Fall is officially in the air! The leaves are changing to bright hues of yellow, orange, and red. The breeze in the air is picking up ever so slightly but still comforting to the soul. Families are out and about partaking in fun fall festivities. Did I mention I love fall?

The holiday season overall is honestly one of my favorite times of the year! All the warm and fuzzy feelings, the valued time with loved ones, as well as the festivities that I mentioned before!

And speaking of fun fall festivities, I’ve rounded up 5 of my favorites that I found on Pinterest (gotta love it!) or have done myself. Focusing on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and just fall in general; try one activity or try ’em all!

Leaves Everywhere

As fall is centered around, well, leaves falling from trees, this first activity involves just that. This activity is also free, super easy to do, and takes no time at all!

Take your Little One outside or go for a walk. Collect a handful of leaves in different shapes and sizes and take them back inside. Grab some crayons and some paper and get to work!

Cover one or all of the leaves with the paper and use the crayons to create a skeleton/outline of the leaves. Voilá – An easy and inexpensive craft for you and your Littles!

Sew Many Buttons

This next one is also super easy and inexpensive! Got any buttons lying around? Yes, I am being serious. I actually have a jar full of buttons in my sewing kit at home. If not, head to your local craft store and grab a collection of green, red, yellow, orange, and brown buttons of different sizes and shapes.

Next grab a piece of paper and draw an outline of a tree with the branches only (no leaves.) Grab some Elmer’s glue or a hot glue gun a let your Little One get creative with the layout of the buttons. It’s that simple. You can even make a game out of it! “What color is this button?”

________’s Web

The blank is for you to fill in the name of your Little One(s). Again, this project is easy, affordable, and lots of fun for the Littles! Grab a paper plate for each of your Littles, some black non-toxic paint, some googly eyes, and some white yarn.

Paint the ball of the foot and 4 little toes of your Littles foot and place it down on the paper plate back to back. This will create the look of an itty bitty spider. Next, put some holes through the the plate around the edge.

When the paint is dry, glue a pair of googly eyes on the spider to make it look ‘real’. Then take some yarn and let your Little lace it through the holes of the plate in a zig-zag pattern to create the spider web effect. Boom! You can even hang it up for a fall decoration!

Apple Pumpkins

This project is all-around silly and fun! All you’ll need is a paper plate, an apple, some orange paint, and some googly eyes. (This project is also great to do around snack time as it encourages healthy snacking!)

First thing you’ll do is have a piece of paper handy. Next, cut an apple directly in half from the stem to the bottom. Dip the apple halves in orange paint and place them on the paper plate to leave an imprint. Your Little One will be amazed how it looks just like a pumpkin!

Make as many pumpkins as you like! Heck, make a whole pumpkin family! When the paint dries, glue on the googly eyes and have your Littles draw a goofy face on each one. Plus, you can even feed your Littles the leftover apples that weren’t used for crafts!

Thankful Turkey

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is a good time to get your Little One in the spirit! All year long is a good time to show gratitude, but with Thanksgiving, it’s easier to get Little Ones to grasp and hold on to the meaning of it.

This last project is easy, fun, and costs little to nothing at all! Simply draw an outline of a turkey by either tracing your hand or using your super talented artistic skills. Add outlines for 5 feathers that are large enough to write in. This next part is where it’s time to let your Little’s creativity shine!

Sit them down and ask them to name 5 things they are grateful/thankful for. Give them plenty of time to think about their responses, and give them help with a little prompting if need be. It can be anything from family to friends, a family pet to a favorite toy, a memory, an award, whatever they think of!

Fill in each feather with something that your Little One is thankful for and let them decorate it as they like. Hang it up and come back to it with your Little One from time to time to remind them of the importance of being grateful!

Ready, Set, Go!

Whether you decide to try one or all of these activities, or even just stick to the classic pumpkin carving tradition, go all in! Be present with your Little One(s), your family, your friends, ALL your loved ones! That is honestly what this season is about for me!

And if you are looking for more DIY/crafty projects, check out our blog on Milestone Markers for your Little One! Got any other fun fall or holiday ideas? Share ’em below! You could be the person who brings value into someone’s life!

Thank you so very much for being a part of ETM’s community of Mommas! We encourage you to join discussions, interact with Mommas alike, and be unapologetically yourself! Until next time, I hope I’m able to help make your life as simple as could be. (:

With all my love, Brandolyn – Earth to Momma