- Oct 3, 2023

the best of fall! an autumn walk with our Littles!

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Oh… you sweet, sweet days of autumn!

We love you so!

Laura and her hubby just returned from a week

on the North Shore of Lake Superior!

The leaves were just beginning to turn near the shoreline

and the crisp air was so welcomed!

If you have never been to this Minnesota wonder, especially during the fall,

we highly recommend doing so!

You will not be disappointed!

The time away is so good for the soul, isn’t it?

We continue this week with another fall adventure

you and your Littles can enjoy together!

While this activity takes a bit more prep,

we’ve got tips and suggestions for adjusting it at the end of the post.

We’ve also included a fun way to provide an autumn sensory experience

for your infant Littles!.

We know that being outdoors is so important in the development of children!

Not only does it provide health benefits

but it also creates a greater appreciation of nature and the wonders we find there!.

Sometimes our Littles balk at “taking a walk”

so it is up to us as Grands to spice our outdoor walk up a bit

by helping them learn to observe the world around them!

Here’s our suggestions to help Littles do just that!

🍁 Start by taking a walk around your neighborhood by yourself and look for signs of fall. Take pictures of these.. When you get home, print them out - all on one page, as shown, for Littles, kindergarten and older.

For younger Littles, ages 2, 3 and 4, cut the pictures apart. If you'd like, you can even mount each on construction paper.

🍁 Show the photos to your Littles and let them know that, together, you are going on a mission in your neighborhood to find Items that Mr. Autumn Equinox has left behind.. Older Littles (kindergarten plus) will enjoy clipping the page of pictures onto a clipboard and marking off the items as they spy them with a marker.

For 2- 4 year olds, you can hand them one individual picture at a time and let them know to look for it since it will be coming up soon, at the next house or two! Once that item is found, give your Little a new photo to look for!

🍁 Stop along the way and encourage your Littles to study the card and landscape and point out each item when found.. This especially provides more success for younger Littles as it narrows their world to something they can focus on more easily.

Celebrate your success when you get back home!

Hot chocolate, apple slices with peanut butter or caramel

or a small piece of Halloween candy will have you and your Littles both saying -

🍁 Mission accomplished!! 🍁

You could even continue with your fun by making our apple pizzas together

or having our scarecrow applesauce cups ready to enjoy when you get home!

We’d love to hear what fall things you find on your fall walk!

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post

or email us directly at ourgrandlives@gmail.com.

Earlier in this post we shared that you’d find some options to consider

If the activity preparations described above seem overwhelming

OR if you are simply looking for an impromptu activity to do together…

Here they are!

🍂 Hand draw simple pictures of the items for your Littles to look for.

🍂 An option that requires no prep would be to use your words to describe what your Littles should be hunting for. Simply put your hand over your eyes and say, “The next item I am thinking of is tall, has a head and arms, and is white.. What do you see?”

🍂 Print a list of words for older Littles. Suggestions might include warmish sun, dancing leaves, or crisp air. The concentration on your Littles’ faces will delight you as they joyfully search for their next item..