Written by Deb del Villar, Director of Communications
Leaves are tumbling in the air, falling gracefully and quietly to the ground. However, they will be disturbed again and again by the loud laughter of grandkids who are supposed to be helping rake up the leaves but instead are jumping in them, redistributing them once more.
This scene brings back happy memories of my own childhood. As I stand there, holding the useless rake, memories continue tumbling and falling. Soon I will have my own little pile, memory on top of memory.
What are some of your favorite memories of fall? Which ones can you do with your grandchildren? Below are some of my favorites. They are organized by age levels, but be sure to check out each list for ideas you can use.
Younger Ages
- Go for a walk and collect acorns, colored leaves, and signs of Fall
- Make a placemat out of colored leaves – paste them onto construction paper, add a Scripture passage about being thankful, then laminate or cover with contact paper
- Talk about creation and all the wonders of God
- Memorize a Bible verse that teaches them to be thankful and share it at the Thanksgiving get-together
- Take a family photo to use for your Christmas card
- Build a blanket fort, sit inside, and read a book (like My Wish of All Wishes)
- Make a pinecone bird feeder
- Collect then make leaf and tree bark rubbings
- Go on a hayride and sing praise songs to Jesus
- Make a November calendar filling in each day with something or someone to be thankful for – each day pray and thank God for His blessings
- Plant bulbs for Spring
- Mail a Fall adventure box to long-distance grandkids and fill it with fall-themed items
Elementary Ages
- Put up fall decorations like mums, pumpkins, haystacks, scarecrow
- Go apple picking, then come home and make your favorite apple recipe
- Visit a corn maze – on the way home, discuss what the Bible says about being lost and finding your way
- Teach a favorite hymn like “We Gather Together” and sing it at your Thanksgiving gathering
- Make a fall wreath to hang on your front door
- Make a no-sew blanket and deliver it to a shelter – as you make it, pray for the person who will receive it.
- Have a bonfire where you sing songs and tell stories (ask who knows about a Bible story where a fire and snake were involved?)
- Find a service project you could do together like raking leaves or serving food at a shelter
- Support their school events
- Have a chili cook-off and vote on who makes the best chili in your family
- Teach your grandchild how to knit a scarf
- Go to a thrift store and find sweaters to wear
- Take a ride to see the leaves changing color – stop at a roadside stand and pick up pumpkins and apples to make a dessert for the family
- Fill in a November calendar with acts of kindness they can do – choose some activities you can do with them
- Give them a journal where each day they draw or write what they are grateful for
- Cook your favorite Thanksgiving meal items and have each family member vote for their favorite
Older Ages
- Host a Fall Photo Contest – who can capture the best Fall photo
- Create a care box for our troops
- Have a fondue night and share a fall memory with them
- Work on a poem or short story about what they are thankful for – read it at your Thanksgiving gathering
- Choose a few Scripture passages to learn about giving thanks
- Go shopping for ingredients and make soup and homemade bread for the rest of the family
- Go antiquing
- Volunteer at a food bank
- Go for a bike ride
- Make a coffee date
- Decorate your nails with fall designs
- Go on a shopping trip for fall clothing or accessories
- Have a Scavenger Hunt in the dark and supply them with a list of items and glow-in-the-dark sticks
- Read a mystery novel together or watch a mystery movie
- Visit a National Park and maybe stay in a cabin overnight and go for a hike
- Attend a college football game or sporting event
If you purchased last year’s planner, check that for even more ideas. Also, you can purchase the 2025 Grandparenting Planner for ideas that cover every month plus so much more.
Many of us are now in the ‘fall’ of our lives with so many things changing all around us. May this fall season remind us once more that change can be beautiful. Embrace this season and get out and have some fun with your grandchildren!
