10 Frighteningly Fun Halloween Activities for Schools

It’s that time of year when the mornings feel a bit crispier, and getting out of bed seems like a bad idea. But, what if we told you Halloween was right around the corner?

Traditionally an American holiday, Halloween, in its current form, didn’t gain popularity in the UK until the late 20th century and is now one of the more celebrated days of the year. It can be an exciting time for young children; the costumes, the treats, the toffee apples, and let’s not forget the pumpkins.

Bringing Halloween into the classroom can be a lot of fun, and you don’t even need to replan your entire lesson for it. So, it’s time to get your pumpkins in order because we’re bringing you 10 frighteningly fun Halloween activities for schools.

1. Halloween Cut-Outs

Safety scissors at the ready.

Bring some arts and crafts into the classroom this Halloween with some cutting and sticking activities. You can find hundreds of Halloween-themed printables online, and it’s effortless to set up. You can even ask the children to decorate the pictures before cutting them out. You might end up with rainbow-coloured bats or luminous green spiders, but hey, that’s pretty scary, too.

Using scissors and glue in the classroom also promotes the learning of hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, another reason why it’s a great Halloween activity for younger children.

2. Have a Halloween Competition

There’s no doubt that children love competitions. Competing against their peers can be a thrill, and it helps kids develop their creativity. Why not hold a Halloween-themed classroom competition this year?

You could encourage children to draft their own short, scary stories and read them out to the class. By the end of the activity, you should have a collection of spine-chilling tales to liven up the classroom atmosphere.

If writing short stories is a bit advanced for EYFS children, how about a competition for the spookiest drawing instead? You can appeal to any age group with a little bit of tweaking.

3. Create Potions with Labels

Another fantastic way to encourage creativity in the classroom this Halloween is to get some empty jars or glass bottles and design enchanting potion labels.

You can ask the children to think about what the potions can do, the ingredients inside the potion, and how to make it. By the end of the lesson, you’ll have the ultimate witch’s toolkit at your disposal. Just be careful they don’t spill, or you’ll be pulling rabbits out of drawers for weeks.

4. Carve and Decorate Pumpkins

How about a traditional Halloween activity that everyone will want to take part in? Carving and decorating pumpkins! You can use this opportunity to teach children how to use the tools safely and efficiently or demonstrate for them.

Although pumpkin carving can be messy, it’s one of the most stimulating Halloween activities for schools because it provides children with an opportunity to be independent and creates a fun sensory experience.

After you’ve finished carving the pumpkins, get the children to decorate them and take them home. No mess left in your classroom, thank you.

5. Read a Halloween Book

Going back to the literacy theme, why not head over to the library and dig out some spooky tales to read in the classroom? There are plenty of spine-tingling stories that will entertain a classroom of young readers.

Some great examples of Halloween-inspired children’s books include Peppa’s Pumpkin Party and The Strange Old House and Other Stories. If you can tap into your inner child, you might be able to recall some of your favourite Halloween books from school, like the Funnybones series.

6. Halloween Word Searches and Crosswords

From early childhood right the way through to adulthood, we love interacting with puzzles. Children in particular love word searches, so take advantage of the spooky season and print out some Halloween-themed puzzles. This activity combines the fun aspects of Halloween with learning, as word searches have been found to improve concentration and problem-solving.

Crosswords also keep the brain active and can be a great filler activity in between other classroom tasks.

7. Decorate the Classroom

It’s not quite Christmas just yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start the decorations early.

You can use some of the cut-outs from the suggestion above or even come up with some new ideas to spruce up the classroom this Halloween.

You could take it one step further and completely transform the classroom with a ‘spooky corner’ where children can partake in Halloween-themed activities. Here you can have some real fun making your classroom look eerie with some dangling paper insects and cobwebs dotted around the room.

8. Talk About Spiders

Have you noticed any creepy crawlies recently? Are those cobwebs in the staffroom getting any bigger? Halloween, it’s about that time of year when spiders like to come out and explore the environment. Why not use Halloween to teach children about spiders and how they fit into our world?

You could even find a few classroom-friendly documentaries on spiders to encourage students to think about what they do for us and how they impact our ecosystem.

Don’t worry if you want to give this one a miss though, we’re a bit itchy just talking about it…

9. Combine Science with the Science Fiction

Skeletons are always a big theme around Halloween, so this idea will surely raise the dead in your classroom (results may vary). You can build an interactive skeleton using cards and pins to demonstrate individual body parts.

This Halloween activity is a great way to introduce the structure of the human skeleton and teach young people about basic anatomy. Who said science can’t be fun?

10. Start a Halloween Treasure Hunt

A Halloween-themed treasure hunt will surely excite your classroom. Before the children come in, hide small pumpkins or treats around the room in obscure places. Then, you can leave some clues around the school for the children to solve. If it’s not too cold, you can even take the hunt outdoors.

Treasure hunts have numerous benefits for children in that they teach teamwork skills and inspire students to think outside the box.

And that just about wraps up our list of frighteningly fun Halloween activities for schools this year. Remember to stay safe and have a spooktacular Halloween.