When autumn arrives, it can be tempting to let cozy screen time take over chilly afternoons. However, crisp air and festive holidays make fall the perfect season to unplug as a family. You don’t need expensive kits or elaborate setups to keep your kids entertained. With a little creativity and a quick trip to Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia, you can create hands-on seasonal memories that everyone will love.
Here are five easy, screen-free fall activities to try with your family this season.
1. Host a Neighborhood Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Turn a simple walk through your neighborhood into an exciting festive challenge. Create a quick checklist of seasonal items for your kids to spot while exploring outdoors.
- What to search for: Jack-o'-lanterns, spiderwebs, skeletons, scarecrows and black cats.
- Pro tip: Grab a small woven basket or canvas bag from your local Goodwill store for kids to collect colorful fallen leaves along the way.
2. Plan a DIY Costume-Making Night
Skip the pricey store-bought costumes and let your kids design their own looks. A DIY costume night encourages creativity and gives children total pride in what they wear on Halloween.
- How to start: Visit Goodwill to browse clothes, hats, jackets and unique accessories.
- Fun ideas: An oversized blazer can become a mad scientist coat, a vintage floral dress makes a great fairytale character and a plain flannel shirt sets up a classic scarecrow outfit.
3. Throw a Family Decorating Party
Transforming your living space for autumn does not have to fall entirely on parents. Turn decorating into a fun family event complete with warm cider, seasonal music and shared projects.
- Assign roles: Let younger children arrange pumpkins and gourds while older kids help set up mantle displays or door wreaths.
- Thrift the look: Look for gently used ceramic pumpkins, festive candle holders, autumn tablecloths and cozy plaid throw blankets at Goodwill to style your home on a budget.
4. Create Halloween Crafts Using Thrifted Finds
Upcycling secondhand items into spooky decorations is a super fun way to keep little hands busy on rainy afternoons.
- Picture frame ghosts: Buy inexpensive wooden frames, let kids paint the frames black or orange and draw friendly ghosts on paper to insert inside.
- Mug planters: Pick up plain white ceramic mugs, use permanent markers to draw jack-o'-lantern faces on them and plant small autumn succulents inside.
5. Craft DIY Ghost Decorations
Classic ghost crafts are simple, affordable and endlessly entertaining for kids of all ages.
- Upcycled sheet ghosts: Cut up a thrifted white bedsheet or tablecloth. Wrap the fabric square over a styrofoam ball or crumpled paper, tie a ribbon around the neck and let kids paint black eyes and mouths.
- Yarn ghosts: Wrap white yarn around a piece of cardboard, tie it off at the top to form a head and trim the bottom loops to hang in windows or from doorways.
Make Fall Memories for Less
Unplugging this fall is easy when you have a few simple projects ready to go. Beyond saving money on craft supplies and costumes, shopping at Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia helps support free job training and employment programs right in our local community.
Visit your nearest store today to gather your supplies for a fun, screen-free autumn.
Learn more here: www.goodwillvirginia.org
