The month of October is super exciting for littles, and it can put a dent in your family budget, too! I’ve put together ten festive, kid-friendly activities that can be enjoyed at home without breaking the bank. You can save tons by recreating some of your favorite Fall experiences at home! Let me know what you and your family to do make the most of spooky season :o)

1. Paint pumpkins! Grab some mini pumpkins, paint brushes, and some washable paint (we used Crayola). We used a little bin with dish soap to wash each pumpkin, dried them off and we were all set to paint them (best if this activity can be done outdoors). My favorite thing about this activity is that it can be done over and over again!
2. Set up a caramel apple station with sprinkles, nuts and chocolate chips!
3. Conduct an outdoor scavenger hunt and put together a “harvest basket” using items found in your yard. Have your child explore the colors, shapes and textures that Fall brings. (Find a small stick, a yellow leaf, a brown acorn, etc.) Here’s a great Iist!
4. Decorate your windows and glass doors with halloween/fall-themed window clings and paint markers.
5. Dress up using random clothing and items from around your house. You won’t believe how much fun your kiddo will have doing this! Liam used his old dinosaur costume, a chef hat, oven mit, apron, and my husband’s shoes. This was a HIT, do it and let me know what your child dresses up as!
6. If you have access to a safe outdoor space, have a bonfire and roast marshmallows. This is one of my favorite activities and I think it’s totally underrated. Make smores and throw on some spooky music, and watch your kids eat this up!
7. Make a haunted room or haunted yard/forest in an outdoor space. This is a great one for multiple kiddos. We painted spooky monster faces, pumpkins and ghosts on cardboard and put them up in our basement. Put on a halloween playlist and dim the lights!
8. Autumn sensory bin! Use dried corn, leaves, acorns, pinecones, small fall-themed toys and utensils and let your child’s imagination run wild. (This activity is advised for children 3+)
9. Dress up your salt dough! Put a twist on salt dough by adding pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon or nutmeg and use some festive cookie dough cutters. Before you bake, make a small hole in the top of each piece and when they’ve cooled, thread twine through and paint! These make a great gift, too :o)
   > What you’ll need: flour (2 cups) salt (1 cup), water (1 cup) spices.
   > What you’ll do: Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl and gradually add in water until it forms a dough consistency. Knead dough and form into ball (5-7 min) roll out to ¼ inch thickness and use cookie cutters if you’d like for this step. Bake at 250 for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before decorating.
10. Halloween light tour. This is an activity we’ve just started this year and it’s a tradition now :o) You’ve likely driven around during the winter months and enjoyed Christmas lights, well you can do that with halloween yard displays, too! Check out your local facebook pages and news stations for lists of Halloween yards and outdoor decor. We spent about an hour doing this and our son LOVED it. We put on some Halloween music and it really leveled up the experience!

Please let me know which activities you tried, take pictures and post on social using #thegoodkarmama. And I’d love to hear what fall and Halloween activities you and your family enjoy, be sure to share in the comment section below. I hope you have a spooktacular Halloween and a fantastic Fall!