I love fall. There is something significant about experiencing the seasons transition from when all of nature is at its peak during summer to the brilliant colors of fall. The cooler temperatures, vivid colors, and fall activities are life giving to me.
The Fall of 2020 brings so much unknown. Fall family traditions mean so many different things to different families. Sports, pumpkin patches, fall flavors are some of the traditions that mean so much to our family, but now that some our favorite fall sports have announced their cancellations or postponement, and this fall is full of uncertainty, we are determined to experience some of the autumn highlights that we love so much.
Here’s a list of some socially distanced fall family activities that are sure to create some warm memories.
Outdoor Fall Fun
Pumpkin Patches are our first fall tradition. We love going to the same ones year after year and taking pictures for comparison from year to you. There are so many patches around town that are a great place to spend the day. In addition to picking a pumpkin from the patch, you can play on the outdoor activities and eat a pumpkin treat. Now that my boys are getting a little older, we opt for the patches with lots of places to explore and spend the whole day there.
Cowtown, the Sedgwick County Zoo, and Tanganyika Wildlife Park all plan to have some version of their fun family events, although they may look a little different this year.
Family Movie Nights
We love a good movie night on Friday nights. Here’s a list of non-scary Halloween movies, and another list for good measure. When my boys were little, we couldn’t get enough of Spookley The Square Pumpkin. It was such a cute short film about how being different was amazing. We love to order Jack-o-lantern pizzas, but you could make your own as well! Watching the movie while you eat caramel corn and drinking apple cider is a sure way to make it seem a little more special.
Photo by Jill Luton Photography
Fall Family Pictures
Each fall, we get family pictures taken. Kansas is such a beautiful backdrop with the changing leaves and sweater weather. When we have money in the budget, we get family pictures taken by a professional. Some years we get a full session, others we get a mini session, which is a little more budget friendly. Other years, we’ve dressed the kids up and taken pictures ourselves at the park. I sure don’t have the editing skills the professionals do, but I don’t regret taking them myself when we just didn’t have extra money in the budget to have them taken professionally.
Family Bike Rides and Picnics
Especially if fall sports look a little different this fall, we may have a little more family time on our hands. We are so fortunate to have so many local bike paths around the community. Throw in a picnic lunch since so many trails originate at parks.
Family Costumes
Trick-or-treating might look a little different this year, but you can still dress up in family costumes! It would be lots of fun to sport family costumes, even if they only get seen on social media and photo albums. We’ve brain stormed a few fun ideas to get your creative juices flowing! Toy Story characters, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Star power, would be fun group costumes. Pokemon characters and Team Rocket would be sure to please older kids. Everyone’s favorite food, movie character, or superhero would be a great way to please the whole family. There are lots of DIY costume ideas that don’t cost much or take many skills to create.
Wear the costumes to Watson Park on the drive through Halloween event this year.
This Fall might be a little different than previous years, but there is so much joy that can be found in celebrating some simple fall family traditions. I plan to pour myself some apple cider, eat some caramel corn, and cuddle up with my family as soon as the leaves begin to fall.
What are some of your favorite fall family traditions?
