Fall Activity Ideas for Your SPED Transition Classroom
As the leaves begin to change and the crisp air of fall sets in, it’s the perfect time to try new things with your special education students!
Switching things up by planning some fun activities that are different from your daily activities will create more excitement for your students. It also allows you to create new memories with fun experiences!
Take advantage of this season and try these fun and simple fall activity ideas that your transition students will love.
Fun and Simple Activities to Do During Fall Season
There’s no need to think about complicated activities for your classroom during the fall season. Here are fall activities perfect for Neurodivergent high school or adults. They’re enjoyable and inclusive for everyone. Feel free to adapt these ideas to suit your students!
Outdoor Fall Activities
Going outdoors during fall is a great way to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery. Plus, it’s a wonderful opportunity for community-based instruction so your students can explore and learn outside the classroom! Here are some things you can do with your transition students outside the school.
- Nature Walk
Do you live somewhere where the trees change color during fall? Go outside for a sensory-rich experience! You can simply walk around and encourage your students to observe and collect leaves, acorns, and other items.
Additionally, you can use this time to talk about the changing seasons.
- Scavenger Hunt
Another thing you can do outdoors, even in your schoolyard, is a fun scavenger hunt. Head outside and give your students a list of things to look for (make sure they’re fall-related!). Check out this bundle of scavenger hunts you can do that are all life skills related.
- Pumpkin Patch
A trip to a pumpkin patch can also be fun! Here, you can do so many more activities other than picking pumpkins. You can try pumpkin carving and decorating, or play giant yard games.
- Farmer’s Market
Fall is harvest season, and it’s a great time to visit a farmer’s market in your community. Your students can see and taste fresh fruits and vegetables, and maybe even do a scavenger hunt there!
If your class has funds, you can even incorporate a little life skill lesson like shopping for recipe ingredients.
- Apple Picking
Look for a nearby orchard and visit it for a day of apple picking! It’s a nice way to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise.
You can spend as much or as little time as you want, and afterward, you can use the apples to make delicious treats or have a taste test!
Going outdoors for a community-based lesson is very helpful for your students who are transitioning to adulthood. Just remember to keep your students safe during your community trips!
Indoor Activities
If you can’t get out of the school or even your classroom, that’s not a problem! You can still enjoy fall activities. Here are some ideas for indoor fun!
- Fall-themed Lessons
First off, you don’t really need to think of something extravagant for your fall activities. You can simply incorporate the fall season into your curriculum!
Use autumn-themed lesson materials whenever you’re teaching functional skills. For example, when teaching money math, you can use things related to fall as examples. Or if you’re practicing reading comprehension skills, why not use stories about autumn?
Check out these Fall-themed Dollar Up Worksheets so you’ll have a better idea of what to do!
- Fall-themed Games
To make things more fun, you can teach about the season using easy games. If you’re teaching life skills during the fall season, you can use no-prep interactive resources like this Would You Rather Activity with questions about fall.
But if you want to put in some extra effort, go ahead! Other fun games you can try are Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe using mini pumpkins, Harvest Bingo (with fall-themed bingo cards), or putting an autumn twist to a classic game by pinning the leaf on a tree instead of pinning the tail on the donkey!
- Halloween
Fall is also the Halloween season, and it can be a fun and festive time for your transition students even if they’re not kids anymore!
Engage them in fun indoor activities like Halloween mask-making, costume contests, and spooky stories.
For functional academics, check out this HALLOWEEN BUNDLE to use with students!
- Thanksgiving
How about teaching gratitude to your students this Thanksgiving? Gratitude is actually an important leadership skill, and fall is the perfect season for teaching it!
Put up a Gratitude Tree (a giant paper tree) inside the classroom. With a sticky note ready, your students will write something they’re thankful for. This activity can be done for a whole month before Thanksgiving!
Additionally, you can have your students make gratitude cards for their teachers and paras! Take a look at this printable thank you card template.
- Veteran’s Day
Speaking of gratitude, you can also teach your students about Veteran’s Day, which is not only about history but also about being thankful to the veterans. Plus, it’s celebrated in November!
Organize activities such as writing letters for veterans. With this activity, you can also teach them about mail and letter addresses! If you know a local veteran, invite them to speak to the class. One more thing you can do is learn about the history of Veteran’s Day using video presentations.
- Job Skills
One of our main goals is to prepare our transition students for the job market, and an important step is to teach students how to fill out job applications and do mock interviews.
What if we add an autumn touch to this lesson? Use resources like this Halloween HELP Wanted Job Listing Reading Comprehension Vocational Activity to simulate the job application process. This can help your students develop reading comprehension and vocational skills, preparing them for real-world job hunting!
Fall Student Business
Get your students working in a meaningful way while at school! Running a student business can be an excellent way to teach life skills like community, money math, and consumer skills. Here are some fun fall-related business ideas you can do during the fall:
- Coffee Cart
Have your students put together a coffee cart business! It’s perfect for high school and transition students. While it’s something you can do all year round, the start of fall is actually the best time to offer a warm cup!
This business can be done in a small area in your classroom or with a rolling cart (if you plan to do deliveries). You’ll need supplies like cups, coffee, and of course, a coffee machine!
Your students will have an opportunity to learn skills in collecting orders, shopping for supplies, food preparation, and customer service! The process is pretty simple, and this Coffee Cart Making & Delivery resource has everything you need to get started!
- Thanksgiving Grocery Delivery
How about a business that can help your fellow teachers and school staff? Starting a Thanksgiving grocery delivery service is a fun and meaningful way to help! It’s also a great community-based activity for your special education class.
For this business, your class will do grocery shopping for teachers and staff. From collecting orders to delivering the groceries right to their office, you’ll get it covered. Head over to our blog, How to Start a Thanksgiving Student Business, to learn more about this business idea!
- Halloween Candy Purchase and Delivery
Do the offices in your school have empty candy bowls for Halloween? The teachers and staff must be so busy with work that they don’t have time to buy treats! Why don’t you help them by organizing a Halloween candy purchase and delivery service?
Your class will handle the orders, shopping, and delivery of candies this Halloween. Make sure to collect orders in advance so you’ll have time to look for shops with discounted prices!
With these business activities, you’ll be able to incorporate the season and have your students learn important skills. If you want to see more, check out a list of business ideas for your special education class.
Fall is a fantastic time to try new activities with your transition class. Whether you’re exploring the outdoors, enjoying fun indoor activities, or running a student business, these fall activities can help your students learn and grow. Enjoy the season and have fun with your class!
