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9 Halloween Activities and Crafts for Toddlers and Up

October 1, 2013 by Jaimi Erickson 13 Comments

Ready to have the ENERGY to be the best mom you can be? Get started! Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome back! Did you already get started here?

Time for some Halloween fun! I know many families do not participate in Halloween, but I keep it “cute” for the kids with these learning activities that cover children from toddlers to preschool and early elementary. Five are my own creation and I also have shared links to other blogs that have additional ideas for you as well.  I’ve got pumpkins, spiders, ghosts and more!

Halloween Activities and Crafts for Toddlers, Preschool and School Age Kids

 

#1: Craft Pumpkin Shape Faces

Check your local craft store for the small craft pumpkins. They go on sale frequently. I grabbed a couple for these first two activities. This one is a shape-play activity that can be a solo invitation to play or interactive.

 

Starting with some shape stencils and small cookie cutters, I traced shapes onto black construction paper.
My son asked if he could help, so he was able to practice some tracing and then we cut out our shapes.
We actually still have warm weather where we currently live, so we worked outside.

 

After the shapes are cut, they can be laminated, covered in clear contact paper, or clear packing tape to help keep them durable. Take one of the pumpkins, and using small pieces of the hook side of hook-and-loop tape or dots, stick two pieces on for eyes, one where the nose will go, and one for the mouth.

Using the opposite side of the hook-and-loop tape, peel and stick the loop pieces onto the back of each shape. I cut out different-sized shapes so that the big shape could be the mouth and the small ones could be the eyes and nose, but it really does not matter unless you would like to work on a size comparison activity.

 

Sitting with my toddler, I showed her a shape, asked her what it was called, and when she named it she took it from me and placed it on the pumpkin.  Below are the two faces she put together while we played one morning. You could use one shape at a time-for example only the hearts or only the squares-to emphasize the shape name for a younger toddler. I would definitely use shapes that your child has trouble naming-practice, practice! I made sure to make ovals and rectangles since those are two that we still need to work on in our house.

 

 

#2: Chalk and Craft Pumpkin Creations

At first my plan was to spray paint one craft pumpkin with chalkboard paint, and then when we got them home we discovered that chalk works right on the plain pumpkin. How fun! This is great for young ones to use their artistic creativity to draw a face…or just use different colors to add a few scribbles.

 

It is also a nice way to do a step-by-step drawing practice with older ones. I said to my Kindergartner, “Draw triangle eyes and a circle nose.” He then wanted my help with a mouth.
How about using these for exploration of feelings? Draw a mad face and talk about what makes us mad; draw a sad face and discuss things that make us sad-or things we do to others that make them sad…and so on. Of course, just having the pumpkins out with chalk and a damp rag (for erasing) is a great invitation to engage in a little Halloween-themed play.

 

#3: Spider Web Counting Number Match

Do you have left over pieces of that rug grip to keep area rugs from slipping? I have a use for it: Make pretend spider webs to create a number and counting game with plastic Dollar Store spiders.

 

 

First, I drew the outline for my spider webs on cardboard. Then I cut it out to have a pattern to trace for my spider webs.

Second, I laid the pattern onto the rug grip. I placed a piece of scrap paper under the rug grip so that my marker lines would not leak through the holes and get on the table. Trace as many webs as you would like and cut them out. I made 5.

 

Next, we labeled our plastic spiders using the colored circle stickers from the office supply store-and used in other activities on this page.

 

Write one number on each sticker, then stick them to the spiders. If your stickers have trouble staying on the spiders, try using paper spider cutouts instead of the plastic.

 

Using the same circle stickers, place amounts of stickers on each web. I chose green this time to be the bugs caught in each web. I placed 1 sticker on the first, 2 stickers on the second, etc. until there were green stickers (bugs) on each web. Then, turn the webs over and add a bit of white glue or hot glue to the back of each sticker to help it stay stuck to the web. It just takes a dab. Hot glue will dry more quickly, but use what you have.

 

When the webs are dry, I glued two little googly eyes on each green sticker to add to the fun of the activity. You can use a marker to draw on eyes.

.

Then, it’s time to play! My toddler sat with me on the floor. I had the webs laid out in number order, and we went web-by-web to count the bugs and match the spider to its web. It’s cute and creepy-crawly at the same time…plus, it teaches! My toddler needs to work on just completing an activity when it is started, so we only did 5 webs, but make as many as your child is ready to tackle.

 

A quick tip about storing the web game: Use a plastic zipper-top bag from hosiery or underwear. I keep the good ones in a bin with other crafty items for when I need a storage device in a small size.

 

 

#4: Pumpkin Counting in Muffin Cups

This activity is so well-known across the activity-blog world. It’s so easy to adapt to any season or interest. I used a mini muffin pan and paper mini muffin cups for this one.

 

 

To help the muffin cups stay in the pan, I placed a rolled piece of masking tape in the pan then stuck on the muffin cup. (That counts as another quick tip!)

 

I found a bag of little jack o’lantern erasers at Target, but you could use other small manipulatives like beads or Lego bricks in Halloween colors. These are our counters for this game. They are so small, this really is a fine motor and eye-hand coordination exercise as well.

 

Each muffin cup is labeled with a number. I had 12 cups, so I numbered from 1 to 12. Then I counted the mini pumpkins into my toddler’s hand and pointed to where she needed to dump them in the cups. At first she placed them in one-by-one and then she switched to the whole hand-full dumping method. This met her at her level, but if your child is old enough to recognize the number and count the pumpkins into the cups, then this is a simple invitation to practice that skill.

 

My toddler surprised me a bit. Since one of her learning goals right now is completing activities from start to finish, I was excited when she extended this simple “toy” with her own exploration. She started picking out the paper cups and pouring one into another. She gave me some direction a few times to, “Pour this one in here,” so I took her directions so she could lead the activity. She continued to grab them out with her hand and place them wherever she chose. I am always amazed at how the simplest, most structured activities can be changed by a child in their mind so easily. It’s fun to watch and participate with them.

 

#5: Dryer Sheet Ghosts and a Tossing Game

 

Take a used dryer sheet, lay it flat on a table, and place a balled-up kleenex, piece of tissue paper, or paper (wadded up into the size of a ping pong ball) in the center of it. Gather the dryer sheet around the ball (head of the ghost) and wrap string or a rubber band below the ‘head’.  Draw a face if you wish. Make multiple ghosts so you can use them for counting, a tossing activity or play.

 

 

Ghost Toss:
Place a piece of masking tape, or tape a yard stick/measuring tape on the floor.

 

For young ones, you can just toss from one spot so they can work on throwing and gross motor/eye-hand-coordination.

 

For older ones, use the measuring tape and have them start close to the bucket or box and move back at each turn.

 

We moved a foot at a time. Make note of how many feet/meters your child was away each time and see how far they can move back from the bucket until they miss.
(This can be done indoors or out depending on your preference.)

 

Now for 4 more Halloween activities from some great blogs:

#6: Scented Fall Sensory Bin from Fantastic Fun and Learning

 

#7: Ghost and Haunted House Number/Addition Match from No Time for Flash Cards

 

#8: 6 Super Easy Halloween Crafts for Toddlers from Craftulate

#9: Spider Headband Craft from Fantastic Fun and Learning

Find resources for implementing routines and schedules in your home. Printables and suggested schedules make it so easy!

Successful Mom Daily Checklist to help you gain balance between housework and play time with the kids. Get more done, and feel more successful as a mom and homemaker.

Enjoy your time at home!

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Filed Under: activities Tagged With: crafty, DIY, Halloween, homeschool, preschool, school age, toddlers, totschool

Comments

  1. pinkoddy says

    October 14, 2014 at 11:23 pm

    These are great Halloween activities. You previously linked up to the Weekly Kids Co-op so I am featuring your dryer ghost this week.

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      October 20, 2014 at 3:37 am

      Great news! Thanks so much for sharing it.

      Reply
  2. Kristina says

    October 9, 2013 at 2:00 am

    HA! LOVE the dryer sheet ghost! So creative! And he probably smells good, too ; )

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      October 9, 2013 at 2:21 am

      Ha ha! I guess that is a side benefit. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lauren from Tutus and Tea Parties says

    October 6, 2013 at 2:25 am

    Fun ideas! Thank you for sharing at our Pinning for Play link party!

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      October 8, 2013 at 12:43 am

      Lauren, thanks for hosting it!

      Reply
  4. Marian says

    October 2, 2013 at 10:16 am

    I love, love these ideas! Can't wait to try it! These will surely keep the little ones busy;)

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      October 4, 2013 at 1:06 pm

      Thanks, Marian! I am excited for you to try them out with your young ones. All the best to you!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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    August 18, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    […] Craft pumpkin shape faces from The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide […]

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They were posing nicely, but I said make some funn They were posing nicely, but I said make some funny faces. They did. 🤣🤣

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Want to eliminate mean girls? Raise daughters to do the opposite.

Want to teach women to better communicate with each other? Raise daughters to listen and articulate.

They are my own little girl group and I am grateful for it. They love me on my bad days and give me compliments I do not even deserve. 

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What are the top lessons you wish girls would learn before becoming adults? 

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Will you be spending time with family for Easter? Will you be spending time with family for Easter? 

My husband’s parents have arrived - adding one more big dog to our house and lots of crafts and fun. We have not seen them since June. Everyone is excited to spend time together.

Both of my big kids have birthdays and we will all get to spend time at the beach this month. Our school work will morph into field trips so we soak up every day we can being present with family. 

I am looking forward to making memories, soaking in time together and celebrating two milestone birthdays - one happening tomorrow. 💛 

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🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all t 🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all the kids actually goes well!!! 🌟 

Ice cream after helped of course. 😂

All prepped for my in-laws coming to visit us after not seeing them since our move last summer. Looking forward to some fun events ahead that will make my kids think they are on spring break but they will technically be field trip days. Check, check. 

Are you guys on spring break this week? What do you have planned?

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Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, fill your mind with encouragement and just keep moving forward. 

Recovery days are not just for working out. They are for the mental state we walk around with too. Yesterday felt heavy. My God is a power lifter and takes the burden away. 

Today will be better.

Today we will rest and refocus.

Hooray for comfy jeans, motivational graphics and the Word to focus on through it all. 

(Faith fashion: @choseninchrist use code Jaimi to save.)

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🌟That Face!!🌟 That little boy is soon to t 🌟That Face!!🌟 

That little boy is soon to turn 13, guys! I mean in a few weeks. 😅

This is a throwback but brings back so many fun memories. 

—————————————

I love creating activities and crafts on the fly. Always have even before my kids were here.

I noticed that my son did not have a lot of little toy people to play with while he was pretending one day. We have a few cylinder blocks in a set. We never used them when we built. I thought we could turn them into little DIY toy people. 

They were so cute and easy to make. It was a preschool art project for him. We made them together.

If you don’t have wooden cylindrical blocks at home, you can use pieces of wood dowel or even a few square blocks glued together. You can even make DIY toy people out of toilet paper tubes. 

🌟Full details through Blog link in bio 🌟

——————————————

I am so excited and yet in complete shock by how fast these little lives grow. I have never missed moments and I am so so grateful especially as we approach the teen years in my house. 💛 Soak up even the hard days of being a mom. TOTALLY worth it. 

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👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out the 👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out there. I try to ignore a lot of them. 😂 

My kids stay up later than most recommend, but so did I when I was a kid. 

She loves to read. She loves to write. Abby writes plays, journal entries, songs and on a bad day she will write her feelings about it all, in depth, no holds barred. 

This night she was trying to finish up a play - setting, character details, order of lines - for a play she made for her younger sister. 

I am so thankful that we can count her love of writing in her free time as school work. I am so thankful that how we do school allows this passion and talent to thrive. She has stacks of drawings, plays and writing blurbs. They are all precious to her.

There are days I question whether this choice or that choice is right or “approved,” but it does not matter when I see my children dive deep into the things they love. 

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Give me my people any day. Family time this Sund Give me my people any day. 

Family time this Sunday was a 5k fundraiser race. We helped raise 💵 for the spouses’ club scholarship fund. Scholarships will be awarded for post secondary education to military kids and spouses. 

If you can choose any action in life, choose to help others. Side bonus when it involves fun family time together.

Best day yet. 💛💛💛

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💛 Friday Introductions💛 It has been a while 💛 Friday Introductions💛

It has been a while since I did a good run-down here to give ya the cliffs notes (are those still a thing) version of me. 👋 

💛 Detroit-born a few blocks from where Eminem lived. The city is still my hometown despite moving away as a kid.

💛 I am a big believer in traditional values, but with a modern woman twist. My husband drives his career and I drive this household.

💛 We live in eastern NC 30 mins from the beach. I want to stay here forever, truly, but military life will come to an end some day...still don’t know specifically when that will be.

💛Born and raised to be a planner, Type A personality, having 4 kids beat that out of me 🤣 and I am very “day at a time” now. 

💛I was a teacher turned stay at home mom turned blogger turned entrepreneur that had to set it all on the back burner a bit to focus on homeschooling my kids. I can only have so much on my plate and complete it successfully. (When we listen, God guides and is loud and clear with His direction. 💛)

💛I believe I can be humble and confident; I can be fully present with my kids and make space to rest and rejuvenate; I believe the biggest successes I will achieve in life will not have a paycheck as its valuation. 

💛I believe that true peace, value and love all come from Jesus. 

You will find me sharing the ups AND the downs of motherhood, wife life, homeschooling and being a Christian woman with the modern day pull to fight what that can mean. (There is def a force trying to convince us to push those values aside, my friends.)

👌What is the cliffs notes version of you? What do you want people to know/realize most of all?

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🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟 Often our c 🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟

Often our children learn hard lessons when they have to move to a new state or school. 

My kids have become all too familiar with this through military life. Every three years they have to make new friends.

It is not always simple.

As a child, my family moved a lot. We were not military, but in junior high I moved to a new state and had to make all new friends.

This was a challenging and even to some extent a traumatic time of life.

Being the new kid, is a humbling experience. Suddenly you are hoping that your peers will want to get to know you and like you. It creates some self-consciousness.

Reading is such a beneficial way to teach children about life lessons. It teaches much more than that. It teaches self esteem through the cuddle time. It teaches language skills, and it teaches children to use their minds to be creative.

As they have grown and navigated more friendships, books are a resource for us to discuss tough challenges. I have found a great series of books that present friendship challenges and help children learn to navigate them.

It just so happens that the author is my neighbor too! How cool is that?! Moms are amazing.

These books will be treasured by your family for their quality values. The @stingrayjelly series teach children how to make friends and navigate friendships to love others well and support them through shared similarities and recognized differences.

Author, Lauren Giannella is a military wife and my neighbor! Anna Perdue is the illustrator and also a military child. 

Read my blog post for details on each book and links to purchase through @barnesandnoble 

We love our military community and all they do to give back.

What are your favorite children’s books that teach children how to make friends or help them maneuver through tough life challenges?

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