Best Way to Enjoy Autumn 2026

As the days get shorter, and the evenings colder, it can become difficult for parents, carers and children to stay motivated, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Autumn can be a wonderful, cosy time where we can still stay active and keep a positive attitude. In this blog post, we are going to share some of our strategies for a smoother transition into the winter months.

Adjusting Expectations and Adapting

Many of us hold ourselves, our children and students to high expectations, which is great and something certainly to find pride in. Yet, it’s important to be flexible with those expectations and when necessary, lower them. You and your children don’t have to operate at 100% all the time! Ask yourself, what’s starting to become more difficult? Is it the cold and dark mornings? Or driving your children to sports practice after school? Is it finding the time to prepare meals? Maybe you have some financial worries as heating bills go up? For information about keeping your home warm this winter, please visit this government website (hyperlink this website https://www.gov.wales/nest-warm-homes-programme here) which may be useful.

Here are some small ideas on how to cope with some of these issues:

Establish a Routine

Getting out of bed and ready for the day, is very likely to take longer during these colder months – especially when scrubbing windshields will be required! Ensure that you and your children are going to bed early so that you’ve had adequate rest and have extra time in the morning.

When do the clocks go back, you might ask? At 2am on Sunday 25^th October 2026, they go back to 1am. This does mean an extra hour of sleep for most of us – but don’t be fooled by this! The feeling of having ‘an extra hour’ will soon fade, so have a sensible bedtime prepared for all the family for the long run.

Share and Delegate Responsibilities

It’s great if your children are part of a club, however, sometimes taking them to and from the activity can add to your workload – especially if you are a single carer parent! If you are comfortable with it, ask another trusted adult in your life, or at the sports club, if it’s possible to share the lifts to and from. Offer help to other parents and ask for help when you need it too.

Outdoor Activities

We really suggest that you make it a priority to catch those last rays of warm sunshine while they last. Not only is it great for our mental health to spend time outdoors, but also our intake of vitamin D from sunlight is lower during autumn and winter, the government recommends that everyone should consider taking a vitamin D supplement, but for those unable to or those who don’t want to, being outside in the sunshine as much as possible may be a good start (source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/)

While the trees are losing their leaves, a great activity to collect them and make a leaf bouquet, which you can put in a vase with water or dry in between the pages of an old book. As a challenge, you could see who can find the largest variety of leaves by tree type and leaf colour.

See an example of one of these bouquets we made last year after a walk around Roath Park.

We hope that you have a smooth transition into the winter season, and if you collect a leaf bouquet, post it on social media and tag us in it on Instagram @cardiffvaletutors, we would love to see them!

This Blog was Written By Aleksandra Dul – QTS English Language and Literature Teacher

Do take a look at earlier blogs:

Learning Opportunities at Home – Cardiff Vale Tutors

Screentime and Back-To-School Routines – Cardiff Vale Tutors

Winter Wellbeing Guide – Cardiff Vale Tutors