Boredom Be Gone! Creative Activities for Long Autumn Evenings
When the days grow shorter and the world outside turns golden, families naturally begin spending more time indoors. Long autumn evenings can feel slow and cozy — the perfect moment for imaginative play, cardboard crafts, and activities that bring both parents and children together.
Inspired by my picture book Are You Bored? and the companion Activity Book, I’ve gathered a collection of creative, low-prep, colorful activities designed for quiet afternoons, after-school hours, and family weekends. Whether you’re a teacher planning your November lessons or a parent searching for easy at-home ideas, these activities are meant to help boredom transform into creativity.
Free Printable Pages
These pages make wonderful evening activities by the warm glow of a lamp — a calming way to engage kids before bedtime or during peaceful family time.
1. The Toy Adventure Challenge
A cozy, indoor activity perfect for rainy afternoons & after-school playtime
When the weather turns chilly and kids gravitate indoors, familiar toys often start feeling “boring.” The Toy Adventure Challenge gives those everyday toys new life — sparking imagination through color, clues, and exploration.
What Makes This Activity Perfect for Autumn
Autumn days are ideal for slow-paced, creative play. Kids are surrounded by warm colors, soft blankets, and busy imaginations just waiting to be used. The coloring-and-search dynamic keeps them engaged even when energy is low.
How It Works
First, kids color the toys on the printable page — the blue airplane, the yellow monkey, the orange train, the green dinosaur, and more.
It’s a simple warm-up that encourages attention to detail, color awareness, and focus.
Then comes the adventure.
Children search the room or house for real-life objects that match the toys and colors. This turns an ordinary living space into a treasure map.
They might find:
A blue sock instead of a blue airplane
A green pencil for the green dinosaur
A soft blanket that feels like the teddy bear
A rolling can that substitutes for a bike wheel
Extend the Activity
Invite your child to create a story using at least three of the items they found.
This boosts:
vocabulary
storytelling skills
emotional expression
Autumn evenings are especially nice for storytelling — dim lights, a cup of tea for the parent, quiet moments to bond.
This simple activity becomes a family memory.
2. Invent-Your-Own Game Hour
A free, creative, screen-free activity for families and classrooms
Children love to create rules — it gives them a sense of ownership and empowerment. This activity builds on that spark and turns it into something magical.
Why It’s Great for Long Evenings
When sunset happens early, there’s more time for slow, imaginative play. Parents can truly join in. Teachers can use this as a calming end-of-day activity before dismissal.
How It Works
Children choose any toys from the coloring sheet or from their home/classroom and invent a completely new game.
Encourage questions like:
“What silly rule will make players laugh?”
“How do you win? Or is this a cooperative game?”
“What tools or toys are needed for your game?”
The games kids invent are often full of charm and chaos — “Dinosaur Dice Dance-Off,” “Teddy Rescue Mission,” “The Never-Ending Rocket Race.”
Why Parents Love It
This activity requires almost no prep and keeps children engaged for long stretches.
Plus, it leads to giggles, collaboration, and shared family time — the good kind of chaos.
3. Big Box Imagination Day
The ultimate autumn craft — cozy, creative, colorful, and unforgettable
Cardboard boxes are humble materials, but they offer endless possibilities.
Autumn is prime box season — deliveries arrive for holidays, warm clothes, books, and gifts. Every home has a box… and every box can become a world.
Why Kids Love This in Autumn
Long evenings make kids crave cozy spaces. Big cardboard creations instantly become:
forts
spaceships
reading nooks
pirate hideouts
secret lairs
magical worlds
Kids decorate their boxes with crayons, stickers, tape, or even fallen leaves collected outdoors.
How It Works
Let kids choose a “Big Box Project”:
Castle Tower – add hand-drawn bricks, flags, windows
Rocket Ship – tape on paper fins, draw control buttons
Airplane – create wings, a pilot badge, and cardboard goggles
Pet Carrier – inspired by the cats in your book
Reading Fort – cozy up with blankets and picture books
Robot Armor – wearable cardboard pieces, decorated with markers
Suddenly, your living room turns into a colorful imaginative playground.
Pro Tip for Families
When the box is finished, turn off the lights, add a small (safe!) LED candle, and let your child tell a story from inside their “box world.”
It becomes the heart of the evening.
4. Small Box STEM Lab
A hands-on educational activity perfect for cozy weekends at home
STEM activities don’t have to involve screens, expensive kits, or complicated instructions.
Small cardboard boxes open a world of simple, meaningful engineering concepts kids can experiment with for hours.
Why Autumn is the Best Time for STEM Crafts
Kids are calmer indoors, more reflective, and ready to tinker — the perfect combination for exploration-based learning.
Projects Kids Can Create
Let them choose one small-box project from your activity page:
Ball Track
Build ramps and barriers inside a box. Test marble speed. Redesign. Test again.
Children experience real engineering without even noticing.Car Track
Draw winding roads, build tunnels, tape cardboard speed bumps, invent car rules.Painting Palette Box
Create a safe, mess-free art station where kids experiment with color mixing.Sewing Board
Punch holes and let children “sew” with yarn — great for fine motor skills and concentration.Cardboard Dinosaur
Kids design a 3D dinosaur, attach legs, decorate it, name it, and perhaps create a tiny prehistoric world for it.Sticking Tape Art Board
Children create bold, modern art using only shapes, tape, and color.
A perfect quiet-time activity for chilly days.
Why Families Love It
These activities keep hands busy and minds curious — and they encourage slow, mindful play, which fits the gentle rhythm of fall perfectly.
5. Easy Home Activities for Busy Days
Cozy mini-activities that fill short pockets of time
Not every day allows for a big craft session.
Here are small, warm, connected activities for those in-between moments of family life.
Toy Mystery Bag
Fill a bag with toys. Children guess the object by touch only — soft, squishy, bumpy, cold.
Perfect before dinner or during “quiet time.”
The Color Hunt
Choose a color and ask kids to find 5 objects around the home.
A fantastic activity for toddlers and preschoolers.
Story Starter Picks
Choose three illustrated toys from the activity page and build a silly story from them.
Add warm lighting and cocoa — it becomes a treasured evening ritual.
Cardboard Café
Turn a small box into a pretend café or ice-cream shop.
Kids “serve” adults with the seriousness of real chefs.
The Cat Helper Game
Inspired by the cats in your book — children meow, crawl, fetch tape, and “help” build a cardboard creation.
Why It’s Perfect for Autumn
The season encourages indoor connection, shared laughter, little traditions, and moments that feel warm and memorable.
Final Thoughts: Autumn Is the Season of Cozy Creativity
Autumn has always been the season of slow magic — warm drinks, soft blankets, indoor adventures, and long evenings spent together.
It’s the perfect time to pick up a book, gather some cardboard, bring out the crayons, and let kids’ imaginations shape the rhythm of the day.
All these activities come straight from the heart of Are You Bored? and the Activity Book — and I hope they bring your family or classroom inspiration, joy, and unforgettable memories.
You can download free activity pages and a pdf lesson plans here.
If you try any of these ideas, I’d love to see them!
Share your creations or tag me — and feel free to explore the full Activity Book for even more autumn-friendly fun.
