Five Halloween Activities for Young Children

Halloween is such a fun time of year for most people. There are so many fun games to play and activities and crafts to do with children of all ages. We have put together some of our favourite Halloween activities that are great for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children that will be sure to get them into the Halloween spirit!

HANDPRINT GHOST

Not only is this a cute craft to make but it is also a great keepsake to make every year to look back on as they get older.

What you will need

• Black construction paper
• White washable paint
• A black marker or black paint
• Your child’s hand

What to do

Paint your child’s hand with white paint. Have them make an upside down print on the paper. If you have a younger child, they will need help to make the handprint. Once the handprint has dried, draw your spookiest or cutest ghost face or if your child is old enough, get them to draw one themselves!

HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN LANTERNS

These are so fun to make and the children will love that you can decorate the outside of your house with items that they have had a hand in making. There are several lantern styles that you can make including: ghosts, goblins, bats, and Jack-O-Lanterns. These instructions are for the Jack-O-Lantern.

What you will need

• A glass jar (canning jars work the best)
• Paints—orange or whichever colour you would like your Jack-O-Lantern to be
• Black paint, a black marker, or black construction paper
• Tea light candles or flameless candles

What to do

Paint your glass jar whichever colour you would like your Jack-O-Lantern to be. Let it dry. Once it has dried, you can either paint a face on the lantern or cut Jack-O-Lantern face shapes out of black construction paper. We find it looks best when you paint the face on or use a black permanent marker however, it may be easier for little ones to cut out triangles for the eyes, nose, and a mouth and then glue them on. Once the lantern is all dry, put a candle inside to light it up! These make great decorations for your front step.

SPOOKY HALLOWEEN SENSORY ACTIVITY

This is a great no-mess sensory activity for the Halloween lovers out there! It doesn’t take very much time to set up and there is very little to clean up after.

What you will need

• Cotton balls or fake spider webs (large cotton balls work best)
• Pretend spiders, bugs, snakes, bats, witch fingers, eyeballs or anything festive that you can find.
• A bin (a small toy bin works well)

What to do

Put a bag of cotton balls into your bin. Pull some of the cotton balls apart so that they stretch and become bigger. Add your spiders, snakes, eye balls, and whichever other items you would like to add in. Let your children have fun exploring all of the different objects inside. You can even hide the items and play a game of "I spy" or take something away (eg, take out the spiders) and have your child guess what is missing.

HALLOWEEN SENSORY BAGS

These bags are sure to amuse even the youngest of toddlers. There is very little preparation and very little mess involved.

Monster bag

What you will need

• A clear, resealable bag
• Tape
• Gelatin
• Water
• Green food colouring
• Googly eyes (as many as you would like)

What to do

Make the gelatin according to the package instructions. Add a few drops of green food colouring and let it set in the fridge. Once it has set, add it to the sealable bag and add as many googly eyes as you wish. Seal the bag and reinforce the seal with some tape. Give it to the children and let them feel and squish the bag.

Spaghetti brain sensory bag

What you will need

• A clear, resealable bag
• Tape
• 1 cup of cooked spaghetti
• Pretend eyeballs, spiders, worms etc.
• Food colouring

What to do

Cook some spaghetti and let it cool. Add it to the bag with a few drops of food colouring (red, orange, or any colour you like) Add the eyeballs, spiders, and worms. Seal the bag and reinforce the seal with some tape. Give it to the children and tell them that the spaghetti is monster brains! Let 'em squish!

For an added sensory experience, you can put the spaghetti and added items straight into a plastic bin and let your children squeeze it in between their fingers to give them a real feel for Halloween! Gross! And awesome!

*Originally published October 24, 2016