Best Halloween-Inspired Homeschool Activities

The beauty of homeschooling is that you can do it all year round, which means you might be homeschooling during the holidays, including Halloween. In fact, we’d go as far as saying that homeschooling during the holidays and big events can actually be a lot more fun. Why? Because you can get more creative and incorporate holiday-inspired activities into your usual projects and hobbies.

If you’re looking for some fun Halloween-inspired homeschool activities this spooky season, these are for you!

1. Learn about the origins of Halloween

Ever wondered how Halloween all started and why we celebrate it? Well maybe your children would be interested in learning about the origins of Halloween too. It’s a great way to start off the spooky holiday before diving into some fun Halloween-inspired homeschool activities. 

Materials:

• Books or articles on the history of Halloween
• Internet access for research
• Paper and pencils

Ideas:

1. Research: Have your children research the history of Halloween, including traditions from different cultures such as Samhain, All Saints’ Day, and Día de los Muertos.
2. Presentation: Let them create a presentation or a poster about what they learned.
3. Discussion: Discuss how Halloween has evolved over time and how different cultures celebrate it.

2. Create your own tricks

You can get really creative with making your own tricks this Halloween and pull off some funny pranks too.

Materials:

• Your imagination
• Whatever you have around the house

Ideas:

1. Frozen eyeballs: Freeze some scary eyeballs and put them in your victim’s drink
2. Cling-film over toilet: As simple as putting cling-film over the toilet and waiting for someone to use it!
3. Fake insects in food
4. Change all the clocks

3. Make your own treats

There are so many choices when it comes to Halloween treats but we think you can never go wrong with making traditional Halloween-themed cookies!

Materials:

• Sugar cookie dough
• Halloween-shaped cookie cutters
• Frosting
• Food coloring
• Sprinkles and other decorations

Ideas:

1. Bake Cookies: Roll out the dough and use Halloween-shaped cookie cutters to make cookies. Bake them according to the recipe.
2. Decorate: Let your children decorate the cookies with colored frosting, sprinkles, and other decorations.

Here are some other great Halloween treat recipes to try out!

4. Do a Halloween science experiment

Credit: Taming Little Monsters

There are various Halloween-themed experiments that you can try out, but this one is simple and fun!

Materials:

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Food coloring
• Plastic cups
• Small pumpkins or plastic cauldrons

Ideas:

1. Vinegar and Baking Soda Experiment:
   • Carve out a small pumpkin or use a plastic cauldron.
   • Fill it with baking soda and add a few drops of food coloring.
   • Pour vinegar into the pumpkin or cauldron and watch it fizz like a potion!
2. Discussion: Explain the chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.

5. Read a Halloween-Inspired book

Credit

We all know that reading is great for children, so why not find some great Halloween-inspired books to get them into the spooky spirit! Here are some great suggestions.

6. Write a Halloween story

If you want to get your children writing this Halloween, why not encourage them to write a spooky story?

Materials:

• Paper or a computer
• Halloween-themed writing prompts

Ideas:

1. Prompts: Provide Halloween-themed prompts such as:
   • Write a story about a haunted house.
   • Describe a night at a spooky carnival.
   • Create a tale about a friendly ghost.
2. Writing: Let your children choose a prompt and write their own Halloween story. Encourage them to use descriptive language and be creative with their plots.
3. Sharing: Have a mini story time where everyone reads their stories aloud.

7. Pumpkin mathematics

Activity: Measuring and Counting with Pumpkins

Materials:

• Small pumpkins
• Measuring tape
• Scale
• Paper and pencil

Ideas:

1. Weighing and Measuring: Have your children weigh the pumpkins and measure their circumference. Record the measurements.
2. Counting Seeds: Cut open a pumpkin and have your children scoop out the seeds. Count the seeds together and discuss concepts like estimation and counting by groups (e.g., by tens).
3. Graphing: Create a graph to compare the weights and circumferences of different pumpkins.

8. Monster mathematics

Credit: Dorky Doodles

Activity: Math Problems with a Halloween Twist

Materials:

• Halloween-themed math worksheets (e.g., with pictures of monsters, ghosts, pumpkins)

Ideas:

1. Worksheets: Create or find math worksheets that incorporate Halloween elements. These could include addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems.
2. Problem Solving: Let your children solve the problems, making the activity more engaging with Halloween characters and themes.

9. Do some Halloween crafts

Credit: Prudent Penny Pincher

Get creative with some Halloween crafts. It will definitely keep your children busy.

Activity: Creating Halloween Decorations

Materials:

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers or crayons
• Google eyes
• String or yarn

Ideas:

1. Paper Pumpkins: Cut out pumpkin shapes from orange construction paper. Have your children decorate them with markers and glue on googly eyes.
2. Ghost Garlands: Cut out ghost shapes from white construction paper. Draw faces on the ghosts and attach them to a piece of string to create a garland.
3. Monster Masks: Use paper plates to create monster masks. Cut out eye holes and let your children decorate the plates with paint, markers, and other craft supplies.

10. Make Halloween shadow puppets

Credit: Steamsational

Activity: Creating and Performing with Shadow Puppets

Materials:

• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Wooden sticks or straws
• Flashlight or desk lamp
• White sheet or a blank wall

Ideas:

1. Create Puppets: Cut out Halloween shapes (e.g., bats, witches, ghosts) from the black construction paper and tape them to wooden sticks or straws.
2. Set Up the Theater: Hang a white sheet or find a blank wall to serve as the screen. Place a flashlight or desk lamp behind the screen.
3. Perform: Let your children put on a shadow puppet show, making up stories and scenarios using their puppets.

11. Halloween themed escape room

Activity: Solving Puzzles and Clues

Materials:

• Halloween-themed puzzles and riddles
• Locks and keys (optional)
• Small Halloween decorations
• Timer

Ideas:

1. Create Clues: Develop a series of Halloween-themed puzzles and riddles that lead to the next clue.
2. Set Up: Arrange the clues around the house, using small decorations as markers.
3. Escape Room: Give your children a set amount of time to solve the puzzles and “escape” the room. Use locks and keys to add an extra challenge.

12. Spooky spelling bee

Activity: Practicing Spelling with Halloween Words

Materials:

• List of Halloween-themed words (e.g., witch, ghost, pumpkin, spider)
• Paper and pencils

Ideas:

1. Prepare Words: Create a list of Halloween-themed words appropriate for your children’s spelling level.
2. Spelling Bee: Conduct a spelling bee using the Halloween words. Have each child spell the words out loud.
3. Rewards: Offer small prizes or certificates for participation and correct spellings.

13. Halloween music and movement

Activity: Dancing and Singing to Halloween Songs

Materials:

• Playlist of Halloween songs (e.g., “Monster Mash,” “Thriller,” “Ghostbusters”)
• Space to dance

Ideas:

1. Create Playlist: Compile a playlist of fun and spooky Halloween songs.
2. Dance Party: Have a Halloween dance party where your children can dance and move to the music. Encourage them to come up with their own Halloween-themed dance moves.
3. Sing-Along: Print out lyrics to the songs and have a Halloween sing-along.

14. Halloween nature walk

Activity: Exploring Nature with a Halloween Twist

Materials:

• Nature walk checklist (e.g., find a spider web, a bat decoration, orange leaves)
• Magnifying glass (optional)

Ideas:

1. Create Checklist: Make a checklist of Halloween-themed items to find during a nature walk.
2. Explore: Take your children on a walk through a local park or nature trail and search for the items on the checklist.
3. Discuss: Talk about the different things you find and how they relate to Halloween (e.g., why bats are associated with Halloween).

15. Halloween around the world

Activity: Learning About Halloween Traditions in Different Cultures

Materials:

• Books or articles on Halloween traditions around the world
• Paper and markers

Ideas:

1. Research: Have your children research how Halloween and similar holidays are celebrated in different cultures (e.g., Día de los Muertos in Mexico, Samhain in Ireland).
2. Create Posters: Let them create posters or presentations about what they learned.
3. Share: Discuss the different traditions and compare them to how your family celebrates Halloween.

Happy Halloween, and happy homeschooling!