Why is a bucket list a good idea?
Did your summer fly by without you noticing it? I don’t know about you but I had ambitious plans for summer. As summer winds down I always feel pressure to cram in those last few fun activities we never quite got to.
Do you feel that way, too?
As a busy mom (all moms are insanely busy, right?) I often struggle to enjoy the fun opportunities around us. I struggle to prioritize making memories, slowing down, relaxing and just being.
Knowing I have this problem I made it my goal to do something about it!
Creating a list I can hang on the fridge and check off is a great way to keep those goals in mind.
A few things to keep in mind as you create your fall bucket list:
My guess is that your family doesn’t look exactly like mine. Your bucket list shouldn’t, either. You’ll want to choose activities that your children are interested in, and things that are available to you locally. You probably have a community facebook group or a city website with a section for local events.
50 Fall Bucket List Ideas:
- Visit a local U-pick farm to pick apples
- Bake an apple pie
- Make caramel apples
- Rake leaves and jump in the pile
- Build a bonfire
- Roast hot dogs and s’mores
Read Pumpkin Jack and learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin
- Pick pumpkins at a pumpkin patch
- Make a pumpkin dessert from this list
- Carve a pumpkin and roast the seeds
- Go to a fall festival
- Get lost in a corn maze
- Go on a hayride
- Learn how to press leaves
- Start a leaf collection
- Make leaf rubbings and take them to the residents at your local nursing home
- Build a bird feeder
- Take a hike to view the beautiful fall foliage
- Go for a drive in the country to enjoy the colorful fall leaves
- Share a pot of soup with a neighbor
- Build a scarecrow
Read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything and enjoy a little shiver together
- Decorate your home and front porch with fall decor
- Plant spring daffodil and tulip bulbs
- Go rock climbing
- Go zip lining
- Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
- Go stargazing in your backyard
- Create a scavenger hunt
- Make caramel popcorn balls
- Fly a kite
- Visit a local fall farmers market
- Make pumpkin bread
- Watch a fall documentary
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Go on a bike ride around your neighborhood
- Learn something new
Read Pumpkin Soup and make some of your own
- Make your Halloween costumes
- Make a fall-themed lapbook
- Jump in puddles
- Make a pot of chili
- Think of a way to serve your community during the holidays
- Light a fall-scented (pumpkin spice, yum!) candle
- Make a list of all your blessings
- Start your Christmas list
- Visit a haunted house (if you dare!)
- Visit a county fair
- Enjoy two of our favorite fall story times, Too Many Pumpkins and Cranberry Thanksgiving. Both of them include fun educational activities, crafts and snack ideas to accompany the stories.
Now be sure to use your fall bucket list. You can print the list above, or if you want to customize it, you could copy and paste my list into a doc, then give your kiddos a chance to choose their favorite items and create a personalized list. Let your list reflect your families personality, quirks, and interests. Once your list is just the way you want it, print it and hang it on your fridge or in your mudroom, wherever you’ll see it often.
Having a list on hand of fun activities will take the pressure off of you. No more scrambling trying to come up with something fun to fill an empty weekend or to change the mood of a bad day.
Pin these fun activities for later!
I want to do so many of these things! It’s been years since I’ve been apple picking or gone on a hayride đŸ™‚ Love it!
I hope you have a terrific fall!
Thank you for these wonderful ideas!! I’m going to use some of them for our homeschool Fall family adventures!!
That’s what we do, too! We use Fridays as our ‘field trip’ day in our homeschool, and we frequently pull our field trips from our seasonal bucket lists.
Great list! I love decorating my porch for fall. This year is my first time putting out mums in Alabama and I already killed them.
Oh, no! You’ll have to try again. I love that mums are perennial and every year they come back bigger and better!
I love love love fall! It is my favorite season but because we live in sunny South Florida we have to travel to experience the full beauty of the season. This is a great list.
Oh, poor you! Although I guess I can’t really feel too sorry for you because um. You. Live. In. Florida. Ha, ha!
Great ideas! Pinning for later – can’t wait to see how many we can do before the season ends!
That sounds like a great goal. Fall is such a fun season!
This is an awesome list! I have never seen “The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”, so I will definitely be adding that to my list.
It’s a fun movie — I hope you like it!
Love everything on your bucket list. We always try to do something new and different every year so will be taking some off of your list to add to ours.
I’m always losing track and running out of time! Lists are a lifesaver đŸ˜€ My boys absolutely LOVE flying kites!! They still need a little help but they get so excited watching it over the trees
I feel the same way — lists really help me keep track of things instead of just wasting time! Have fun flying kites!
I love these ideas! I’ve been so busy thinking about apple pies, I almost forgot about pumpkin bread! Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Samantha!
I love going for drives to see the beautiful fall colors! These are all great ideas.
Fall is so beautiful! That is one of our favorite traditions, too!
These are great ideas! We always think of summer bucket lists, but theres still just as much things to do in the fall!
Yes, and fall activities are so much fun!
These are such fun ideas! It makes me excited for fall to be here and to get out there and do some of these activities!
I’m already totally in fall mode — we’ve crossed seven things off our list!
Such a great list of things to do this fall. Making caramel apples would be so much fun!
We love making (and eating!) caramel apples. After we dip them in caramel, I let my kids decorate them with colored chocolate and sprinkles.
I love making seasonal bucket lists. I always want the Fall one to be focused so much on Halloween, but Fall actually goes until December 21 so it CAN include Christmas-themed things too. đŸ™‚
-Lauren
That is very true! There are just so many fun fall activities, though, that I keep my fall bucket list mainly fall focused.
My family makes a fall bucket list every year. I love your ideas! I haven’t read all of those books yet, so I’m adding them to my list to read with my children. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
I was just thinking the other day that I need to make a fall bucket list. These are some great ideas!
Thanks, I hope you have a fabulous fall!