If you are anything like me, the thought of cooler weather just around the corner is enough to make you want to buy a winter coat! Walking through the department stores it’s apparent that the calendar has turned and Fall is here. Wonderful posters of kids playing in leaves, beautiful sweater dresses and knee high black boots simply scream “Pack away the summer clothes and buy me.” Until you walk outside.
With temperatures still in the triple digits in Oklahoma and other parts of the US, it seems the fall may never come. They only leaves that are changing are the brown ones on the ground because they couldn’t hold on to the limbs anymore.
But it’s ok when you are a Babysitter! With just a little creativity, a few supplies and a lot of imagination we can make snow in the summer, water parks in the spring and even autumn in the summer.
I reached out to our Certified Professional Sitters and here are some great ideas they had for fun fall crafts and games:
- Go on a “nature walk” around the neighborhood and collect colorful leaves, pinecones, etc. (This is actually more challenging in areas where not all of the leaves change colors). Bring colorful construction paper and school glue, and instruct the children to glue their findings to the paper. – Alexis B; Orange County, CA
- Kids are back in school, with athletic and music practices afterwards. Oh, and football season is here! That is… popcorn football! To play this version of football with your kids, all you need is a clean table cloth, and a bag of popcorn*. Have the kid’s pair up and sit them across from each other at a picnic or kitchen table. Put the table cloth over the table and have one kid form the goal posts with their hands and mouth as the “goal.” Their mouth needs to be level with the table, so they might need to get down on their knees. Have their teammate flick one piece of popcorn at a time, and see how many they can get into the “goal.” If you play outside, you can leave the fallen popcorn pieces on the ground for the birds and squirrels to eat. If you play inside, have the kids help pick up the mess afterwards. You may be surprised by how much fun your kids will have flicking popcorn at each other! – Esther W; Tulsa, OK
- Make a HUGE pile of leaves, as big as a car, and jump into it. – Esther W; Tulsa, OK
- Taking the kids to the park. I love being outside with the kids. It’s so refreshing! – Katie M; Tulsa, OK
- Catching a local football game. –Molly S; St Charles, MO
- Making cookies and cupcakes* and icing them with fall colored frosting. -Fiona K; Northwest Arkansas
- To take a stroll through a park and collect as many colors of leaves as possible. –Laura K; Tulsa, OK
- Making hand print turkeys. –Eva H; Jacksonville, FL
- Taking advantage of the cool weather and playing outside! From jumping rope to taking a walk, to drawing with sidewalk chalk, everything is a little more fun when you get to do it outside. -Jennifer L; DC Metro
- Making pine cone bird feeders.-April B; Lubbock, TX
- Drawing faces on miniature pumpkins. –Ann A; Houston/Katy, TX
- Cutting an apple* in half and painting it and stamping it on paper is fun too. I also like to decorate pumpkins with markers, make “apple cider” (just warm up regular apple juice and add cinnamon red hot candy), and for a small sweet treat I like to mix candy corn and peanuts (as long as there is no one with peanut allergies)…mixed together it tastes like Pay Day candy bar. – Megan A; Indianapolis, IN
*As an added safety precaution, be sure to always check with parents when using food in any craft, snack or activity as allergies may be present. Also, popcorn and other small food items can present a choking hazard with younger kids. Click here for examples of food items that may cause choking in young children. Finally, never leave children unattended, especially when food is involved.
I am so excited to use these activities with parents that am sitting for and I hope you find these fun and helpful as well. I can’t wait to hear what other ideas you have…just around the corner.