With the school year in full swing, kids all over the country will be looking forward to their October half term break. However, for grown-ups, coming up with activities to do during the holiday can add on extra work. To help, we’ve put together this fun autumn themed list of activities and days out for your family to try.
October Half Term Days Out & Activities
🎃 Pumpkin Picking
Alongside pumpkin spiced lattes on your social media feeds, you’ve most likely seen pictures of families picking pumpkins during the autumn season, too. Pumpkin patches have become more and more popular over the years, with many in the UK becoming fully fledged attractions with food stalls, maize mazes, and bouncy castles on offer. With its popularity, pumpkin picking can be a bit expensive. Take a look at family tickets though, as this can be cheaper. Some patches also have free entry, so you only pay for the pumpkins. With the pumpkins you take home, you and your kids could give carving a go. And if your pumpkins are still fresh after the 31st, get your money’s worth by cooking up some spooky soup for tea!
🥮 Get Baking
Speaking of cooking, baking can also be a fun activity for the whole family (despite the sometimes chaotic clean-up effort afterward!). The BBC has a great selection of Halloween themed recipes that are easy for kids to get involved in, like these Halloween cake recipes. Why not even give the kids a list of ingredients, as well as a budget to buy them, and take them along to the supermarket to throw a little money lesson in there too? And after making these treats together, reap the rewards by getting cosy on the couch to watch a family Halloween movie together while you snack.
🍂 Nature Walk or Bike Ride
Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year, with leaves in a rainbow of colours as the trees prepare to shed their leaves. While the weather might be a bit chillier, wrapping up in warm clothing and waterproofs means your family can still enjoy some of the 1.7 million hectares of woodland that the UK has to offer. So why not get the kids out of the house and on a family woodland adventure? Whether walking or cycling, there are plenty of options. Countryfile has a great list of woodlands you can explore, and Sustrans have a handy guide to the national bike network.
🦕 Visit a Museum
Museums can always provide a fun filled day out, no matter the season. Many will even have Halloween themed events for you and your kids to enjoy. There are a lot of fantastic free museums in the UK, see if you find a local one you could take the kids to. From London’s Science Museum to Glasgow’s Kelvingrove, you’re sure to find somewhere that won’t break the bank.
👻 Make Halloween Decorations at Home
At home crafts can always provide an afternoon of fun, and there’s no better time for kids to get crafty for Halloween than over the October break. If they’re feeling adventurous, they could try making their own pumpkin bowl, or keep it simple by drawing, colouring, and cutting out their own Halloween bunting like ghosts, witches, or goblins. They could even collect some leaves on a walk to use in their crafting, sprinkling a bit of colour into their hair-raising creations.