If you’re not looking forward to the colder weather that’s coming and even less excited about the chores you have to tackle to get ready for winter, you don’t have to go it alone. Turn fall home maintenance into family fun with these simple activities and DIY projects.
Have a Plan
A little organization goes a long way. Make the day fun and productive by:
- Getting everybody on board
- Picking a day – put it on the family calendar
- Making a list of everything you want to get done
- Assigning specific tasks to each child and adult – ensure each task is age/ability appropriate
- Gathering together any supplies and equipment – don’t forget work gloves and safety goggles
Yard Work
Rake leaves with your kids. Jump into the pile; have a leaf throwing fight; then rake the leaves back into a pile again. Or make it a contest – see who can make the biggest pile.
Trim bushes, prune trees, and tidy up flowerbeds.
Demonstrate where and how to spread mulch and let them do the rest.
Transplant overcrowded shrubs and move plants that didn’t do so well in the shade or direct sunlight.
Aerate the lawn to improve air, water, and nutrient intake.
Plant spring-blooming bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, and crocuses.
Create an overwintering vegetable garden – garlic, kale, spinach, and fall and winter lettuce varieties planted in late October will be ready for a late spring harvest. Start vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage indoors, then transplant them in mid-to-late fall.
Roof
Before winter arrives, fall is a good time to inspect the roof. Unless you have the proper safety gear, it’s best if you do your inspection standing on a ladder, using binoculars – set up the ladder as per safety protocols. Hand your kids some binoculars, too, but let them do their roof inspection from the ground.
Look for (kids and adults):
- Missing shingles
- Cracked, split, or curling shingles
- Loose shingles – make a contest out of who can spot the most raised nail heads
- Obvious patches of mold or damp patches after it hasn’t rained for 48 hours
Have an older child or teen make a list of any repairs that need to be followed up after the inspection.
Gutters and Downspouts
Cleaning the gutters and downspouts is an important fall home maintenance task. Ways to involve kids in gutter cleaning include:
- Picking up the debris you drop on the ground and putting it in garbage bags
- Having someone stabilize the ladder and help you move it along the gutter run as needed
- Appointing a spotter with binoculars keeping an eye out for spots you missed
- Checking the downspout for missing hardware and blockages in bottom downspout elbow
Washing Your Home’s Exterior
Cleaning the siding, washing exterior windows, scrubbing the front steps, or wiping dirt and marks off the entry door are all tasks that children can help with.
Assign someone to keep pails full of fresh soapy water for cleaning the siding.
Put someone on garden hose duty – make him or her in charge of rinsing after the siding and windows have been cleaned.
If you make your windows shine with newspaper, let a child crumple a pile of sheets to be used by your other helpers.
DIY Projects
A fall home maintenance checklist often includes DIY projects that are ideal for parents and children. Some DIY projects you can do with children are:
- Build a raised bed or low height fence around certain vegetable beds to keep out critters from eating your hard work
- Paint the backyard fence
- Refurbish patio furniture
- Clean the driveway and remove stains before resealing
- Create winter blooming container gardens
