Homeschool Halloween

Halloween is a contentious subject among homeschoolers, but my kids love to dress up and pretend, so it’s a big hit in our family and because of that, we’ve had a lot of Homeschool Halloween lessons.  Of course, our lessons have become less common as the kids have grown older.  There were quite a lot in the early elementary/preschool years, now it’s a bit harder to create those lessons.

Homeschool Halloween crafts

These are all crafts my kids did during homeschool preschool but elementary kids would love them as well.

• Going on a Ghost Hunt mural– we repeated this activity for several years
• Clifford’s Halloween– a quick and easy art project, and a mini talk on process versus product
• Ten Timid Ghosts craft 1– My kids LOVE this book, so I’ve got two different crafts to go with it.  Also, this would make a great Kindergarten craft that you could turn into a math lesson.
• Ten Timid Ghosts craft 2– This one is a handprint ghost craft.  I got my kids to remake their originals because I lost any decent pictures of them.  My poor 10-year-old boys had to make handprint ghosts.  It gave them a valid excuse to get messy, so they were happy.
• 5 Little Pumpkins thumbprint craft–  I’ve included a printable AND tips for how to make this into a math lesson.
• Skeleton Meets Mummy craft– Super fun and easy mummy craft
• Spookley the Square pumpkin– If I were still in public school this would have turned into the perfect bulletin board

Homeschool Halloween Elementary lessons

• Does a pumpkin float?– pumpkin science is always fun, I did the more extended lesson with my elementary students when I taught public school, so I included this in elementary because I included those notes in here.
• Pumpkin observation lessons-This is a great preschool through first-grade lesson to work on vocabulary and description
• Bats Science lesson– I geared this for very early elementary (kindergarten), but I’ve included suggestions for older elementary kids
• The Witches book and a movie– we had so much fun with the snacks
• Bunnicula book and a movie– I loved this book as a kid and was quite happy to share it with my kids, the movie was not so much
• Black Cauldron book and a movie– This is one of those times the book is infinitely better than the movie, and the book has less of a Halloween feel than the movie
• Goosebumps book and a movie– I took Superman to see the movie and then he started reading the books like crazy, it’s not so much the books, as it is the author and his books coming to life, but still fun

Halloween picture books

I love collecting holiday-themed books, so I’ve got quite a few Halloween books (though nothing to my Christmas books, just wait for that post)

(all Amazon links in here are affiliate links)

• We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt– Yes I own two different copies of this book
• We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt– Yes each copy is a different story
• Big Pumpkin– a variation on a fable that I read first when I was student teaching
• Ten Timid Ghosts– a great countdown book, and one my kids still enjoy at 10 years old
• The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything– a classic
• Clifford’s Halloween– my in-laws still have a copy from when Jeff was a kid
• Skeleton Hiccups– this one cracks me up, a skeleton is trying to get rid of his hiccups
• Where’s My Mummy?– Halloween variation on Where’s My Mother
• Pumpkin Jack– realistic fiction about what happens to your pumpkin
• Pumpkin Soup– interesting story about friends making soup
• The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin– a cute book about a, wait for it, square pumpkin who feels odd man out

Halloween chapter books

There are more of these than I would have thought, and we have surprisingly large numbers of them

• Bunnicula in a Box– This is to the entire series, they make for great Halloween chapter readings, and I’m going to read the kids the sequels as our bedtime reading this Halloween.  I love this series
• The Monster’s Ring (Magic Shop Book Book 1) (or save yourself money and get Bruce Coville’s Magic Shop Books [BOXED SET], you won’t regret it)- I discovered this book in middle school, actually the entire series, and laughed my head off, it’s a little scary, but in a silly way
• The Monsters of Morley Manor: A Madcap Adventure (Madcap Adventures)– Monsters that are good?  Say it ain’t so.
• Oddly Enough– I read a lot of Bruce Coville books as a kid, which may explain something about my sense of humor
• The Witches– Roald Dahl and his creepy sense of humor

You’ll notice all of the Halloween chapter books I featured have monsters or things that seem like monsters but aren’t scary. It’s how I like my Halloween books, a bit scary, but not super scary.

Halloween Inspired Games

We have a few board games that are somewhat Halloween-inspired and popular with our kids.

• Fearsome Floors– For some reason, you and a bunch of friends decided to visit Dr. Frankenstein’s castle, and now you’re desperately trying to get away.
• A Touch Of Evil Supernatural Game*- I’ve got a review coming up later this month, it’s out, Touch of Evil review, but basically you’re in Sleepy Hollow and there’s some terrible monster attacking the town.  You and your friends are trying to defeat this horrible monster.
• Zombie Ninja Pirates*- This is slightly less Halloweeny, but I think of Halloween because every year I see someone dressed up as one of these.  You are trying to become the coolest supervillain ever while carrying off the best heist ever.  I think my kids are finally old enough to play this game without it causing problems, either way, it’ll be a big hit.

Originally published September 30, 2015