Fall is in the air at last! For many families, Autumn is the most exciting time of year. Leaves are changing, temperatures are cooling, and the holidays are fast approaching. This season is a great time to let your child with special needs explore, learn, and experience everything fall has to offer. Although not every state experiences Fall the same way, there are still lots of ways you can have fun and enjoy the season. Here are some fun Fall activities you can do with your special needs child.
Enjoy!
There’s no better way to enjoy the changing of the seasons than to take regular nature walks. Bring your child to your local park or nature preserve and take in the beauty of your surroundings. You can even invent your own scavenger hunt and have your child seek out certain objects like pinecones, red leaves, animals, and more. Get creative, and engage your child’s imagination.
Although it may be more convenient to have your little one select a pumpkin from the grocery store, visiting a pumpkin patch is twice the fun! Be sure to check that the pumpkin patch is wheelchair accessible. If your child has sensory sensitivities, consider visiting the patch during slower times of the day. Or, you can visit farmers’ markets or roadside displays where there will likely be a smaller crowd.
Halloween wouldn’t be complete without some spooky Jack-o-lanterns to light up the porch! Let your child decide which pumpkin they’d like to carve. Then bring out safe cutting tools and get to work! Your child can create an original carving or follow a pattern of their choosing. Have them help you scoop out the insides so they get the full sensory experience. Don’t forget to save those pumpkin seeds to cook up as a tasty snack later!
Raking leaves is a great way to get some exercise—and have fun while doing it! Instead of thinking of it as a chore, imagine how much fun your child will have when they can jump into the pile at the end. Then you can work together to gather the leaves into yard bags or a compost bin. This is a great chance to engage all your child’s senses, like sight, smell, sound, and touch. Let them feel and hear the crinkle of the leaves as they play in the pile. It’s sure to be good fun!
The next time you’re out on a neighborhood walk, have your child collect some of their favorite colored leaves. Then when you get home, you can press those leaves between two sheets of wax paper and iron them flat to create a preserved frame. Your child will enjoy picking out special leaves and feeling the different textures. For safety, you may want to handle the ironing yourself.
Depending on what part of the country you live in, you might be fortunate to see leaves change colors. This is a great time to take a scenic driving trip to see the colorful autumn leaves. Plus, it gives your family the chance to get out of the house and see something new! Plan for a couple of stops along the way where your child can play and collect objects like leaves, rocks, feathers, and pinecones. Encourage your child to explore and ask questions about the sights around them.
When Halloween rolls around, you’ll want to help your child pick out the perfect costume! Shopping can be a stressful experience for some children with sensory sensitivities, so consider visiting the stores at less crowded times. Or you can get even more creative and make your own costume! There are also many costumes that are adaptive to your child’s needs.
Aside from Christmas, we’re willing to bet that Halloween is your child’s favorite holiday. When Halloween night arrives, accompany your child and their friends for trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. If your child gets anxious around crowds, you can always start your trick-or-treating earlier in the evening when there are fewer people out. Encourage your child to say “thank you” when receiving candy.
On cooler days, grab some materials and get creative! You can make paper Thanksgiving placemats, cut-out memory card games, papercraft turkeys, popsicle stick scarecrows, and much more. If you’re fond of scrapbooking, this is the perfect time to involve your child. Have fun with these crafts and encourage your child to use their imagination.
Fall evenings are the perfect time for bonfires and roasting marshmallows. Your child will love roasting and enjoying marshmallows, especially if you use them to make s’mores. If you are nervous about an open fire, you can roast marshmallows over a small charcoal grill or even over the stove. You can also bake them in the oven to get that same gooey texture. Before roasting marshmallows, make sure that your child doesn’t have any swallowing-related feeding issues. Make sure they can safely handle and eat marshmallows.
With the holidays approaching, there is no better time to get baking! Bring out your favorite fall recipes for cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, and more. Have your child help you pick out, prepare, and measure the ingredients. They are sure to love the sensory experience of feeling and smelling the ingredients. Plus, this is also a great time to work on listening and following directions. Just make sure you supervise them around sharp objects and hot ovens. Safety first!
Fill up a small bin with a variety of objects, like dried corn on the cob, corn husks, beans, popcorn kernels, fallen leaves, dried pumpkin seeds, or anything else fall-related. Really, your options are endless! Ask your child to describe the different textures, colors, and weights of the objects. This is a great way to help your child practice grabbing small objects and using their vocabulary to describe different objects.
For many bird species, fall marks the start of migration season. This is a great time to get outside with your child and watch for migrating birds that may be passing through your neighborhood or local parks. You can even attract birds to your backyard homemade treats. Cover some pinecones in peanut butter, roll them in birdseed, and hang them up in your yard. The birds are sure to love it, and your child will enjoy watching the beautiful visitors!
Is the weather a little too chilly to play outside? That’s ok! Cozy up with hot cocoa and some fall-themed picture books. Encourage your child to read along with you and pick out certain words. Take your time and be sure to engage your child in the story. Be on the lookout for interactive picture books that include sounds, textures, or even moving objects.
We hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the fun Fall activities you can do with your special needs child. After all, Fall is one of our favorite seasons here at On Angel’s Wings! Our members celebrate the season with a variety of fall activities, games, and events. We even have a Thanksgiving celebration where families can share homemade treats together.
On Angel’s Wings, Inc. is an organization founded on Christian values. Since 2003, we have provided quality services to families and children with special needs.
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