31 Days of Play: October

is an important part of maintaining with our kids, but with so much to do every day, it can be difficult to find the time and energy. Here are 31 ideas, one for each day of the month, that don’t take a lot of time or money. Commit to playing a little every day and see what a difference it makes in your home!

1. Make a fall-themed sensory bin and explore it with your child. Check out for some inspiration.
2. Grab a few leaves from the yard and do leaf rubbings or do .
3. Make a fun treat together. are easy and really cute!
4. Rake a pile of leaves together and jump in them.
5. Play a card game. We like Uno the best.
6. Make sculptures with toothpicks and miniature marshmallows.
7. Go ! Make ghost faces on 6 rolls of toilet paper and stack them up. Drill holes in a pumpkin like a bowling ball and see who can knock down the most ghosts!
8. Start a new read aloud and read for 30 minutes before bed every night. Our favorites are The Chronicles of Narnia books. .
9. Decorate pumpkins. For a fun alternative to carving, try cookie cutters and a rubber mallet to pound shapes into the pumpkin, or pick up a craft kit at your local Dollar Store.
10. Have a drawing contest, or play !
11. Dress up and a photo shoot.
12. Amaze your child with a , then teach him how to do it too!
13. Get out the pots and pans and make your own band, and perform!
14. Have a dance party.
15. Make an indoor obstacle course.
16. Play hot potato.
17. Build with wooden blocks or Legos together.
18. Play indoor hopscotch using masking tape on the floor.
19. Play Simon Says, Red Light Green Light, or Musical Chairs.
20. Make paper airplanes and fly them.
21. Make 10 sticky notes and put them on the walls in your child's room. On each one, write one thing you love about them. If they're too small to read, draw them little pictures, and tell them what you drew.
22. Play a board game like Candy Land or Scrabble.
23. Make dinosaur fossils and toy dinosaurs. Imprint and let dry.
24. Go on an evening .
25. Go on a with white balloons and NERF guns!
26. Set up a scavenger hunt.
27. Go geocaching!
28. Grab your pillow cases and have a sack race.
29. Stay up late and watch a family friendly scary movie.
30. Drive around a nearby neighborhood to look at Halloween decorations.
31. Bake together.
Have fun with your family and enjoy all 31 days of October! Show us some of your fall photos in the comments below!

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