Fall adventure: nature scavenger Hunt for children
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A fall scavenger hunt in nature is the perfect activity for children of all ages, even for the entire family. Especially, if you have children who would rather stay inside than enjoy a nice walk in the perfect fall weather, you will want to read this!
My children love being outside, so we try to get out as much as possible in fall before the freezing winter temperatures hit. For the past three years we have been doing fall scavenger hunts and they are a big hit year after year. But even children who are not the biggest fans of the outdoors will want to take part in the search for fall items. Giving children a task and goal to accomplish, will get almost every child excited and walking.
I have created a printable fall scavenger hunt for everyone looking for an outside activity they can do with their child. And the best thing is: it’s completely free.
The scavenger hunt contains a list of items you will easily be able to find in your neighborhood or your closest park. To make this activity enjoyable for younger children, who cannot read yet, I have added little pictures as well. My children have been enjoying scavenger hunts since they were around 18 months and stable walkers. As for an age limit… well, there is none. I am 31 years old and pretty much still enjoy finding fall treasures.
You can just try to find everything on the list, try to find a certain number of items from the list or make it a race! Especially older children will love making it a little competition.
This activity also holds great educational opportunities as it provides a basis for talking about the fall season and all changes that come with it. Just a few example questions you may want to ask and discuss with your child to nurture their curiosity and thinking:
What does the squirrel do to have food in winter?
What can you cook/bake with a pumpkin?
Why does the spider build spiderwebs?
What does the item look like?
What does it feel and smell like?
What happens to leaves in fall?
Where do apples grow? What colors can apples be?
After you have found everything, you may even use some of the items to enjoy some fall crafts. You can find ideas for fall crafts in my recent blog post.
A thing I find helpful is laminating the scavenger hunt sheets. That way you can write on them with dry erase markers and use them over and over again. After fall a good idea is to store them with your fall decor and have them ready to go when you take out your decor the following year.
For more family fun, check out my free Halloween Scavenger Hunt!
I am wishing you and your little ones a wonderful time on your fall adventure!
