9 Safe Fall Activities During COVID

Every family has to decide what risks are and are not acceptable to them, so please be mindful of your tolerances — as well as those of others. Try not to be offended or disappointed if friends and family don’t feel comfortable with joining you.

Remember to wear masks — even if you or your children don’t feel sick. Though staying six feet apart is recommended, it’s particularly difficult for excited kids to maintain that distance so extra vigilence will be required to keep them safe. “There are studies that show virus particles can travel further if people are singing, yelling, or screaming — all of which children love to do,” Dr. Steph Lee, the spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), told Mom.com.

Safety recommendations for fall activities

If you are considering in-person events, there are several other contributing risk factors for getting infected or infecting others with the coronavirus. The amounts of risk varies depending on the combination of these factors, so consider them individually and together. Here are a few of the recommendations from the CDC guidelines:

• Avoid meeting with people who don't live within your household.
• Practice social distancing, especially if you are attending public spaces such as pumpkin patches and farms.
• Consider the community level of COVID-19 where you're going, as well as from where other attendees hail.
• Think about the behaviors of who you're meeting, the people they may come in contact with, and if you are comfortable with that behavior. It's especially important to consider these contacts and the level of exposure to you, your family and elderly friends and relatives.
• Avoid contact with high traffic and commonly touched surfaces and items.
• Continue to wash your hands and make sure your children do, too. this is especially important after attending gatherings and visiting public places. Bring along hand sanitizer for when hand washing is not an option.
• Be mindful of food and drink safety guidelines as indicated by the CDC. These include using single-use items such as plates and utensils and condiments, avoiding buffets, potlucks and salad bars and encouraging guests to bring food and drink for their own household only.

Dr. Lee advised parents to keep activities outdoors as much as possible. “Better ventilation means a lower risk of getting infected with coronavirus,” she said. Good thing there are so many local options for families to enjoy — all while maintaining a safe social distance. Check out your local websites to see what safety measures venues are taking for their staff and visitors.

1. Local farms
Many farms are open via appointments and reservations for activities like hayrides, corn mazes, and crafts. Plus, they often have fun games and props for photo opps!

Entrepreneur Nakisha Wynn took her four kids to a local farm. “We went horseback riding, did the corn maze and a hayride around the farm to see all the animals. The kids had a blast and it was a great time for the family,” she told Mom.com.

2. Apple picking and orchards
One fall tradition is going to a local orchard and picking apples with the children. Plus, you can bring the apples home and make pies, apple cider, and other apple-related treats. If apples aren’t your thing, you can swap out with picking berries or other fruits.

3. Pumpkin patches and pumpkin carving
Often a little more accessible than a local farm, pumpkin patches also offer a variety of fun for kids young and small. Not only can kids pick a pumpkin or another gourd to decorate at home, some of the bigger pumpkin patches also offer hayrides, corn mazes, and petting zoos.

4. Leaf peeping
Search for a local fall foliage map, pop the kids in the car and peep all the fall colors from the safety (and warmth) of your own vehicle.

5. Hiking and nature
In an effort to keep her active teen and tween in touch with nature before it gets too cold, Danielle Wilson and her family have been taking to the hiking trails. “We’ve gone to nature reserves for long walks or runs, meditating, fishing, and hiking. Our city kids even spotted a family of deer!” she told Mom.com. “We’ve also rented a surrey bike for four at two different local parks. You’ll have lots of laughs while working up a sweat!”

6. Farmers markets
Many farmers markets are still operating — albeit many have switched over to limited entry and not allowing folks to handle the produce.

“Our community farmers market is at a small local farm,” Kendra Darr shared with Mom.com. “We have been going the past few weeks so my toddler can see the animals, pumpkins, and run around a bit in the open grass.”

If you’re more of a homebody (or are just leery of going to public spaces), you can still have fun at home.

7. Raking leaves
It’s no secret that raking fallen leaves into a pile might secretly be a chore masquerading as an activity. However, can anything beat the satisfaction that comes from jumping into the pile afterward?

8. Making crafts
Whether you’re doing Halloween crafts, Thanksgiving crafts, or just something vaguely autumnal, there are so many fun fall crafts to do at home with your children. There are also fall crafts for the adults, too, like these gorgeous fall home decor projects.

9. Backyard party
For parents of teens, they might be missing their friends most of all. Tomika Bryant is getting together with two families to host a spooky backyard adventure followed by a movie for their teens. “All activities will be socially distanced and require a mask,” Bryant assured us. “Last week we hired an artist to host a painting class over zoom.”