Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year. 

Here we share 50 play activities for you to get inspiration from. Some wonderful ideas for your left over pumpkins too - not just for Halloween!

You can also find weekly nature planning ideas and invitations to play in my Rewilding Nature Study Programme

A Gentle Reminder Before You Begin 🌿

It can be tempting to look at a long list of activities and feel like you should do them all. But the Hygge approach is about slowing down, not speeding up.

Children don’t need a packed timetable. What they need is:

• Experiences linked to their current skills (what they are practising right now).

• Play that reflects their interests (what lights them up and holds their attention).

• Learning that grows from what we already know about them as individuals.

✨ Instead of rushing through all 50 ideas, choose just a few as seasonal hooks. Perhaps puddle jumping, conkers, or pumpkins. Offer these gently over the season, observe where t...

 Writing Needs Meaning

When we think about early writing, it can be easy to picture children sitting at a table, practising letter formation, tracing over dotted lines or being asked to write words because an adult has decided it is time.

But writing means so much more to young children when it has a purpose.

Writing comes alive when it is connected to play, relationships, movement and real communication.

So how do we make wanting to learn how to read and write feel irresistible?

Bringing Phonics Into Movement

One simple way I loved bringing phonics and early writing to life in my Reception classroom was through movement. For example, placing the letters from CVC words into hoops and encouraging children to jump onto each sound, say it aloud and then orally blend the word together.

It might look simple, but there is so much happening.

Children are moving.
They are listening.
They are seeing the letters.
They are repeating the sounds.
They are using their whole bodies to learn.

Why Reception baseline should be the beginning of knowing a child—not a judgement on who they are.

It's Reception baseline season

As children settle into Reception, practitioners are asked to find out what they already know and can do.

• Can they count?
• Can they recognise their name?
• Can they hold a pencil?
• Can they hear an initial sound? 

These things can give us useful information. Assessment, when used thoughtfully, can help us notice where a child might need support and plan what comes next.

But there is a danger when the things that are easiest to measure become the things we value most.

Because sitting in front of us is not a collection of gaps waiting to be filled. It is a wonderfully complex four-year-old.

• The child who makes everybody laugh.
• Who notices the tiniest snail in the garden.
• Who can build an entire world from wooden blocks.
• Who comforts a friend when they are sad.
• Who has endless questions, brilliant ideas and stories they cannot wait to share.
• A ...

Autumn Leaves and Conkers Please - Conker Activities from Gemma's Childminding, a Hygge Accredited setting.

'We love to incorporate natural, eco-friendly and recycled products into our play. Our activities are very much child-led these days rather than adult-initiated. I find that being around nature whether this is outdoors or bringing nature indoors really supports the children's learning and wellbeing.

I've noticed some real changes in the children since adapting to a more 'Hygge' based environment and embracing a slow pedagogy.

Some snapshots of how we have enjoyed incorporating conkers into our everyday play this season.'

Woodland Theme Autumn Display

We set up a small display of interest for the children to explore. Lots of natural resources including conkers, pinecones and leaves. We incorporated various lights and some magnifying boxes for them to identify the different textures and colours up close.

They especially loved feeding the conkers to the woodland animals.

Pl...

Recently, a statement stopped me in my tracks:

“Norway has decided to revert to traditional education.”

The post went on to say that generative AI had been banned from primary schools, screens were being replaced with printed textbooks and smartphones had been removed from Norwegian schools.

It is the kind of message that travels quickly online because it appears to confirm something many parents and educators are already feeling:

Childhood has become too digital, too hurried and too focused on the next measurable outcome.

Ready to create more calm, connection and unhurried play in your setting?
Join my free 30-minute training, 3 Steps to Calm, and discover three practical changes you can begin making straight away. Watch here!

As an early years consultant who has spent more than 20 years working with young children—and now as a mum watching my own four-year-old begin Reception—I feel this deeply.

But the phrase “traditional education” also needs careful unpacking.

Because i...

Is Your Child Falling Apart After School? Mine Does Too.

For a long time, I used to wonder why my son seemed to unravel the moment I collected him.

I'd arrive at nursery to hear he'd had a lovely day.

He'd been kind.

Engaged.

Helpful.

Happy.

And then we'd get to the car and suddenly everything felt harder.

The tears.

The silliness.

The big emotions.

The refusal to put a seatbelt on.

The complaints about things that hadn't seemed to matter five minutes earlier.

As both an early years teacher of over 20 years and a mum, I now know this isn't unusual at all.

In fact, it's incredibly common.

Because the school day asks a lot of young children.

They navigate friendships.

Follow routines.

Manage expectations.

Process noise.

Cope with transitions.

Regulate emotions.

And by the time they tumble through the door, they're often carrying far more than we realise.

This is why I've stopped thinking about after-school time as another part of the day to fill.

Instead, I see it...

🍇 Blackberry Potions in the Mud Kitchen 💜🌿

There’s something truly magical about autumn afternoons in the mud kitchen — the air is fresh, the ground is soft beneath little feet, and the blackberry brambles are heavy with jewel-like fruit.

Today, we’ve been brewing blackberry potions — a joyful blend of nature, imagination, and just the right amount of mess! ✨

This kind of play isn’t just fun — it’s a sensory-rich, child-led learning experience. Children are using fine motor skills to mash berries, developing language as they make up spells, and connecting deeply with the natural world as they notice colours, textures, and smells.

If a slower pace to Early Education is something you're craving right now then my 30 minutes FREE training will be a great fit for you. 

🌿 Join My Free Training:

3 Steps to Creating a Calmer, More Engaged Early Years Environment

In this free session, I'll share:

✨ Why children become overwhelmed in busy environments

✨ The Scandinavian-inspired princip...

Just Because a Child Can Read Doesn't Mean They're Ready for School

I remember standing in a Reception classroom years ago, listening to adults talk about a child who was already reading.

"He'll be absolutely fine."

"He's definitely school ready."

"He's so far ahead."

And on paper, they were right.

He could read.

He could count.

He knew his letters and sounds.

But what nobody was talking about was the fact that he found it incredibly difficult to separate from his parents.

He struggled when routines changed.

He became overwhelmed in busy environments.

He found friendships challenging.

And it taught me something I've never forgotten:

School readiness is about so much more than academics.

Yet increasingly, we seem to be reducing childhood to a checklist.

Can they read?

Can they count?

Can they write their name?

Can they recognise sounds?

But children are whole human beings.

And true readiness can never be measured by a phonics score alone.

The School Readiness Myth