10 Fun Halloween Learning Activities for Toddlers and Preschool Kids
10 Fun Halloween Learning Activities for Toddlers and Preschool Kids
Halloween is the perfect time to mix play, creativity, and learning — without the sugar rush! Whether you’re a parent at home or an educator in the classroom, these simple, hands-on activities will spark curiosity, fine motor skills, and laughter.
Here are some of my favourite Halloween-themed activities designed with young children in mind. 👻
🧪 1. Spooky Magic Potion
Mix a little science and imagination! Add green slime (coloured water), and a few “creepy” ingredients like plastic spiders, googly eyes, or plastic body parts into a Halloween theme mixing bowl or cauldron. Mix and stir and ask your child to add the “ingredients” to your spooky potion.
Learning Focus: Science exploration, sensory engagement, creativity.
👻 2. Spooky Silhouette Art
This one’s a Halloween art favorite! Place a paper cutout (like a bat, pumpkin, or ghost) on cardstock and tape it down, then paint over it with sponges or brushes. When you lift the cutout, a magical silhouette appears.
Learning Focus: Fine motor skills, creativity, spatial awareness.
Watch the Video to Learn How HERE!
🧡 3. Pumpkin Spice Play Dough
Make your playtime smell amazing! Combine your favorite homemade dough recipe with pumpkin spice and orange coloring. Add cookie cutters, small pumpkins, and rolling pins for endless open-ended play.
Learning Focus: Sensory play, imagination, math and literacy through shape and pattern play.
Watch the Video to Learn How HERE!
🕷️ 4. Monster Math Sensory Bag
Turn counting and sorting into slimy fun! Fill a zip-top bag with hair gel, googly eyes, and foam numbers or spiders. Tape it to the table and invite your child to squish, move, and match — no mess required!
Learning Focus: Early math, number recognition, sensory processing.
Watch the Video to Learn How HERE!
🧙 5. Orange Salt Letter Tracing
Create a spooky writing tray with orange-dyed salt and letter cards. Kids use their finger or a paintbrush to trace letters — perfect for pre-writing practice.
Learning Focus: Literacy skills, letter formation, fine motor control.
Watch the Video to Learn How HERE!
🕸️ 6. What’s Hiding Under the Cobwebs?
Cover your sensory bin with spider webs to make a spooky sensory bin full of textures, shapes, and surprises! 👻
Add Bats, ghosts, pinecones, tongs and tweezers —lots of sensory fun for little hands. 💛
Learning Focus: Sensory exploration, tactile play, imaginative thinking.
Watch the Video to Learn How HERE!
🎃 7. Halloween Fine Motor Sensory Bin
Spooky sensory fun! 👻
Add small pumpkins, leaves, pinecones, spiders, plastic body parts and other themed Halloween items. Add cups, tongs and tweezers. This experience is full of textures, colors, and creepy-cute surprises.
Perfect for toddlers + preschoolers! 🎃
Learning Focus: Sensory exploration, tactile play, Fine motor skills.
🎃 5 Fun Things To Do with a Pumpkin
Pumpkins aren’t just for carving — they’re perfect for hands-on learning and sensory exploration! Here are 5 creative ways to use a pumpkin in your play:
1️⃣ Explore the Seeds and Pumpkin Guts
Let your little one dig right in! Squishy textures, cool temperatures, and slippery seeds make this a full sensory experience.
2️⃣ Make a Pumpkin Sensory Bag (for Younger Infants or Toddlers)
Seal pumpkin parts inside a clear zip-top bag so babies can safely explore without the mess!
3️⃣ Paint the Pumpkin
Use bubble wrap, sponges, or brushes to explore patterns and textures. Encourage creativity with bright colors or glow-in-the-dark paint!
4️⃣ Hammer Tees into the Pumpkin
Give children toy hammers and golf tees to tap into the pumpkin’s surface. A fantastic fine motor workout that’s both fun and safe!
5️⃣ Pumpkin Volcano Experiment
Cut out a Jack-o-lantern. Add baking soda, dish soap, green food coloring, and vinegar to your pumpkin for a bubbling, fizzing surprise. Science + Halloween = magic!
Learning Focus: Sensory exploration, creativity, fine motor skills, and science discovery.
🎨 Wrap-Up
Each of these Halloween activities helps children learn through play, combining fun with meaningful skill development. Whether your child is mixing potions, tracing letters, or exploring pumpkin guts, they’re building brain connections that last long after Halloween night!
💡 Want more step-by-step sensory play guidance?
👉 Explore my mini-course, Sensory Play Made Simple for easy, science-backed ideas you can use all year long!
Halloween Activities 2020
Halloween Activities 2020
Halloween is just a few days away and 2020 promises to be a different kind of Halloween! Halloween has always been one of my favourite
holidays to celebrate with children. There is so much fun involved for children: the ability to transform yourself for a day in your favourite
character costume, the spooky decorations and of course – the CANDY!
As 2020 has presented some challenges with celebrating holidays according to old traditions, this is an opportunity to find new ways to celebrate
this fun holiday.
Here’s a list of Halloween activities you can do with young children in 2020!
Candy Scavenger Hunt: Kids love going on a scavenger hunt! The process of finding hidden gems (especially candy) is so rewarding and exciting!
You can create your own scavenger hunt or click on this link to print one.
Indoor Trick-or-treating: You don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to trick-or-treat. You can setup trick-or-treating by going from
room to room in your home and having your child knock on the doors and you can have different people in the house answering the doors and
handing out candy. You can involve grandparents and other extended family members too! This activity is great for toddlers with their short
attention spans. They probably only want to knock on a few doors before they are done
Mummy Wrap: This is one of my favourite Halloween games. All you need is toilet paper and a willing person! You would wrap the toilet paper
around the person and try to cover them all up like a mummy. You now have a use for all the extra toilet paper you may have around the house!
How many Candies in the Jar? This activity will keep your child guessing all night long. Fill a jar with candy and ask your child to guess how many
are in the jar. They can take several guesses and you can record them. You can even extend the game to everyone in the house. Then you can take everything out of the jar and count it. This is not only fun, but it’s also a great math activity for young children.
Bob for Apples: This is a classic Halloween game! You can adapt it for 2020 by making individual bowls to bob for the apples. Each person gets
their own bowl of water with an apple floating in it. The object is to take the apple out without using your hands. Get creative! You can use your mouth, tongs, chopsticks etc.
Decorating yummy treats: This is a great opportunity to explore your creativity by decorating cupcakes or cookies. You can use spooky
decorations, or even candy to decorate with. Kids will develop fine motor skills by spreading the icing and adding the decoration.
Candy Toss: Grab a basket and some candy and create a tossing game. Position the basket a few steps away and ask the child to toss the candy into the basket.
Have fun creating new memories and traditions in 2020! Enjoy! Happy Halloween!
For more Halloween ideas and activities, check our pumpkin and trick-or-treat ideas blog.