Halloween Theme

Pre-K & Preschool theme ideas for Halloween and Pumpkins

Find more Halloween & Pumpkin Ideas for Pre-K

Books

Check here for a complete list of Books about Halloween!

Pumpkin Fine Motor Activities

Pumpkin Lacing Cards

Pumpkin shaped lacing cards were made with orange poster board with holes punched around the edges. Children lace yarn through the holes (I wrapped tape around the end of the yarn to make a point to poke through the holes). Children decorate the pumpkin when they finish.

Pumpkin Art Activities

Plate Pumpkins

Children make a pumpkin by mixing red and yellow paint together on a paper plate. They add a brown construction paper stem. For decoration, make a curly vine by twisting a green pipe cleaner around a pencil, then stretch it out a bit, and attach it to the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Painting

Children paint a mini pumpkin with acrylic paint (acrylic works well on pumpkins).

Pumpkin Models

Children make models of pumpkins with white Crayola Model Magic. Paint them after the Model Magic has dried.

Pumpkin Literacy Activities

Beginning Sounds

Place a few small objects from the classroom into a plastic trick-or-treat pumpkin. Pass the pumpkin around the circle. Each child will take one object from the pumpkin and identify its beginning sound. For example, S for scissors, M for Marker, etc.

Pumpkin Patch Journals

After going on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, children create a journal page about their experience. Get these journal pages in the Pre-K Writing Journals Bundle.

Pumpkin Bingo Stamping Game

Read about and print the Pumpkin Bingo Game here.

Pumpkin Math Activities

Size Order Mats

I found a set of pumpkin cookie cutters in four sizes. I made a mat with the four sizes in order using construction paper and covered the mats in clear Contact paper. The children cut pumpkins from orange play dough with cookie cutters, and place each size on the mat to put them in order by size.

More Pumpkin Math

See these posts for more Pumpkin Math activities:

Counting Pumpkins: Teaching One-to-One Correspondence in Pre-K

Pumpkin 1:1 Correspondence

Mini Pumpkin Math

Pumpkin Counting Printables

Pumpkin Science Activities

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Checklist

Go on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch to see real pumpkins growing on the vines, and the yellow pumpkin flowers that bloom before pumpkins grow. Our local pumpkin patch cuts open a pumpkin and allows the children to look at and feel the inside.

Read about and print the Pumpkin Patch Checklist here.

Pumpkin Decomposition

When Halloween is over, place a pumpkin outside in a garden area where it will not be disturbed. Observe the decomposition of the pumpkin over time.

What Colors Are Pumpkins?

This is a chart we made after observing many types of pumpkins at the pumpkin patch and in our classroom.

Pumpkin Cooking Activities

Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients for one serving:
Mini graham cracker crust
3 spoonfuls of vanilla pudding
1 spoonful of canned pumpkin
1 spoonful of whipped topping
Directions: Stir the vanilla pudding and canned pumpkin together. Spoon the mixture into the mini pie crust. Top with whipped topping.

(I also have this cooking activity listed with the Thanksgiving theme. Depending on the year, I may do this activity in either theme, but not both.)

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients for one child:
Four ginger snap cookies
3 spoonfuls of vanilla pudding or whipped topping
1 spoonful of canned pumpkin
Small cup of white icing (or cream cheese)
Orange food color
Small squeeze tube of black icing
Directions: Stir canned pumpkin and the vanilla pudding or whipped topping together. Place a spoonful of the mixture onto a ginger snap cookie. Gently place another gingersnap cookie on top (do not squish it down). These can be frozen. I usually place them on a sturdy paper plate and write the child’s name beside each, and place them in the freezer on the plate. After they are frozen, you can decorate the cookies like a pumpkin. Add a drop or two of orange food color to each child’s cup of white icing (or cream cheese). Let the child stir the icing with a popsicle stick and spread it on the sandwich cookie. Use a small squeeze tube of black icing to make a pumpkin face.

Monster Large Group Activities

Monster Song

Play the song “The Mice Go Marching” from Hap Palmer’s album “Rhythms on Parade”. Children will tiptoe during the “mice” part and stomp during the “monster” part.

Monster Fine Motor Skills

Monster Eyes

Add wiggle eyes to the play dough (mixed in) and have the children pull out the “monster eyes”.

Monster Art Activities

Monster Masks

Children use several collage materials of their choice from our art center to create a monster mask on a paper plate.

Bugs That Go Bump in the Night

Before reading Bugs That Go Bump in the Night, remove the surprise from the envelope at the end of the book. At the end, show children the empty envelope and ask them to make something scary to put inside.

Monster Literacy Activities

Go Away Big Green Monster

I made a set of “Big Green Monsters” for the children to use in small groups. I traced the pages of the book, Go Away Big Green Monster, to make patterns for cutting out the pieces from felt. As the story is read, the children add each piece of the monster’s face, then take them away. I also have the children retell the story as they manipulate the pieces.

There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

Fold a piece of brown construction paper (hamburger fold). On the inside, staple or glue a half-sheet of white drawing paper to the right side. On the front, write “There’s a Nightmare in My Closet”. Have the children draw a nightmare on the white paper on the inside of the “closet”. At large group, my students often like to talk about their nightmares and things that scare them. I think they like to get it out “in the open” and hear what other children have to say about their nightmares.

Monster Roll & Write Game

Print and find directions here: Roll & Write Games

Monster Math Activities

See these posts for more Monster Math activities:

Monster Eyeball Sorting

Monster Play Dough Math

Halloween Literacy Activities

Halloween Parade Class Book

Ask each parent to send in a photo of their child dressed in their Halloween costume. Glue each photo onto a page, and bind the pages together to make a class book. To make our class books, I use “presentation book covers” from an office supply store or Walmart. It has a sturdy plastic cover with a clear insert, and the pages are also clear inserts. I just slip in a page for the front cover, and slip in the children’s pages inside. These can be reused.

Story Retelling

This is an activity that goes with any theme. Choose a book that goes with the theme, and have the children retell the story.
Read the blog post here for details: story retelling

Halloween Math Activities

Halloween Candy Shop

Try this fun and easy prep activity for counting. Read more here: Halloween Candy Shop

Paper Punch Math

I use pumpkin, bat, and spider shaped craft punchers to cut out the pieces from construction paper. You can use these paper punches for sorting, patterns, and numbers with these free printables.

Sorting: Give each child a bowl of assorted paper cutouts. Have them sort the paper cutouts onto the sorting sheet and glue them on. Print the Sorting Sheets here.

Patterns: Children glue the cutouts on the paper pattern strip. You can do AB, AABB, ABC, ABB, AAB, etc. Print the Pattern Grids here.

Counting: Print out the numeral sheets. Have children count out the correct amount of paper cutouts to glue onto the numeral. Print the large numeral sheets here.

Halloween Paper Punch Math: Sorting, Patterns, Counting

Pumpkin Grid Game

Read about and print here: Grid Games

Halloween Roll and Cover Game

This roll and cover game can be used to practice counting and numeral recognition. Read about and print it here: Roll and Cover Games

Halloween Roll & Cover Game: Math Printable

Halloween Question of the Day

Get Question of the Day printables here: Question of the Day

Halloween Science Activities

Halloween Science Center Magnifying Glass

These Magnifying Glass idea cards are a great way to combine science tools with Halloween themes in your science center. These idea cards are available here: Magnifying Glass Idea Cards