Welcome to my November activities for kids post! Every month of 2021 I have put together some simple ideas for you and your children to make and create together at home. If you’re new to my seasonal activities post then welcome! Each month we share a mixture of indoor, outdoor ideas, recipes and resources.
The reason I decided to start sharing seasonal play ideas came from my love of the change of seasons. I love to note and celebrate the seasons in terms of nature, decor, food, and everything in between. Mix that with my childcare background and this monthly post became a place to produce some inspiration for kids’ activities for every month of the year.
November is a month that although often filled with planning for December can also be a time to step back and slow down. I hope to do a mix of planning for Christmas but also slow down, embrace the dark nights, cozy up and enjoy a few mindful activities with the kids. I know that kids crafts and activities can sometimes feel daunting and messy but if kept simple they can honestly help you come together, entertain your littles and bring a bit of peace and sanity to your lives. I sat and made a salt dough lantern with my daughter this week and it made me stop doing housework and was actually therapeutic for me!
Seasonally I feel there is a shift this month as Autumn slowly moves towards Winter which you will see through our activities and resources. In this November activities for kids post we also acknowledge a few events/celebrations as there is Diwali the festival of light, Bonfire night, Remembrance Day and a nod to Thanksgiving and harvest festival.
It also gets harder to be outdoors the next few months so there is naturally more indoor activities but as always some of our crafts etc can be done outdoors if you have a calm weather day and are all wrapped up!
Indoor Activities
Firework Breadsticks
This is a really simple one to enjoy in the kitchen on a rainy day. They don’t have to be for bonfire night as they could easily be wands instead of fireworks!
You need:
- Breadsticks
- Chocolate
- Sprinkles
- Chocolate Stars
We used Dr Oetker chocolate stars for this activity, which you can find in most UK supermarkets. Melt chocolate and dip your breadstick into the melted chocolate, then roll in sprinkles and top with a chocolate star.
Frozen Biscuits
This is a lovely simple Autumn into Winter activity and is one that can be done as an after school activity.
You need:
Rich tea biscuits
Icing
Food colouring – Blue works well
Winter / Christmas Sprinkles
Diwali Lantern
My daughter is currently learning about Diwali and came home very eager to learn more. One of her teachers talked about making Diwali lanterns so we sat down after school whilst the dinner was in the oven and made some lanterns using salt dough. This was such a lovely activity to do together and ow the dark nights are drawing in we will be able to light our lanterns and appreciate some twinkly lights.
You need
- 2 cups of plain flour
- 2 cups of salt
- 1 cup of water
Poppy Wreath
You need:
Egg Box
Red and black paint
Glue Gun
Cardboard box
Remembrance Day is an event our children have always been involved in through my husband’s work and through being part of Scouts who also take part in Remembrance parades. This activity is a good one for involving smaller children in marking Remembrance Day. We put our wreath on the door and my daughter was very proud of her efforts.
Corn painting
Thanksgiving is a celebration that hasn’t really been adopted by the UK in the same way it is celebrated in America. I feel that we should make more of Harvest festival in this country. We have several books on our bookshelves; sleep tight farm comes to mind the most where I can share with the children how we can be thankful for nature and farmers at this time of year. This corn painting was fun as we bought some corn from a farm shop and then painted our own with a potato masher.
You need:
Paint- Autumnal colours
Potato masher
Card and coloured paper
Outdoor Activities
It’s hard to get outdoors at this time of year when the days are shorter and cooler. There are a few ways that I motivate our children to be outdoors.
Bird feeders
We have made various bird feeders over the years. This particular one is perfect for helping younger ones with their fine motor skills as they thread the cheerios through pipe cleaners.
You need:
Pipe cleaners
Cheerios
You can find some more ideas for bird feeders on this post here.
Night Explore
I mentioned it last month but this is something our kids love to do. After dinner and before bath time or sometimes after bath time and in pjs or onesies we get them wrapped up and walk around the block on a night where they can see the stars, moon and see the world differently. There are several books that we find useful for night time adventures; Night time explorer, maybe moon and the marvellous moon map of which I will pop into my resources section.
Journey Stick
For daytime adventures having a journey stick can also encourage them on a walk in cooler weather. Pick up a stick and use rubber bands or string to tie nature items onto a stick. The stick then tells a tale of where they have walked on their adventure. We also find the Gruffalo Autumn and Winter activity sticker book very helpful for spotting and learning about nature. Again this is in my resources section.
Resources
I always like to include our favourite boos and resources for each month and season. Here are my choices for this November activities for kids post.
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