Costumes, parades, treats, and games. That's what we think of when we begin planning our classroom Halloween party. But 2020 and covid came along and did a big whammy on that, didn't they?
How in the world are you going to have a fun Halloween party without any……fun? Here are a few ideas that will make your students smile, while still keeping it socially distant and educational.
1. You've Been Boo'd
Send a little cheer to your teammates and their classes! Fill a little Halloween bucket with wrapped treats and other spooky goodies from your local dollar store. Decorate their classroom door and tuck a surprise note inside telling them they've been boo'd!
Keep the fun going all around your hallway, as each classroom takes turns “boo-ing” another!
How To Do This Activity Remotely – drop off some little treats to your students in their mailbox at home! Tell them it must have been a ghost who left it!
2. Spend A Day In A Haunted House
You may not be able to have your traditional classroom Halloween party, but this might be even more fun! Turn your classroom into a haunted house complete with spooky music, spider webs, skeletons, and ghosts!
Tell your students, as they enter your spooky abode, that they'll be visiting different rooms in a haunted house….all from the safety of their very own desk!
Begin the day with the story At The Old Haunted House by Helen Ketteman. Tell your students that some ghosts must have broken into your classroom the night before because they turned it into a haunted house and left things from each room for the kids to do!
How To Do This Activity Remotely – Many of these activities are available in a Google slides version. Have your students join in the fun at home by doing the activity on their computers!
Activity 1 – The Witches Lair
Do you dare visit the witch's lair and try some of her special brew? Kids will love this activity where they graph witches' fingers (bugles corn chips), witches warts (mini chocolate chips), pumpkin teeth (candy corn), monster scabs (cinnamon cereal squares), and ghost poop (mini marshmallows).
Give each child their own individual zip lock back of goodies, a graph, and sorting math for this fun graphing activity. (Available in a Google slides version)
Activity 2 – The Spooky Attic
Every haunted house has a spooky attic where the monsters live! Your students can practice measurement from the safety of their own desks as they measure monsters with candy corn!
Give each student an individualized bag of candy corn and their own set of monsters to measure. (Available in a Google slides version)
Activity 3 – The Laboratory
Next stop is the haunted laboratory where students will create their own monster. For this activity, have baskets with different geometric shapes cut out in different colors. Allow students to come up one at a time and tell you what shapes they will need to create their monster.
You can safely pass them out to students individually and they can take them back to their own desk to create their monster. For more fun and creativity, you can add googly eyes, yarn, feathers, pipe cleaners…..the list is endless! (Available in a Google slides version)
Activity 4 – The Operating Room
Are you brave enough to visit the Operating Room in the haunted house? Poor Mr. Bones needs to be put back together! Purchase mini plastic skeletons at your local dollar store and cut them apart for each student and put them in a little baggie or Halloween treat bag.
Students can play this game with a partner (socially distant- each student sitting at their own desk) or by themselves. To play this game, the kids roll two dice, add them together and choose the bone that matches their sum. With each roll, they begin to build Mr. Bones on their Roll A Skeleton work mat. The first person to complete their skeleton wins! A great way to practice some addition in the old haunted house! (Available in a Google Slides version)
Activity 5 – The Graveyard
The finale to your classroom Halloween activities for the day will be a visit to the graveyard! Students can play a fun addition game called Ghosts In The Graveyard where they can practice some simple addition facts.
Give each student their own game board, mover, and spinner. Pair them up with a partner at a nearby desk. Students can take turns spinning and moving on their own game board with their partner – at a safe distance. Whoever gets their ghost to the graveyard first, wins the game!
3. Creepy Music
No classroom Halloween party would be complete without a little spooky music playing in the background. Take your pick of free Halloween music on YouTube that's sure to set the stage for a frightfully good time during your party!
How To Do This Remotely – Are you celebrating Halloween with your students remotely? Don your favorite witches hat and play some spooky music in the background as you read a Halloween story or do some fun Halloween activities with your online class!
4. Spooky Treats And Snacks
If you feel creative, you can go crazy making some spooky treats for your party like spider cookies, graveyard cupcakes or, rice krispie monster eyeballs!
But, if making treats isn't an option, grab some pre-packaged (COVID safe) Halloween goodies at your local grocery store. These Bats & Jacks pretzels look like little bats and jack-o-lanterns and are super cute with these Halloween-themed lollipops!
As you can see, your classroom Halloween party can still be fun even in the middle of this Covid pandemic! With a little imagination, you can create a safe and fun atmosphere for your Halloween celebration!
Ready to spend a day in a haunted house with your little goblins? This resource contains everything you need for some face-to-face or virtual fun. Includes party ideas for decorations, Halloween crafts and games your kindergarten or first grade students will love. Don't let covid trick you out of some spooky fun!
Head over here to grab this resource today!
Looking for more Halloween games and activities for your room? Head over here to see how I set up my room with fun and engaging Halloween math and literacy centers your kids will love!
