles!

You can play this game in others seasons too. How about a stick store in winter or a blossom boutique in spring?

Autumn activities for primary school children

At this age, outdoor play is all about imagination and discovery. So try these exciting ideas to transform your ordinary walks into unforgettable adventures!

6. Throw a fairy tea party

This enchanting activity is sure to create magical memories. Start by finding a table for your tea party – a small tree stump works perfectly. Set out leaf plates and tiny twig cutlery, then serve up a fairy feast of seeds, bark and moss. Don't forget to fill some acorns cups with muddy milkshake.

Fairies and elves are really shy, so they’ll only come out once you’ve gone home. But check back on your next woodland visit to see if they enjoyed their feast!

7. Build a pirate ship

Ahoy, me hearties! Ready to set sail on an autumn voyage? Build a boat shape on the ground using sticks (bonus points for using a tree trunk as your mast). Once your ship is seaworthy, hop aboard and use branches to row across the waves. Keep an eye out for fish (fallen autumn leaves) and see if you can catch them by spearing them with a stick.

8. Spinning seeds challenge

Keep your eyes peeled for winged seeds falling from field maple or sycamore trees. Notice how they spin through the air like mini helicopters? For a fun challenge, toss some seeds into the air to see whose can twirl and flutter the longest before reaching the ground.

9. Play leaf snap

This is just like the card game, but with autumn leaves! Collect lots of fallen leaves with different shapes (make sure you’ve got at least five of each) then mix them all up. Give each player a handful of leaves and take turns laying them down on a pile in the middle. Keep your eyes peeled for matching leaves and shout “snap” if you spot one!

Autumn ideas for teenagers

Spending time outdoors can help young people stay active and unwind from the demands of homework and exams. Whether they're into fitness, nature, photography or art, these autumn activities offer plenty of ways to enjoy their interests while connecting with nature.

10. Do a nature photography challenge

Taking photos is a brilliant way for teens to explore nature, whether capturing magical moments like misty mornings and golden sunsets or zooming in on details such as colourful leaves, dewy spider webs and unusual fungi. Best of all, they don’t have to go far to find inspiration – they can discover plenty of signs of autumn in their neighbourhood or local park.

11. Start a nature journal

Journalling can help young people reduce stress, work through their feelings and focus on the things they’re grateful for. By keeping a nature journal, teens can combine these benefits with their autumn adventures and record the places they visit, the wildlife they spot and any discoveries they make. They can even bring their experiences to life with photos, sketches and natural treasures they’ve found along the way.

12. Go on a wellbeing walk

If students need a break from screens and studying, an autumn walk in the fresh air does wonders. It's also a great opportunity to meet up with friends.

Encourage teens to slow down, tune into their surroundings and use their senses. What do they notice?

• Warm sunshine on their skin.

• Crunching or rustling leaves.

• Earthy autumn scents.

• A rainbow of seasonal colours.

13. Create autumn art

Autumn is a dream season for creative teens. Vibrant leaves, quirky seeds and weird and wonderful fungi offer endless inspiration for autumn art projects.

Encourage teenagers to snap photos and jot down observations while exploring outdoors, then use their discoveries to inspire drawings, paintings, sculptures or mixed-media art. They can even gather fallen leaves, twigs and other natural treasures to incorporate into their artwork.

14. Plan a family hike

Got a teen who's keen for more responsibility? Invite them to take charge of your next family walk! They can pick the destination, map out a suitable walking route and pack snacks for the adventure. It's a fun way to build independence while giving them a chance to lead the way. Just make sure you give everything a quick once-over before heading out.

Autumn activities for the whole family

Looking for activities you can all get stuck into? Check out these ideas for autumn family fun.

15. Autumn picnic

Picnics aren't just for summer. A flask of hot chocolate and some yummy snacks will help keep your family energised on autumn adventures.

You can even get the kids involved and make your own trail mix. Combine nuts, dried fruit, cereal, mini pretzels, popcorn and chocolate chips (or whatever your family prefers) and stir in a sprinkling of cinnamon and ginger for a hint of autumn spice. Pack it in a reusable snack box and enjoy munching it among the trees.

16. Play conkers

It just wouldn't be autumn without a classic game of conkers. If you're after advice on what to look for in a champion conker and how to play, check out our top tips.

17. Build a den

Dens are exciting at any age, and autumn is the ideal season to make one as there are lots of fallen branches and leaves around. Before you start, read our den building guide for inspiration.

Remember, woods are home to shy animals and fragile plants, so please be considerate with your den making. If you’re in an ancient woodland, leave den building to the badgers and foxes. Look out for on-site guidance if you're not sure.

18. Make a family of leaf faces

This creative activity is sure to get everyone laughing. Hunt for fallen leaves and seeds then arrange them on the ground to make funny faces. Use colourful leaves for flamboyant hairstyles, bits of bark to create bushy eyebrows, or shiny berries to make jazzy earrings. You could even create portraits of your whole family and challenge everyone to guess who's who!

Autumn wildlife spotting

Autumn is a busy time for wildlife, so become a family of Nature Detectives and see what animals, plants and fungi you can spot in the wild.

19. Animal activity

Lots of animals are active in autumn. Can you spot squirrels gathering nuts, birds gobbling berries, deer nibbling bark, spiders spinning webs and starlings dancing across the sky in huge murmurations?

20. Tree ID

If your family is keen to improve your tree ID skills, autumn is the best time to do it. Leaves, fruits and seeds provide plenty of clues to help you discover a tree's identity. You can even download printable guides to take outdoors with you. 

21. Fantastic fungi

Damp autumn weather makes it prime time for fungi. So head to the woods and hunt for toadstools sprouting on deadwood and mushrooms popping up from the forest floor.

They come in all sorts of interesting shapes, sizes and colours. Our mushroom guide will help you identify some of the common species you're likely to find.

Remember, many fungi are poisonous to humans, so it's best to look but not touch.

22. Animal tracks and signs

Wild creatures can be hard to spot, but they leave plenty of clues behind. Keep your eyes peeled for footprints in mud and frost, piles of poo on the ground, feathers, fur, nests and dens. Our guide to animal tracking might help you work out who they belong to.

23. Sound hunt

Nature can be surprisingly noisy. On your next adventure, listen out for crunchy leaves under your feet, dripping raindrops, the soft thud of an acorn hitting the ground, chattering magpies and honking geese as they fly overhead.

Autumn scavenger hunts

Scavenger hunts are brilliant fun for all ages. Get inspired by our ideas below or make up your own.

24. Leaf hunt

Set your family an autumn leaf challenge and see who can find a long leaf, a tiny leaf, a star-shaped leaf, a curled-up leaf, a nibbled leaf, a heart-shaped leaf and a delicate leaf skeleton.

25. Colour hunt

While younger children can hunt for different colours in nature, older children might enjoy finding different shades of the same colour. Make your own colour cards to take outdoors, or use paint chips from a DIY store.

26. Texture hunt

This sensory challenge helps youngsters explore with their fingertips. Can they find rough bark, smooth conkers, prickly sweet chestnuts, soft moss and tickly grass?

27. Treasure hunt

What thrilling discoveries will you unearth on a treasure hunt? Look out for golden leaves, ruby-red berries, silver snail trails, sparkling dewdrops, copper-coloured bark and emerald-green moss.

28. Halloween hunt

Autumn is spooky season, so go on a hair-raising Halloween scavenger hunt and see how many thrilling things you can find.

Look out for twigs shaped like witches' bony fingers, silky strands from a spider's web, a pumpkin-coloured leaf, a wizard's magic staff (a gnarly branch), a lacy leaf skeleton and a goblin's slipper (a curled-up leaf).

Rainy day ideas

Don't let rain stop play. Pull on your wellies and your waterproofs and head outside for a wet, wild adventure.

29. Go puddle jumping

Is there anything more satisfying than finding a huge puddle and making an enormous splash? If it's been really rainy, see how far you can travel hopping from puddle to puddle, avoiding dry patches of ground.

30. Make mud pizzas

Challenge your kids to open their own woodland pizza parlour. Shape a circle out of mud, then add your toppings – fallen leaves, seeds and pebbles. (Just don't eat them, no matter how good they look!)

31. Create autumn potions

Grab a yoghurt pot and fill it with puddle water. To make your potion, add leaves, berries, seeds and pebbles then find a special stick to stir it all up.

32. Make monster footprints

Find some squelchy mud and stomp about in your boots to create monster-sized footprints.

33. Hunt for miniature pools

When it rains, water collects in leaves, plant stems and tree hollows, creating tiny magical pools. How many can you track down?

Enjoy these activities in your local wood

There's no better place to enjoy autumn than the woods. So pull on your wellies, grab a cosy scarf and head to your local woodland with your family.

We care for more than 1,000 woods across the UK, all free to visit and open every day. Use our wood finder to discover new places to explore, along with walking routes and ideas for your next adventure.

Find a wood near you