Most elementary school teachers have a love/hate relationship with Halloween. On the one hand, it seems like you lose hours of instruction time between the hyperactivity, the class parties, and the candy hangover. On the other hand, you love seeing their excitement, and Halloween can make for some great activities and hands-on lessons.
No matter your stance, these Halloween-themed activities will keep your kids learning and engaged! Check out these suggestions for science, math, and ELA activities— plus some apps for a little independent quiet play (because they’ll love it, and you’ve earned it!)
Science
- Straw Skeletons
Photo credit: education.com
Studying the skeletal system? This straw skeleton idea from Education is a craft and teaching aid in one. Of course, you won’t be able to make all 206, but you can have your students label the major bones on their skeleton friends!
- Ghost Rockets
A spooky take on the classic Alka Seltzer experiment, These ghost rockets from Growing a Jeweled Rose are a great way to teach students about chemical reactions. Of course, you’ll need to be outdoors for this activity, so keep an eye on the weather and have a backup activity just in case.
Math
- Spider Equations
Photo credit: Mr. Elementary Math
Both of these ideas come from Greg Colemean at mrelementarymath He’s been in education for fifteen years, and his entire blog is dedicated to ways to make math fun and understandable for kids. His Halloween ideas certainly do just that!
Provide the equation on the body of the spider, and then let your students fill in the legs with their own equations of the same value.
- Fill the Pumpkin
Photo credit: Mr. Elementary Math
These Halloween-themed writing prompts from We Are Teachers feature ideas will get kids into the Halloween spirit and help them tap into their creative side!
Pick a prompt that’s appropriate for your students’ age and skill level, and add to the fun with their printable Halloween writing sheets!
- Pumpkin Patch Stories
Photo Credit: Runde’s Room
This charming idea from Runde’s Room will fill your room with fun seasonal decorations and help your kids write about the elements of a story. Each section of the pumpkin is devoted to a different element like plot, character, point of view, etc.
The best part is that you can use any story or novel your class is currently reading, so this project fits in perfectly with any curriculum!
Apps
- Toca Boo
Photo credit: Toca Boca
If you incorporate open-ended apps into your classroom’s tech, then you’ve likely heard of Toca Boca. This Swedish company creates kids apps that are meant to be more like open-ended digital toys rather than games.
In Toca Boo, kids role play as Bonnie, a little girl who dresses up as a ghost and tries to scare her family. This app has just enough spookiness to be perfect for Halloween but is still age-appropriate even for younger kids.
In fact, game-designer Chris Lindgren made Toca Boo to help kids explore and cope with fear through play.
- Monster Mingle
Photo credit: Cowly Owl
Monster Mingle from Cowly Owl lets kids create their own monster and play with them in interactive scenery. Like Toca Boca apps, Monster Mingle is open-ended and focused on creative free play.
As with any app that has sound, classroom headphones for each student will hep keep kids focused and noise levels low. Models like Flex Phones and Avid Education’s AE-36 have an ideal fit for smaller heads!
You may not be able to keep your students from bringing on sugar Halloween night. But with activities like these, you can keep them engaged and focused leading up to the big day!
We love hearing from you! What favorite Halloween activities have you tried with your students? We know that during the pandemic, some of the traditional activities might be on hold, we hope some of these ideas inspire you to make the most of the season. Stay safe, stay healthy, and thank you for your dedication to education.
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