Do you love the fall? It’s the perfect time of year to really get outside and have fun together!  The hot and humid weather is behind us, but the frigid cold temperatures haven’t arrived yet. So before we are stuck in the house for the winter, get out and get moving! So what do we do for fun in the fall? Here’ s 7 of our favorite family activities.

1. One of our favorite fall activities is getting lost in a corn maze! Not only is this fun, but it’s great exercise for kids and adults.  It is the perfect way to get those steps in! My boys love getting their maps and reading the clues to help us find our way through the maze. We typically go to at least 3 different corn mazes throughout the season.

2. Another family fun activity is apple picking.  This is a family tradition for us.  The boys love picking the apples and I love baking with them when we get home. Don’t forget the apple cider while you are there!

        

3. Raking the leaves and making big leaf piles is one of my kids favorite things to do.  Again, this is great exercise for kids. Both of my boys have little kid sized rakes and they love to rake up the leaves with me or my husband.  I think they secretly like it because we let them jump in those big piles of leaves when they are all done!

4. Can’t forget about pumpkin picking! This is another fun family tradition for us.  We search and search for our perfect pumpkins! Then we paint them and carve them for Halloween.

5. Going for a walk or hike through a park or nature center to check out the fall foliage is another fun way to sneak in some exercise for kids.  Not only is this a great way to get moving, but its a great opportunity to talk to your kids about nature and you may even collect a few leaves, pinecones, and rocks along the way.  I cannot tell you how many of these things come home with us when we go for a walk.  Maybe it’s a boy thing to collect these “treasures”, but we definitely have quite a collection at our house.

6. Another great exercise for kids and adults is bike riding.  Its a great way to burn calories and tone your lower body. If you have little kids that can’t ride a bike yet, you can use a bike trailer or bike seat.

7. Head to the playground for the morning or afternoon to play.  Not only is this good exercise for kids, but you can get a quick workout in at the playground while they play. Here is one of my favorite playground workouts:

• Step ups on a bench, bottom of the slide, or slide steps- 15x per leg
• Tricep dips on a bench-15x
• Incline pushups on a bench or slide steps-15x
• Calf raises on slide steps-15x per leg
• Pull ups on the monkey bars- Do as many as you can

Rest and repeat these exercises 2-3 more times

Being outside and active with your kids is a great way for you to get into shape and it also helps to prevent childhood obesity (which is on the rise!).  So head outside and play! What are some of your favorite fall activities to do with your kids?