10 Simple Ways to Have Fun in Autumn Leaves

When I was a kid, my aunt and uncle lived right down the road from us. And they had beautiful trees in their yard. You know, that kind that drop leaves!

I remember spending hours playing in the leaves with my older sister. We had so much fun.

I wanted my kids to build some of the same memories. But, our yard is lacking in the leaf department. I mean, our fruit trees shed their leaves, but those little things just aren’t as much fun!

So, after dropping my oldest off at Driver’s Ed this week, the rest of the kids and I headed to the Chewelah Park. But, we didn’t head to the playground. Nope, we had a different plan this time.

Our mission?

To play in the leaves. Look at all these beauties!

Here are the ten different ways we played.

1. Build a House

This was my favorite as a kid! My sister and I used to rake leaves into different areas of the yard. We’d create a border for the walls of our house, and then make rooms inside of it.

One leaf pile was a bed, another was the kitchen sink. They all looked the same to an outside observer, but we knew what was what!

So the kids and I built a small house with the leaves at the park. We each made a bed, and collapsed into them.

My little Brynna cooked me dinner in our leaf kitchen. I enjoyed a scrumptious meal of leaf kabobs! 😀

2. Bury Stuffed Animals

This game originally started out as putting the stuffed friends to sleep in the beds we made.

But, a few leaves got thrown on top and before I knew it, all the animals were buried.

Then the kids started digging in the leaves like dogs, unburying their friends.

Brynna was a little worried she’d lose her kitty at first, but the other kids showed her how the white didn’t blend in as much.

3. Find the ____ Leaf

When I asked who could find the biggest leaf, I started a fun contest. So once the biggest leaf was found, I asked the kids to find the:

• Smallest leaf
• Leaf with the most points
• Reddest leaf
• Orangest leaf
• Greenest leaf
• Leaf the same size as their hand

I probably could have kept going, because they were having a blast searching through the leaves. But, I had other plans so I had the kids move into our next activity.

4. Build a Boat

The Chewelah Park has a beautiful creek running through, right next to the leaves we were playing in. So, I asked the kids to build a boat from a leaf.

They could use any natural item they found in the park. Most of them stuck a stick into a leaf for a mast.

Once their leaf boats were ready, we dropped them in the water to see what they did. It was a fun lesson in sinking/floating! 😀

5. Sort Some Leaves

While the older kids played along the rocks by the creek, I asked my preschooler and toddler to sort some leaves.

I grabbed a pile for them to work with, and had them put them into piles based on size. We could also have sorted by color.

6. Take a Slo-Mo Film

We’ve recently discovered the Slo-Mo feature on my iPhone. It’s been a lot of fun! So at the park, I recorded a quick film of each of the kids throwing an armful of leaves.

They loved watching it in slow motion! Here’s one of the videos:

7. Do Some Leaf Angels

I’m sure you’ve heard of snow angels. But, have you ever tried making a leaf angel? I’m not sure if my kids successfully made an angel or not, but they had a blast trying.

The leaves provide a great sensory effect, and my Owen especially loved it!

8. Make a Leaf Pile

Of course this classic activity had to be on leaf to-do list! We didn’t have a rake at the park, but the kids worked together to scoop a ton of leaves into a large pile. Here’s a picture of the pile just getting started. Bryson thought it was tons of fun!

Once the pile was big enough,they jumped in it and reduced it to smithereens!

9. Kick the Leaves

There’s something fun about kicking leaves. We watched to see who could kick them the highest and then the furthest.

Then we started crawling in the leaves. I also had the kids jump in them, skip in them, and crab walk. We’ll just call it homeschool PE time! 😀

10. Have a Photo Shoot

I love fall and the colors of autumn! Seeing my kids rolling around in the leaves having blast made me want to capture the memories.

So I started taking pictures. Here are two of my favorites:

Despite the fact that he’s eating a leaf or two, I can’t get over how old Owen looks now. He’s definitely on the brink of becoming a teenager.

Do You Have Leaves in Your Yard?

Does your yard have lots of leaves this time of year? If not, have you ever taken your children some place just to play in some?

It was such a fun day, so I’m thankful we made time to make our leaf play happen. Before we know it, snow will cover the leaves and fall will be over.

Want some more simple ways to have autumn fun? That post shares nine seasonal ways to keep your kids engaged while you get a little work done.

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