The shift of seasons between summer and autumn could be the one that feels the biggest. Entertaining children feels much easier when the weather is on your side – and long daylight hours make everyone feel happier. Sometime around late September or early October, when you’re still getting your head around the children’s new school and nursery routines, the air begins to chill, leaves begin to swirl around us and the moon pops up far earlier than feels right.
Nature forces a change of pace upon us. There’s less time to get outdoors during the week. That means more need to plan time in nature at the weekend, and more reason to embrace getting cosy at home the rest of the time.
Weekends in the Woods
For families who love spending time out in the fresh air, the move into autumn can be tough. Long, sunny evenings running through meadows are suddenly replaced with grey, misty skies and buggy wheels caked in mud.
Heading out to spend time in a forest becomes something that needs to be planned around weather forecasts and daylight hours, rather than something that can be done on a whim. For adults, cooler, darker days can signal that it’s time to rest – but toddlers and children still want to get outside and run around. This collection of wooden toys is perfect for popping in pockets to add some excitement to a walk through the leaves…
Wooden Woodland Animals
A handful of wooden woodland animals – or even just one or two of these lovely woodland creatures – can add a great focus to autumn walks. Can you find mossy homes for these creatures to hide in? Can you and your child identify these species? How would you know if any of them are in the forest close to you? Creep quietly through the trees so you don’t scare any nearby deer…
If you’re looking for toys to take on an autumn walk, small pieces work best – and this collection of Woodland Animals (including a rabbit, hare, hedgehog, fox, fallow deer, red squirrel, weasel and badger) couldn’t be better.
Individual animals – find fallow deer, badger, rabbit, hare, hedgehog and so many more animals in the shop.
Foraging fun
Collecting autumn treasures is a great activity for young children. Stuffing pockets with shiny conkers, marvelling over acorns and their cups and tasting blackberries straight from the bush is a lovely way to spend time together.
The Wild Wood Foraging Trug and My Forest Floor are filled with wooden recreations of fungi, seeds, leaves and other treasures that can be found in the woods. Pocket-sized nature toys like these add interest to an autumn walk (and you can get them out again to relive your adventure when you get home).
Compare the wooden treasures from the Wild Wood Foraging Trug with the real thing when you’re out in the woods, or nestle its fruit, fungi, seeds and leaves among the forest floor as part of a foraging game.
My Forest Floor is an open-ended tinker tray including fungi, pebbles, rocks, leaves, insects, seeds, a speckled egg and a nesting rainbow. Little ones can stack, balance, count – these tactile pieces are a beautiful invitation for free play.
Woodland Whimsy
Want to add some make-believe magic to a walk in the woods? The Timber Taxi and its passengers are easy to slip into a rucksack. Search for the perfect homes for fist-sized Fungi, Robbie and Woody and wheel the taxi along a bumpy fallen log.
Dark nights start here
When the clocks go back, children need new ways to play indoors after dark. This is when autumn really kicks in and everyone starts spending much more time indoors with the curtains closed. October indoor activities are often needed, too, as the end of the month can be chilly, damp and dark.
Need to burn off energy indoors?
Bring the outside in with the Woodland Indoor Croquet Set, featuring sweet autumnal animals on each croquet hoop. Arrange a forest glade in the playroom, then take it in turns to tap the ball through the hoops.
Or put on a puppet show in the Woodland Stores and Theatre! This clever set comes with two glove puppets so a show is always just moments away… Or turn it around to open up a play shop, complete with shelves, blackboard and a shopping bag!
Let’s puzzle
The Foxy Magnetic Stacker is a brilliant first puzzle for little ones while older children will love the challenge of balancing forest shapes onto the wooden tree base in the Stacking Forest set.
Not-too-spooky Halloween
A gentle, not-too-scary way to celebrate Halloween is to lean into the autumn theme. The sweet characters of the Woodland Gnome Family are ready to play a gentle trick-or-treat game, alongside your dolls house collection. Looking for a wooden toy pumpkin? There’s one in the Veggie Basket set. Mix and match the pumpkin and gnome family set to make the cutest autumn tablescape. Add falling leaves and woodland creatures to your seasonal decor with the Autumn Woodland Garland.
Colourful toys for Diwali
Diwali toys for children often focus on colour, light and pattern rather than specific religious imagery. Let your little one experiment with light and colour with Peacock Colours. This lovely toy allows children to learn about colours and colour mixing through play, as well as making a great Diwali gift for children.
Cosy Season
It’s not just about getting out into the woods, whatever the weather – sometimes it’s best to watch the rain from the other side of the window and enjoy getting cosy indoors. There’s no need to battle with wet weather clothes every day. Just pop the kettle on and make yourself a cuppa while the little ones produce their own cosy feast.
Snug snacks
Brew up a warm drink with the Babyccino Maker – it's the perfect accompaniment to a round of toast made with the Breakfast Toaster Set. Pretend play with tea sets and toy food helps toddlers build language and social skills.
Let’s bake!
Breakfast done? Let’s move onto teatime, because baking takes a while! Whisk up a cake and a loaf with the Home Baking set (and enjoy all of the fun of cooking without the flour-covered kitchen!) When it’s time to eat, serve your goodies in style with the Birdie Tea Set and Birdie Afternoon Tea Stand.
Market Day
Playing shops and markets is a lovely way to introduce toddlers to fruit, vegetables and counting. Bring the Harvest Festival vibes with these baskets of bounty: Bread Basket, Wicker Shopping Basket, Seafood Basket, Fruity Basket – just a few of the high-quality, sustainable wooden food toys available in the Tender Leaf shop.
Toys for every kind of autumn day
As the first frosty mornings arrive, life begins to feel different. From wrapping up little ones for crisp walks through the woods to settling into cosy afternoons at home, there’s a toy for it. Something to slip into a coat pocket to take to the forest, something to pull out when the curtains need to be drawn by 4pm and something for the days when all anyone wants is a couple of extra marshmallows in their hot chocolate.