Halloween Games and Activities

Halloween Sensory Activity

Buy some small plastic jack-o'-lanterns that are meant to be filled with treats. Fill them with cotton balls that have been perfumed with scents from the pantry (pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, peppermint extract, lemon peel, orange peel, etc.). Put these in the sensory center. Children can enjoy smelling the scents.

Science Activity

Put several mini pumpkins, small gourds, and Indian corn in a basket with magnifying lenses. Put the basket in the sensory center. Children feel the different textures, look at a variety of colors, and examine them close up with the magnifying lenses. Autumn leaves, pine cones, and nuts can be added.

Halloween Transitions

Ask the children what they will dress up as for Halloween and have them move that way to where they want to go.

Mummy Dress Up

Let the children wrap each other in toilet paper and pretend to be a mummy.

Pin The Tail On The Cat

Cut out a cat shape from black felt. Use fabric paint to add the eyes, nose, and whiskers. Cut out several tails from black felt and sew or glue the hook side of Velcro onto the end that attaches to the cat. The hook Velcro will stick to the felt anywhere the children put it. They play the game just like pin the tail on the donkey.

Shaving Fun

Spray shaving cream on your carved pumpkin. Take turns shaving the pumpkin with safety razors that have the blades removed.

Ghost Callers/Ghost Hunt

Materials:

Two ghosts; draw them or use two ghost figures.

Directions:

Cut white construction paper into 4"x5" pieces. Roll and tape to form tubes.

These are the ghost callers. Make one for each child.

1. Go on a ghost hunt. Show everyone the two ghosts. Have children close their eyes. Teacher hides the ghosts.
2. Children open eyes and count 1-2-3 GHOST! On the count of "ghost" the hunt begins.
3. The children who find the two ghosts sit by the teacher. Give them a ghost caller and let them make ghost noises for the next ghost hunt. The noise helps call the ghosts from their hiding places.
4. Continue until all children are making ghost noises.

Pass The Pumpkin

Sit in a circle. Provide a plastic pumpkin for children to pass while the teacher beats on a drum. Children pass the pumpkin to the tempo of the music. Alternate between fast and slow. When the music stops the child who has the pumpkin stands and takes a bow. Continue.

Pumpkin Count

Provide small plastic pumpkins. Number each 1-10. Have the children count out the correct number of pumpin seeds to each pumpkin.

Sensory Table

Provide wet sand and Halloween cookie cutters and kitchen utensils.

(You may also use orange and black clay for other days of week)

After examining a pumpkin with your class leave the pumpkin flesh and seeds out for examining with miroscope and maganifying glasses. Children also enjoy the texture, so don't get upset if the get a little messy.

The Count's House

Set up the Count's haunted house. Provide children with black capes and Halloween items to count.

Ideas you could use include: Apples, plastic spiders, tiny pumpkins ,etc.

Have parents donate old costumes to cut the cost of this center. Provide pencils, paper, cash register and dressing rooms to try on costumes.

Spiders

Discuss spiders (eight legs, webs, life cycle) show pictures.

Bats

Discuss bats (radar, babies, sleeping habits)

Halloween Customs

Discuss the history of Halloween. Review the date and customs.

Superstitions

Discuss what a superstition is. Give examples such as rabbits foot, Friday The 13th, Broken mirrors, walking under a ladder, horseshoe, finding a penny heads up. Give examples of both good and the bad.

Pumpkins

Discuss the life cycle of a pumpkin. Have the children estimate the circumference of a pumpkin by cutting a piece of string that they believe will fit around the pumpkin. Have each child test their string.

Discuss the difference between a Jack-O-Lantern and a pumpkin.

Spook-E-Do

Tell the children that each one of them will have a chance to show the others in the group a trick. Call on a child and lead the group to chant:

Hello, (name), Spook-E-Do What is the trick you are going to do Will you hop, or bend, or spin around Stretch, or wiggle, or touch the ground

Continue until all the children have had a chance to show their trick.