Family Fun Inspiration for November 2023

Looking for fun things to do in the month of November with your kids?

Looking for Family Fun Inspiration for things to do in the month of November with your kids? There are thirty days this month to fill up with all kinds of seasonal and holiday inspiration — from celebrating Veterans to giving thanks. I’ve curated a list of some of our favorite November-themed ideas to Make, Explore, Play and Learn.

Of note:

• November is Native American Heritage Month
• Daylight Savings Time ends on November 5. Remember to “fall back” an hour.
• Election Day (United States) is November 7.
• Veteran’s Day (United States) is November 11.
• Thanksgiving Day (United States) November 23.

Other interesting dates to remember:

• Free entrance to National Parks is November 11.
• WA State Park Free Days are November 11 and November 25. (Check out the 2023 list here)
• Small Business Saturday is November 25.

MAKE:

• Easy cranberry orange sauce
• Caramel apple cider: all you need is apple cider, caramel sauce and whipped cream.
• Fall leaf sun catchers: place leaves between two pieces wax paper and run an iron over the paper until sealed. Hang in the window.
• Make a seasonal wreath: celebrate autumn with a nature-inspired wreath on your door. Gather colorful leaves, acorns, and berries on a walk in the park. Then, use a wire wreath frame and some floral wire to create your own unique design.
• Make a leaf crown. Gather leaves from different trees and shrubs. Use floral wire or string to connect the leaves together to form a crown. You can add other decorations, such as berries, flowers.
• Make a fall bird feeder. Spread peanut butter on a pine cone. Roll the pine cone in birdseed. Hang the pine cone from a tree branch or bird feeder pole.
• Thanksgiving tree: attach “things your grateful for” to it every day. Great exercise for practicing gratitude. Here’s a how-to from PBS Parents.
• Hand turkeys: trace your hand on a piece of paper and decorate your “turkey.”
• Make a Thanksgiving turkey craft. Cut out a turkey shape from brown construction paper. Glue on feathers, eyes, and a beak.
• Show appreciation for family and friends, on Thanksgiving or any day, with notes from Sesame Street.
• Homemade noodles or another family tradition: get in the kitchen with the elders in your family and learn how to make their specialty.
• Crunchy peanut butter roll ups: tortillas and peanut butter filling make an easy, hand held snack.

EXPLORE:

• Support a small business on Small Business Saturday (11/25).
• Take a long family walk after Thanksgiving dinner.
• Go for a hike in a fall forest. Enjoy the fall foliage and look for signs of wildlife, such as deer, squirrels, and birds
• Visit the city to check out all the holiday decorations after Thanksgiving.
• Visit a local salmon hatchery. Many salmon hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest offer free tours and educational programs. This is a great way to learn about the life cycle of salmon and the importance of salmon conservation.
• Visit a local beach – pack a picnic, beach comb, fly a kite, and more! 
• Visit a Native American cultural center. Learn about Native American culture, history, and art.
• Visit a local museum. One of the best rainy day activities out there.
• Go to a Thanksgiving Day parade. Watch the floats, marching bands, and other performers go by.

PLAY:

• Farkle – a super fun and easy to learn dice game that’s great for family gatherings. Watch this video to learn how to play it.
• Try this Thanksgiving word search from PBS Teachers.
• Field games – try one of these at your next park day!
  • Capture the flag Capture the flag is a fun and exciting game for two teams. Each team has a flag that they must protect. The goal of the game is to capture the other team’s flag and bring it back to your own base without being tagged.
  • Freeze Tag In this game, one player is chosen to be “it.” “It” tries to tag other players. When a player is tagged, they must freeze in place. Other players can thaw frozen players by tagging them. The last player to be frozen wins.
  • Red Light, Green Light In this game, one player stands facing a wall and the other players stand behind a line. The player facing the wall calls out “Red light, green light!” When they say “Green light!” the other players can run towards the wall. When they say “Red light!” all of the players must stop moving. If a player is moving when “Red light!” is called, they must go back to the starting line. The first player to reach the wall wins.
  • Simon Says In this game, one player is chosen to be Simon. Simon gives out instructions, but only the instructions that start with “Simon says” should be followed. If a player follows an instruction that does not start with “Simon says,” they are out. The last player remaining wins.
  • Sharks and Minnows In this game, one or two players are chosen to be sharks. The other players are minnows. The sharks try to tag the minnows. When a minnow is tagged, they become a shark. The last minnow remaining wins.
• Pile up all the leaves and have a leaf party! This was always a big hit when I was a kid. Jumping contests, burying yourself, sibling or favorite grownup in leaves is tons of fun.

LEARN:

• November is Native American Heritage Month: Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving and American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving from  National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).
• Use leftover Halloween candy for math problems.
• Learn about Election Day (November 7).
• Veterans Day is Nov. 11. Honor a veteran in your life and record a living history of their military memories with these sample interview questions from the Veteran’s History Project or these questions from StoryCorps..
• Learn how astronauts make Thanksgiving food in space.
• Picture Books to Help You Slow Down and Say Thanks
• Movies & TV Shows That Celebrate Indigenous Peoples
• “What’s my Word?” Family Word Game – free printable!

What’s your family like to do in November? Let me know in the comments below!