There’s no month quite like October: from the spooky decorations to the crispness in the air, this is the perfect month to reconnect with your loved ones and have a blast doing it. From Halloween crafts to cozy reads, we’ve got 31 ideas to keep your family bond strong.
1. Rake up leaves then jump in. Start a leaf fight!
2. Have a Yes Day. Here's how.
3. Head to a pumpkin patch to choose your perfect future Jack-o'-Lantern.
4. Make a charming dangling skeleton for your window or door.
5. Plan out a dinner with the kids, then shop for the ingredients together and—of course—cook it together.
6. Have breakfast by candlelight.
7. Make a card for a relative just because; decorate it and have every family member sign it.
8. Try your hand at mask making. Trust us, it can be done!
9. Bake savory muffins together on the weekend and enjoy them in lunch later in the week.
10. Did you go apple picking yet? Make use of those apples with an apple pumpkin craft.
11. Start on a DIY costume together you can actually do.
12. Declare a family game night, or to be different, a family game afternoon.
13. Plan an awesome family road trip to see fall leaves. Here are some of our favorite spots in the country.
14. Get crafty with all those leaves.
15. Make some Halloween decorations.
16. Try a (harmless) prank on a family member for Halloween.
17. Cook or bake something that includes fall's favorite squash—pumpkins!
18. Visit a fall festival near you.
19. Read one of the year's best books (so far).
20. Take a bike ride with your whole crew.
21. Plan a family movie night with one of these Halloween movies for kids.
22. Learn a fact or two about Day of the Dead.
23. Pick your favorite pumpkin carving design.
24. Or go with a cool no-carve idea instead.
25. Do one of these fall-themed science experiments.
26. Take a walk, and count how many birds you see flying south for the winter.
27. Build a fire, and make s'mores.
28. Visit a not-so-scary haunted house.
29. Go to one of the last baseball games of the season.
30. Shop for seasonal produce at your local farmer's market.
31. Have blast trick-or-treating on Halloween night!
