Family Fun Inspiration for October 2021

Pumpkin patches, spooky-cute costumes and autumn treats, oh my! Ideas for the whole family – check out my Family Fun Inspiration List for October – things to Make, Explore, Play and Watch. These are some of our family’s favorite things during the month of October. I hope it inspires your family as well.

I separated it out into a few fun categories: Make (crafts and food), Explore (getting out of the house) and Play/Watch (games and what to check out on TV) to make it easy to choose something to do. Many of these ideas we have done as a family (or are planning to do).

Holidays and Special Dates in October

• October is National Pizza Month
• October is Bullying Prevention and Kindness Month
• 10/5: Do Something Nice Day
• 10/11: Canadian Thanksgiving/Columbus Day
• 10/10-10/16 is Earth Science Week
• 10/31 is Halloween
• 11/1-11/2: Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)

MAKE (crafts and food)

Jack-o’-lanterns

Skip the screams and aim for squeals this Halloween with your favorite PBS KIDS characters. Check out my easy how-to, complete with templates!

• Food themed days of the week:
  • Pancake Sundays (breakfast)
  • Mac & Cheese Mondays (lunch)
  • Oatmeal Wednesdays (breakfast)
  • Poetry Tea Time Thursdays
  • Pizza Fridays (dinner)
  • Date Night Saturdays
• Treats for Poetry Tea Time
  • Tea, cookies
• Treats for Family Fun Night and Date Night
  • caramel apple cider, gingerbread, calzones, pretzels
• Crafts:
  • Seasonal table
  • Other crafts related to our October Study Guide
• Family podcast / video updates

Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner

Our tradition to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving (we’re American) began on a weekend away in nearby British Columbia. We stumbled upon a Thanksgiving buffet at a restaurant and decided we needed to carry on the tradition.

Mud Pies

All you need are rocks or dirt, a random container and imagination. Turn the kids loose with this combination and the results are priceless.

EXPLORE (at home/getting out of the house)

Go on a bug scavenger hunt

Print off a couple of copies of this scavenger hunt and go for a walk in the backyard or at a nearby park. Or check out Mac’s Field Guide (Good Bugs and Bad Bugs).

Pick the perfect pumpkin

Go on a fall leaves hike

• At home:
  • Football games
• Out of the house:
  • Take Sunday drives (usually within 15 minutes from our home)
  • Picnic at the park
  • Family hikes or bike rides around the neighborhood

PLAY/WATCH (games and what to check out on TV/online)

• Date nights in (kids watch a movie, parents watch a movie)
• Family movie night
• King County Library System online events