Katy’s Rice Festival and Other Fall Traditions for Preschoolers

Katy was rice-farming country long before the master-planned neighborhoods went up, and every October the whole town still turns out to celebrate it. This year the Katy Rice Harvest Festival falls on the second weekend of the month, and it kicks off a fall season packed with things a preschooler can count, touch, and wonder about.

From a downtown festival to a corn maze to a library storytime, here are four Katy fall traditions worth starting with your little one. A couple are free, the others charge admission, and every one of them gets your kiddo out of the house and asking questions. Load up the stroller and go!

Katy Rice Harvest Festival at the Historic Town Square

The 2026 Katy Rice Harvest Festival runs Saturday, October 10, from 10am to 10pm, and Sunday, October 11, from noon to 6pm, at the Historic Town Square in front of Katy City Hall. It’s been a Katy tradition for more than 40 years, and kids 12 and under get in free. You’ll find 100-plus vendor booths, food trucks, live music, a carnival, an agriculture adventure area that ties back to the town’s farming roots, and a toddler zone for the littlest festival-goers. Strollers and wagons are welcome, and free parking at the Merrell Center comes with a free shuttle that runs the whole event. Sunday’s shorter afternoon is the easier pick if you’re working around a nap.

The festival is an easy way to talk with your preschooler about where food comes from. Rice starts as a plant growing in a flooded field, which is a big, fun idea for a kid who has only ever seen it pour out of a bag. Try asking, “What do you think rice looks like before we cook it?” For more local ideas through the year, our guide to Katy’s festival scene has you covered.

Back home, read Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley. Carrie goes from house to house at dinnertime looking for her little brother and finds every neighbor cooking rice a different way, so it’s an easy follow-up to a weekend spent celebrating Katy’s rice-farming roots.

Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze at Dewberry Farm in Brookshire

Just west of Katy in Brookshire, the Dewberry Farm Fall Festival runs through November 8 and is open Friday through Sunday all October. The pumpkin patch is the main event, and there’s also an 8-acre corn maze, barnyard animals, a tractor train, and more than 40 rides and attractions. Kids can paint their own pumpkin for an extra fee, and parking is free. The farm stays open into the evening, but daytime is the calmer pick for little ones.

A corn maze is a surprisingly good workout for a young brain. Following the path, choosing left or right, and backing out of a dead end all build the early problem-solving and spatial skills that show up later in math. Hold your child’s hand and let them call out each turn.

Before you head home, see if your child can find the biggest pumpkin in the patch, then the smallest. Comparing sizes out loud is early math hiding inside a game!

Fishing and Playgrounds at Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy

When the heat finally breaks, Mary Jo Peckham Park makes an easy fall morning right in Katy. There’s a stocked fishing lake, a paved walking trail that loops past the water, a big accessible playground, picnic areas, and a miniature golf course. The park opens at 7am, so an early start gets you the coolest part of the day. Bring a small rod if your kiddo wants to try fishing, and check the posted fishing rules before you cast. Pack a picnic, since the playground alone can fill a whole morning.

Fall is a great time for a slow nature walk. Have your child gather a few different leaves and talk about the colors and shapes, or count the ducks paddling near the shore. For more outdoor learning around town, check out our roundup of Katy’s outdoor learning spots.

Point to a duck and let your child guess what it eats. You’ll get some creative answers, and a little science along the way.

Free Preschool Storytime at the Maud Marks Library

Not every fall tradition needs a ticket. The Maud Smith Marks Branch Library runs Read and Rhyme Preschool Story Time every Tuesday at 10:15am for kids ages 3 to 5, with stories, songs, rhymes, and playful activities that build early literacy. Afterward, kids can settle in with a simple craft or a coloring page. Check the branch calendar for storytimes aimed at younger siblings, too.

A weekly storytime is one of the simplest routines you can give a preschooler, and knowing what’s coming is part of why it works. Kids practice sitting, listening, and following along with a group, which are the same skills they’ll lean on in kindergarten. Cooler fall mornings make the trip there even easier.

On the drive home, try asking your child to retell their favorite part of the story. Putting events in order is a big early-reading skill!

Where Katy Families Turn Curiosity Into Learning

All that counting, question-asking, and hands-on exploring is what we build our days around at Creative World School in Cypress, right on the Katy line off Fry Road. Our Exploratorium™ gives little scientists a hands-on space to chase their own questions, and our 3 E’s, Education, Exploration, and Enrichment, shape everything from morning circle to outdoor play.

If you want a preschool that treats every day like a fall morning worth exploring, we’d love to meet your family. Schedule a tour and see how we turn everyday wonder into real learning!