A chill is in the air, costumes are filling the stores, and Halloween is right around the corner. That means spooky season is upon us! Celebrate the season with these fun and creative Halloween activities, crafts, and games. You’ll find party games perfect for a class Halloween celebration as well as more educational finds like writing prompts and STEM and math challenges. There are enough Halloween activities on this list to do something different every day in October and then some!

1. Watch a Halloween video

Still from a Halloween themed counting video

We found a whole selection of terrific educational Halloween videos. Get some math practice, learn about Halloween around the world, or try some spooky yoga.

Learn more: Halloween Videos

2. Have a pumpkin and witch’s broom race

Two brooms and two small pumpkins are shown (Halloween Activities)

Gather your brooms and a few small pumpkins, break the class into teams, then watch them race to see who can push the pumpkin across the finish line first!

Learn more: I Dig Pinterest

3. Make straw skeletons

Halloween Activities: skeleton made of cut up drinking straws glued on construction paper

Insert a little biology lesson about the skeletal system when you work on these bone-chilling skeletons for Halloween.

Learn more: Education.com

4. Race to wrap up your friend like a mummy

little kids are shown wrapping each other up in toilet paper (Halloween Activities)

Halloween activities can be a fun way to get kids moving. Grab some rolls of toilet paper, select teams, and then watch the hilarity ensue as the kids race to wrap up their friend like a mummy before the other team does!

Learn more: Group Games 101

5. Turn plastic spiders into magnets

Halloween Activities can include spiders like this one. Plastic spider magnets on a filing cabinet spelling out I and S

Make your own spider magnets for only a few bucks by gluing small magnets to the back of plastic spiders from the dollar store. Then, use them for math activities, arrange them to spell letters or words, or just decorate your classroom with them.

Learn more: Early Learning Ideas

6. Create dotted pumpkins

Halloween activities often include pumpkins like this one. Orange and yellow construction paper pumpkins with dotted patterns on purple background

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

7. Feed alphabet letters to a ghost

Halloween activities can be hands on like this one. Young student feeding construction paper letters through a large paper ghost's mouth (Halloween Activities)

Keep little learners busy by taping a large paper ghost with an open mouth to a doorway. Have kids feed letter magnets through the mouth as you call them out. This works with numbers and sight words too.

Learn more: Toddler Approved

8. Build STEM structures with toothpicks and pumpkin candy

Student building a STEM structure with toothpicks and gummy pumpkins (Halloween Activities)

STEM building challenges make great Halloween activities. Give this classic example a Halloween twist by using gummy pumpkins in place of marshmallows.

Learn more: Lemon Lime Adventures

9. Wrap a mummy with yarn

Little black cutouts of people are wrapped in white strings with googley eyes (Halloween Activities)

These little mummies are just oh-so cute. Have the cutout people prepared and then let kids go to town with some white yarn and googly eyes.

Learn more: The Best Kids Crafts and Activities

10. Sort by initial sounds

Plastic cauldron holding small toys next to Halloween themed boxes labeled with letters

Early readers and spellers can get some practice at initial letter sounds with this cute idea. Label Halloween-themed boxes with letters, and fill a plastic cauldron with small toys or mini erasers. Then, have students sort the items into the correct boxes by their initial sounds.

Learn more: Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station

11. Assemble a geometric bat

Halloween activities can include bats like this one. Construction paper bat made of geometric shapes with googly eyes and scissors

Sesame Street’s The Count would definitely approve of this bat. It’s made up of ONE rectangle, TWO squares, SIX triangles … mwah ha ha!

Learn more: Math Four

12. Play a spiderweb walking game

Green painter's tape is laid out on the floor in the shape of a spider web. little ghosts are scattered around it. A young boy is trying to keep his feet on the webbed lines (Halloween Activities)

Some Halloween activities, like this one, work on gross motor skills. Use some painter’s tape to create a spiderweb on the floor, then spread spiders or ghosts all around. Finally, let students try their hand at collecting them without losing their footing.

Learn more: No Time for Flash Cards

13. Sculpt pony bead pumpkins

Pumpkins made of pipe cleaners and orange plastic beads (Halloween Activities)

This easy Halloween craft will give kids some fine motor skill practice. You can also have them count the beads as they string them. When you’re done, they have a cute little pumpkin to decorate their room for fall!

Learn more: Cutesy Crafts

14. Do some Halloween-style creative writing

Various types of candy with text reading Tell the story of Halloween from the perspective of a piece of candy. (Halloween Activities)

We didn’t come up with this hilarious writing prompt, but we do have 19 more ideas plus free printable writing paper for you to use! Find them all here.

Source: Writing Prompts Tumblr

15. Paint rocks to look like jack-o’-lanterns

Several rocks are painted orange with black jack o' lantern faces painted on them (Halloween Activities)

So simple and yet so fun. Go on a nature hunt with your students and have them collect as many flat rocks as they can and then let them bring their jack-o’-lanterns to life with some orange and black paint. Be sure to use non-washable paint if you plan on displaying them outside!

Learn more: Easy Peasy and Fun

16. Practice sequencing with Room on the Broom

Room on the Broom book with construction paper broom and printable worksheets

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

17. Play poke-a-pumpkin

A poster board says Poke a Pumpkin. There is a collection of cups with orange paper over the top to look like pumpkins. The paper can be punctured to reveal what is inside.

Fill solo cups with cute Halloween-themed prizes, cover them with orange tissue paper, and then hang them on a poster. Kids will love poking through a pumpkin to reveal their prize when it is their turn.

Learn more: Project Whim

18. Read a Halloween book or two

Collage of pumpkin and Halloween themed children's books that are used in Halloween activities.

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 (slightly) terrifying tales instead.

19. Erupt a pumpkin-cano

Collage of pumpkin turned into a baking soda volcano erupting (Halloween Activities)

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

20. Have an eyeball relay race

A child's hand is shown carrying a skeleton arm that has a fake eyeball in the hand portion (Halloween Activities)

Divide students into two teams then have them race up and back trying not to drop their eyeball off their skeleton’s hand.

Learn more: Joy in the Works

21. Carve up some pumpkin pi

Jack-o-lanterns carved with education themed designs

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.

22. Craft a climbing spider

Spider STEM project that uses string to have a construction paper spider climb up a wall

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

23. Dig for witch fingers

A plastic container is filled with sand and witches fingers, spiders, and eyeballs (Halloween Activities)

Fill a tub or sand table with sand and some creepy, crawly Halloween items, then blindfold your students and have them race to see who can find the witch’s finger first!

Learn more: One Sharp Bunch

24. Vanishing ghosts

Eggshell painted with ghost eyes, dropped on the sidewalk in a cloud (Halloween Activities)of cornstarch (Halloween Activities)

Save and clean your hollowed-out eggshells, then fill them with cornstarch to create vanishing ghosts! 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 Ghosts Halloween Activity

25. Roll and stack spiders

Plastic spider rings stacked onto drinking straws stuck into clay, with pair of dice

The best Halloween activities involve simple supplies and simple setup. Stick a drinking straw into a ball of play dough, 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

26. Make a ghost dance

Student holding a balloon over a floating tissue paper ghost (Halloween Activities)

Nothing spooky here! Make this cute little tissue ghost dance with just a balloon and a little static electricity.

Learn more: Science Bob

27. Do a giant Halloween word search

A large word search is taped to the wall and a little boy is searching for words (Halloween activity)

Work on word recognition while having fun at the same time! Remember to use painter’s tape so you can easily remove it from the wall when you’re done.

Learn more: Busy Toddler

28. Crawl like a spider, tiptoe like a cat

Cartoon witch child next to a printable paper die with movement ideas

Need a movement break? Roll this free printable Halloween die, and let the fun begin!

Learn more: Pre-K Printable Fun

29. Experiment with Halloween candy

Glass of water with gummy worms floating in it

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.

Source: Playdough to Plato

30. Decorate pumpkins with string art

White pumpkins decorated with colorful string art are used in Halloween activities like this one.

Pumpkin carving is pretty messy in a classroom, so try this clever string-art activity using thumbtacks instead.

Learn more: Hello, Wonderful

31. Use candy corn for math activities

Candy corn themed counting activity with dominos and printable worksheet

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.

32. Spin inverted pumpkin tops

Inverted spinning wooden tops painted to look like a pumpkin (Halloween Activities)

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

33. Work on writing with hair gel baggies

Plastic zipper bag filled with bright orange gel with the shape of an N traced in it.

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

34. Turn leaves into ghosts

Leaves painted to look like ghosts and bats made of egg cartons hanging from a chandelier (Halloween Activities)

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

35. Stencil craft stick puzzles

Halloween themed puzzles made on wood craft sticks laid flat side by side

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

36. Make a skeleton you with cotton swabs

Black paper has a photo of a little girl's head on it. Q-tips of varying sizes have been used to construct the skeleton body (Halloween Activities)

Take and print photos of all of your students before getting started with this craft/anatomy lesson. Have students cut up different-size cotton swabs and then glue them to form the skeleton.

Learn more: Mrs. Plemon’s Kindergarten

37. Explore story elements with pumpkins

3-D paper pumpkins with stories written on them laid out on a bookshelf

Craft 3D paper pumpkins, then use them to break down a story into elements like plot, theme, and characters.

Learn more: Runde’s Room

38. Construct bone bridges

STEM bridge made of cotton swabs and glitter pipe cleaners

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

39. Learn about mixtures and solutions

A plate with different Halloween treats is on the left side and a worksheet is on the right (Halloween Activities)

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

40. Stack paper cup ghosts

Student stacking white paper cups with ghost faces drawn on them (Halloween activities)

This is bound to become one of your favorite Halloween activities. 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

41. Comparison shop for candy

Candy Conundrum tasks cards for comparison shopping 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

42. Catapult pumpkins through the air

A catapult is made from popsicle sticks and rubber bands; a candy corn pumpkin is sitting on it (Halloween Activities)

This is the perfect STEM activity for Halloween. Gather some large Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, bottle caps, and candy corn pumpkins, and get ready to see who can shoot their pumpkin the farthest!

Learn more: There’s Just One Mommy

43. Count with spiderweb 10-frames

Student laying plastic spiders on a printable spiderweb 10 frame worksheet (Halloween Activities)

Ten-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

44. Blow-paint silly little ghosts

Blow painted white ghosts with googly eyes on black construction paper with green drinking straw

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

45. Play Pumpkin Emotion Bingo

Printable pumpkin bingo game with spinner and orange dot marker

Pumpkin faces help kids learn about different emotions as they play special Halloween games of bingo.

Learn more: The Kindergarten Connection

46. Engineer a robot hand

Robot hand built from drinking straws, string, and paper (Halloween Activities)

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

47. Create spiderweb resist art

Two kids are painting cardboard that is taped to the wall. A spider web shape has been laid out using painter's tape.

Grab some sturdy cardboard, washable paint, and painter’s tape, then let your little artists go to work. Ripping off the tape to reveal the masterpiece will be oh-so satisfying for your little ones.

Learn more: Busy Toddler

48. Seek and find Halloween images

Halloween themed I Spy activity for kids

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

49. Calculate and match with pumpkins

Small plastic pumpkins labeled with numbers filled with craft sticks with math problems written on them

Label mini pumpkin bowls with numbers, and write equations on wood craft sticks. Kids calculate the sums and place the sticks into the correct pumpkin.

Learn more: Kids Activities Blog

50. Make play dough and cut fall shapes out of it

Play dough is the perfect sensory activity for little learners, so why not put a fun, Halloween-themed spin on it? Make some homemade play dough or buy some premade if you are short on time, then have students cut shapes from it with Halloween cookie cutters.

Learn more: Natural Beach Living

51. Go bowling for ghosts

Plastic bottles filled with cotton swabs and painted to look like ghosts with an orange jack-o-lantern rubber ball (Halloween Activities)

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 knock down on each turn.

Learn more: No Time for Flash Cards

52. Explode ghost rockets

Film cannister painted to look like a ghost exploding off the sidewalk

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

53. Complete spider equations

Construction paper spider with equations written on each leg (Halloween Activities)

If you’re looking for Halloween activities that help kids practice math facts, check this out. How many different ways can kids make equivalent equations? They’ll need at least eight for this silly spider craft.

Learn more: Mr. Elementary Math

54. Make a witch’s broom

Text reads "Witch's Broomstick Fine Motor Activity" There are several small broomsticks with beads being laced onto them (Halloween Activities)

Create a broomstick from cut-up yellow construction paper and a brown pipe cleaner, then let students personalize them by stringing beads of their choosing onto it.

Learn more: Happy Toddler Playtime

55. Make a silly spider headband

All you’ll need to create this adorable headband is some black construction paper, glue or a stapler, and some googly eyes. Your students will have fun personalizing them and then showing them off.

Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning

What are your favorite Halloween activities for the classroom? Come share on our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

Plus, check out 30 Sugar-Free Treats for Halloween.

55 Frightfully Fun Halloween Activities, Crafts, and Games for the Classroom