Our Favourite Family Activities for Autumn
Slow and Intentional activities for 'back to school' season
Are seasonal activities cringe? I suppose it depends on why you are doing them. Ultimately, if your only posing with a pumpkin for a performative reason, then yes. However, if you are intentionally planning out each season so that you and your family have things to look forward to, then no absolutely not.
Autumn, or Fall, depending on where you hail from seems to be the season that gets the most flak. Perhaps we are all collectively over photoshoots from pumpkin patches or the fact Autumn fans start posting about it when Summer is in full swing. Either way, I personally think there are still so many benefits to going all-in on seasonal celebrations.
Seasonal family rhythms have been an important part of our life for many years now. Not only did they save my own sanity when my youngest was born but they have helped the whole family to enjoy every season.
Nevertheless, I’m an Autumn girl at heart. I love nothing more than cosying up with a good book whilst a candle flickers in the background. The children seem to brighten during the Autumn months too: the heat is less oppressive and they can play outdoors for longer. There’s an excitement in the air that shows change is coming: new school year, new shoes and new enthusiasm for the months ahead.
Our Autumn Family Favourites
At the end of August, I published ‘How to Create an Autumn Family Rhythm’ which is packed full of ideas and a seasonal family planner for you to download.
I love a pumpkin patch or Halloween inspired craft as much as anyone, but here I thought I’d share the low-key activities were enjoying this Autumn. Theoretically, things should be much, much easier when the kids go back to school but in reality, back to school season can be chaotic and stressful.
That’s why we tend to prefer a slow start to Autumn with plenty of simple family activities that don’t require a lot of extra energy.
Baking EVERYTHING
There’s something about Autumn that makes me want to bake more. After school most days, myself and the children can be found baking something. There’s something so lovely about seeing everyone enjoy a cake or pie that we’ve made together.
Whist they might all sound very ‘trad wife’ of me, the reality is it’s a pretty simple way to spend time together. We put on Sophie Ellis Bextor’s ‘Kitchen Disco’ (on BBC Sounds) and have a little dance whilst we cook.
I might add that I’m no baking goddess - practically all of my recipes come from BBC Good Food! Sometimes we make something super yummy — like the pear crumble above and other times we laugh at our fails.
Foraging
Autumn means that there is an abundance of fruit to be foraged whilst on our daily walks. Blackberries have been a firm favourite this year and we’ve collected enough to make homemade jam.
Foraging is a fantastic family activity, but be aware of safety advice first. Double check the identity of any plants or berries before consuming and remind children to always check wild foods with you first. Safe foraging tips can be found here.
Reading - or re-reading Autumn Favourites
We love to read during any season, but reading during Autumn feels extra special. Sometimes, we do a full on afternoon tea after school (we need to use all those baked goods somehow), other times we cosy up under a blanket and embrace the colder evenings.
My daughter and I have just finished reading Anne of Green Gables which feels like the ultimate read aloud for the Autumn months.
Whilst we do have a decent collection of Autumn and Halloween themed books, I head to the library for most of our seasonal reads. Some of our favourites include:
Malory Towers
Brambly Hedge
Charlotte’s Web
Harry Potter
Pippi Longstocking
Beatrix Potter
Look out for the launch of for all of our bookish recommendations.
Exploring Country Houses
Returning to the UK has brought with it a mix of emotions. Whilst its wonderful to be back, at times it’s been a difficult readjustment. One of the things we decided to do more recently was join The National Trust and explore the local area.
There’s something about exploring the countryside during the Autumn months and the membership has brought focus to our weekends.
Film Night
A unanimous request from my children during our Autumn family meeting was for a return of film night. Our regular movie nights had slipped over the summer months in favour of more time outdoors, but now the nights are closing in, a family film night to round off the week feels perfect.
We take it in turns to request a (family friendly) movie and make a whole production out of it - dimming the lights, making popcorn and setting up cosy seating.
Whilst the children simply see this as a fun weekly event, in reality this is an affordable way to watch movies as a family of five!
Autumn Family Rhythm Ideas
Become a Member
If you view this newsletter via the website, you might’ve noticed a few changes to the structure of the ‘blog’ aspect of ‘How I Drink my Coffee Hot’. Whilst paid content was originally posted as monthly series, I have now organised information by phase so that you can navigate content in a suggested order.
To distinguish free and paid content, I am now calling the paid section ‘A Playful Year’.
A Playful Year also contains content from courses originally hosted on my website thisplayhome.com , including ‘Playful Days at Home’ and ‘Play Space 101’, alongside the paid Substack series that were initially released every month.
When I first started this Substack page, I wasn’t too sure what direction I was going in. Consequently, the original series have been reorganised to provide a better flow of information.
I find that my own focus has changed now that my children are older. I still believe that play is important, but as my own children navigate the middle and teen years of childhood, I have found myself wanting to cover those topics. Upcoming changes to the course will include more ‘school years’ series, in addition to articles on the middle and teen years of childhood.
Whilst paid series haven’t been deleted, in the coming months, articles will be refreshed and downloadable resources will be updated.
What’s included in a paid membership?
Access to the ‘A Playful Year’ course - you can find the entire course index below. The course is available year-round and can be worked through at your own pace.
Access to upcoming series and events
Access to archived ‘How I Drink my Coffee Hot’ posts (all free posts are archived after two weeks)
Monthly calls and chats are being planned, but will depend on engagement - please let me know if this appeals to you!
Upcoming Series and Events
New series will be released in the Autumn of 2024. Planned topics include: How to Support your Child’s Learning from Home, An Introduction to Home-schooling and How to Raise a Reader.
Monthly chat threads and topic-based calls are planned, but will depend on user engagement!*