Friday 23rd September marked the start of Autumn in the United Kingdom. Changing seasons can be an exciting time of year for young children, and an excellent learning opportunity. Autumn in particular brings a whole host of fun activities and events for your children to enjoy!
Autumn is one of the most visually exciting times of the year. As the trees shed their leaves, different colours can be seen from reds and oranges to browns and yellows. These can be fun to collect, and when it is dry stamping in crunchy leaves can be a fun sensory activity! You can also collect things such as acorns, conkers, and pine cones, even planting them ready to sprout next spring.
As well as visual changes, autumn brings changes to the weather. After a summer full of warm sunshine, autumn will be a drastic change from what we have become accustomed to! This is a good opportunity to talk about the weather with your child, teaching them new vocabulary and how they can use it. It’s also good for teaching your child how to dress appropriately, such as welly boots and rain coats when it's raining, or hats and scarves when it is cold.
A change in seasons is also a good way to help your child deal with change. As the change is more gradual, it can be easier for your child to adjust. Letting them know it is happening, what it means, and what comes next is a good way to help them adapt!
Finally, Autumn brings with it its own holidays to celebrate! The first off is Halloween on 31st October. Although initially Halloween can seem a bit too scary for young children, there are a lot of events and activities specifically catered to a younger audience. Dressing up can be a perfect example of this - you don’t have to dress up as something spooky! You can also dress your child up as one of their favourite characters.
As a bonding activity, you can also carve a pumpkin! Have your child design the pumpkin either on a piece of paper or by drawing directly onto the pumpkin skin with a marker pen. Then your child can also help with scooping out the pumpkin! This is a fun craft that is exclusive to Halloween.
Bonfire Night on the 5th November is also a fun holiday you can celebrate with your child. Fireworks can be fun to watch from inside if your child has sensory issues, or if you want to go to a display invest in some headphones or ear plugs to dull the sound. Official displays and bonfires will have activities for children to enjoy too, such as fairground rides or games! This can be a good opportunity for an evening out for the family to enjoy.
So, although Autumn brings with it cold weather, it brings with it a lot of exciting opportunities for you and your children!
