Here is my inspiration list for family fun ideas in September. This also includes a bit of what we’re planning on learning in September. I hope it inspires you. This article was updated 9/1/2025.
Holidays and Special DatesÂ
- Labor Day is September 1
- Full moon is September 7
- Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15 and runs through October 15
- First day of Fall (fall equinox) is September 22Â Â
For family friendly ongoing and annual events to check out in the Seattle area, ParentMap has a great event calendar. Find events like sunflower festivals, nature walks, state fairs and more:Â Family Fun Calendar | Seattle + Puget Sound Activities for Kids | ParentMap
Tip: check out your local library system for free events for the whole family.Â
Make (food)
I’m a big fan of routine and having themed food days during the week takes a lot of guesswork out of the question “what are we eating?” Here are some of the ones that have worked for us:
- Food themed days of the week
- Sunday: special treats for breakfast – biscuits, pancakes, waffles, French toast
- Monday: Mac & Cheese for lunch with mix-ins
- Tuesday: picnic lunches – great for co-op and field trip days (new this year: we bought food thermoses to bring a warm lunch like pasta or soup!)
- Wednesday: oatmeal with various mix-ins for breakfast. Overnight oats are also a great option.
- Thursday: teatime treats for poetry teatime
- I bought some syrups to elevate our coffee bar (vanilla, peppermint, chocolate, vanilla, blackberry, strawberry and caramel sauce). The kids can make flavored hot cocoa, hot cider, tea or a coffee beverage to make their learning extra special.
- Tip: when we’re not in the mood to bake, we often find tasty treats at Trader Joes – like: sweet and spicy tea, cookies, chocolate-orange biscotti, banana bread and chocolate cake.
- Friday: homemade pizza with popcorn (or Pirate Booty/cheese puffs) for dinner + family movie night
- Saturday: date night fun. Kids have an easy dinner of pasta, etc. and watch a movie on their own and play games (often Nintendo Wii or Minecraft). Grown-ups order in or make a special meal plus enjoy their favorite TV series or movie.
More food fun: The kids also participate in an online cooking class series Cook with Meg – and are excited for the fall line-up! On deck are Fireside Fudge Bars, A Big Fall Hug Pasta Pot and Loaded Like Its Hot – Chili Stuffed Spuds. We highly recommend this program!
Make (crafts)
I’ve never considered myself to be “crafty” in the make things with my hands sense, but I do research things for the kids to work on. Most of my inspiration comes from the season and what we’re learning about.
- Seasonal nature table and decorations: just search “fall nature table” on Pinterest and you’ll get some great ideas
- Minecraft: Keeping this in this category because the kids pretty much make everything in this game (from pyramids to dance floors to chicken jockeys).
- We haven’t checked this out yet but it’s still on our list: Minecraft’s Education edition Download | Minecraft Education Edition.
- Marble run and chain reaction machine out of toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls
- Cardboard crafts – kids making replicas of their favorite Minecraft characters
- The kids watch this channel weekly: learning how to draw with Art for Kids Hub – YouTube
- Family tree
- Knitting and crochet
- Air dry clay crafts
- Acrylics and watercolors
- Making felt dolls, felt mice and felt toadstools inspired by this book:
Explore
I get a lot of family fun ideas from my “fun squad” aka the kids. They are such an inspiration to me every day. Sometimes following their lead is a great way to build connection as a family.
- At home:
- Football games
- Corn hole, playing catch, sidewalk chalk, hammock time
- Roasting marshmallows over our firepit
- Out of the house:
- Bike rides at one of our local parks or trail systems
- Family hikes
- Apple picking
- 8 Farms Where Your Family Can Enjoy Apple Picking (Seattle area)
- Harvest moon watch
Watch
We don’t watch TV during the day. After dinner some nights we settle in to watch a show. And of course, a movie on Fridays for family fun night.
Some of our current favorite shows:
- Lego Masters Junior (Hulu)
- National Treasure: Edge of History (Disney+)
- Doctor Who (library DVDs)
A few movies we’ve watched this last month:
- Hamilton (Disney+)
- A Minecraft Movie (available for purchase on various providers)
- National Treasure movies (Disney+)
Here are a couple of articles on the latest and greatest coming from Netflix and Disney+ this month.
Play
Board games are a great alternative to screentime in the evenings. Here are some of our family favorites:
- Do You Really Know Your Family?
- The Scrambled States of America
- Catan Family Edition
- Dragonwood
- Chess, Checkers or Backgammon
- Uno – Minecraft edition
These are some of family fun ideas in September we’ll be up to. I hope you find the list inspiring, and you try some of these ideas out. Even trying one new thing can totally change up the energy in a positive way. And we can all use positive energy! Don’t feel like you have to do too much. These lists are simply there to help stir things up when life seems a little monotonous. I’ve learned a lot the last several years about what works for our family and having variety and fun experiences through food, routine, creativity benefits all of us.
More inspiration
Family Fun Inspiration for September 2019 – My Inspired Homeschool
Daily and Weekly Homeschool Rhythm – My Inspired Homeschool
50 quotes to inspire your homeschool – My Inspired Homeschool
Advice to a Beginning Homeschooler – My Inspired Homeschool
