The spooky season is here, and there are so many ways to celebrate and learn. These Halloween games and activities include ideas for reading, writing, STEM, and more. Most will work for socially distant classroom or you can challenge kids to try them at home. Plus, check out our favorite Halloween books and videos.
1. Build STEM structures with toothpicks and pumpkin candy
STEM building challenges are always a hit with kids. Give this classic example a Halloween twist by using gummy pumpkins in place of marshmallows.
Learn more: Lemon Lime Adventures
2. Assemble a geometric bat
Sesame Street’s The Count would definitely approve of this bat. It’s made up of ONE rectangle, TWO squares, SIX triangles…mwuah ha ha!
Learn more: Math Four
3. Do some Halloween-style creative writing
Source: Writing Prompts Tumblr
We didn’t come up with this hilarious writing prompt, but we do have fifteen more ideas plus free printable writing paper for you to use! Find them all here.
4. Practice sequencing with Room on the Broom
Sequencing is a key skill for kids to master, so use the beloved book Room on the Broom to work on the concept.
Learn more: Pencils to Pigtails
5. Read a Halloween book or two
If you’re looking for some not-so-spooky stories, try our roundup of pumpkin books. For kids who love to be scared, check out some of these terrifying tales instead.
6. Erupt a pumpkin-cano
Every kid loves the standard baking soda and lemon juice volcano, so add some Halloween flavor by doing the whole thing in a pumpkin!
Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands
7. Carve up a pumpkin pi
How amazing would these look in your classroom, or flickering away in the background of your Zoom screen? They’re easy to make, too, using our free printable templates.
8. Craft a climbing spider
Teach your students how spiders use their sticky webs to catch their food. Then have them make their very own spiders that really climb!
Learn more: San Diego Zoo
9. Explode ghost bombs
Save and clean your hollowed out eggshells, then fill them with cornstarch to create exploding ghost sidewalk bombs! Experiment with dropping or throwing them from different angles and heights to see what sorts of patterns you can create.
Learn more: Growing a Jeweled Rose/Smoking Boo Bombs Halloween Activity
10. Make straw skeletons
Insert a little biology lesson about the skeletal system when you work on these bone-chilling skeletons for Halloween.
Learn more: Education.com
11. Roll and stack spiders
The best Halloween games involve simple supplies and simple setup. Stick a drinking straw into a ball of Play-Doh, then roll the dice and add that number of spider rings to your stack. The first to fill up their spider tower wins!
Learn more: Learning With Mrs. Langley
12. Create dotted pumpkins
Teach your students about the work of artist Yayoi Kusama and let them create beautiful dotted pumpkins of their own.
Learn more: Art is Basic
13. Make a ghost dance
Nothing spooky here! Make this cute little tissue ghost dance with just a balloon and a little static electricity.
Learn more: Science Bob
14. Crawl like a spider, tiptoe like a cat
Need a movement break? Roll this free printable Halloween die, and let the fun begin!
Learn more: Pre-K Printable Fun
15. Experiment with Halloween candy
Source: Playdough to Plato
There’s always plenty of candy to go around on Halloween, so kids can definitely spare some of it for cool science experiments. Find Dancing Franken-worms and a dozen more fun candy experiments here.
16. Decorate pumpkins with string art
Pumpkin carving is pretty messy in a classroom, so try this clever string art activity using thumbtacks instead.
Learn more: Hello, Wonderful
17. Use candy corn for math activities
Pick up a few bags of candy corn and grab our free printables, then engage your students in meaningful math activities from matching to multiplication.
18. Spin inverted pumpkin tops
Paint wooden inverted tops to look like pumpkins, then give kids a lesson in physics as they try to spin them so they land on their stems!
Learn more: Buggy and Buddy
19. Work on writing with hair gel baggies
Fill a zipper baggie with hair gel and a few drops of orange food coloring, then knead to mix. Add pumpkin seeds or googly eyes, then lay it flat for kids to practice tracing letters or numbers.
Learn more: Pocket of Preschool
20. Turn leaves into ghosts
Take a nature walk to gather leaves, then paint them to create spooky little ghosts. Add bats made of egg cartons for more seasonal holiday decor.
Learn more: Handimania
21. Stencil craft stick puzzles
Wood craft stick activities are inexpensive and lots of fun. Tape sticks together, then turn them over and stencil or draw a Halloween design on the front. Remove the tape and shuffle up the sticks, then reassemble your DIY puzzles.
Learn more: Active Littles
22. Explore story elements with pumpkins
Craft 3-D paper pumpkins, then use them to break down a story into elements like plot, theme, and characters.
Learn more: Runde’s Room
23. Construct bone bridges
Cotton swab “bones” turn a bridge-building STEM challenge into a Halloween treat! You’ll need wood craft sticks, pipe cleaners, and rubber bands too.
Learn more: Feel Good Teaching
24. Learn about mixtures and solutions
Students learn about mixtures and solutions in this STEM activity using homemade snack mix. They get practice counting and graphing too.
Learn more:Third Grade Thinkers
25. Stack paper cup ghosts
This is bound to become one of your favorite Halloween games. Draw faces on disposable cups to turn them into ghosts. Then challenge kids to stack and unstack them quickly, build the highest tower, and more.
Learn more: Turner’s Tots
26. Comparison shop for candy
Learning how to add and subtract decimals is fun when candy is involved! Get the free printable task cards at the link, then use Halloween candy ads for a comparison shop of the best candy prices in town.
Learn more: Teaching with a Mountain View
27. Count with spiderweb 10 frames
10 frames are excellent learning tools for early math students. We love these free printable spiderwebs, which add a spooky seasonal twist to the learning.
Learn more: Fun Learning for Kids
28. Blow-paint silly little ghosts
Pucker up and blow some strange and eerie ghosts, using straws and white paint. Add googly eyes and a mouth with a black marker to give them each their own personality.
Learn more: Crafty Morning
29. Play Pumpkin Emotion Bingo
Pumpkin faces help kids learn about different emotions as they play special Halloween games of Bingo.
Learn more: The Kindergarten Connection
30. Engineer a robot hand
Nothing says Halloween like a skeleton. Teach your students how our joints, muscles, and tendons work together to move our hands using just construction paper, plastic straws, string, and tape.
Learn more: Instructables
31. Seek and find Halloween images
Use this free printable when you need a quick Halloween activity for your little monsters. It gives them counting practice with a seasonal theme.
Learn more: And Next Comes L
32. Calculate and match with pumpkins
Label mini pumpkin bowls with numbers, and write equations on wood craft sticks. Kids do the sum and place the sticks into the correct pumpkin.
Learn more: Kids Activities Blog
33. Go bowling for ghosts
Stuff empty plastic bottles with cotton balls to turn them into ghost bowling pins, then have fun knocking them down. You can even turn this into a math activity by having kids tally or graph the number of pins they get on each turn.
Learn more: No Time For Flashcards
34. Explode ghost rockets
What kid wouldn’t love to see a ghost rocket flying through the air? This is a science demo that’s always fun to see in action.
Learn more: Growing a Jeweled Rose/Ghost Rockets Halloween Activity
35. Complete spider equations
How many different ways can kids come up with to make equivalent equations? They’ll need at least 8 for this silly spider craft.
Learn more: Mr. Elementary Math
Like Halloween games and activities? Then you’ll want to try these Incredible Science Experiments That Turn Muggles Into Wizards.
Plus, 30 Sugar-Free Treats For Halloween.
