As the fall season gets underway, many parents are looking for Halloween alternatives that allow daycare children to experience the season without the pagan undertones. To assist you in the search, we have compiled a collection of exciting and educational activities that celebrate the fall harvest.
Mini Pumpkin Hunt
Similar to hunting Easter eggs, mini pumpkins are ideal for a daycare pumpkin hunt. Before hiding them, your kids can decorate them using markers or paints. They even have the advantage of being heartier than eggs so they won’t break or get smashed during the festivities.
Bonfire Stories and Refreshments
A blazing fire and some entertaining story time will give daycare children a thirst and an appetite. Refreshments can be anything, but we recommend serving foods that are grown on the farm, or at least symbolic of it, Melon chunks, miniature tomatoes, and fruit juices are childhood favorites that nicely complement a group storytelling session where each person adds one sentence to a growing tale.
Corn Mazes
Corn and sunflower mazes are seasonal events that children will love to lose themselves in. It may be a short drive from the city to a nearby maze, but you are sure to find an assortment of seasonal activities when you get there. Mazes often have additional events like petting zoos, scavenger hunts, or hayrides.
Fall Crafting
Children love to get involved in things, and the fall season is perfect for making all sorts of crafty projects like paper plate pumpkins, pipe cleaner scarecrows, or painted pine cones. To make the home seem more festive, the kids can help hang orange and black crepe streamers and decorate with fall items that collect in the yard or forest.
Visit A Farm
Spending a day at a working farm will entertain and educate children of all ages. Children will learn how a farm works, meet some of the animals that live on a farm, maybe even get to to enjoy a hayride or even ride on a real farm tractor.
Don’t let your reluctance to celebrate outdated pagan beliefs stand in the way of celebrating the harvest season. This is the time of bounty when crops are harvested and feasts are prepared, and children need to learn about the season and why it is important to everyone.
