5 Fiendishly Fun Halloween Activities for Children

Unless you’ve been living in a (monster-filled) cave, you’ll probably have noticed that children love Halloween. And why wouldn’t they? It stimulates their creative sensibilities, flooding their brains with big, bold images and engaging stories. 

It’s cosy as heck too; perfect for carving out some quality family time. 

But let’s be honest, some of the go-to Halloween activities are a bit, well… dated. Apple bobbing? Plastic monster masks? Uh, the 1950s called, and they want their activities back. 

Which got us thinking: are there Halloween activities for children that tap into their creative spirit in a safe, positive way, that support their development without sacrificing the fun? 

The answer, as you can imagine, is a big old “yes.”

From scavenger hunts that double as storytelling exercises to spooky sensory boxes, we’ve pulled together a beastly batch of Halloween activities for children, designed to tap into expressive art and design and spark their literary imaginations. 

Let’s explore.

1. Spooky Scavenger Hunt

There’s nothing like a scavenger hunt to get little ones fizzing with excitement. They’ve got everything: brain-teasing clues to solve, a captivating story to follow, and, if you’re willing to go the extra mile, an immersive environment to explore. 

They’re super customisable too; made suitable for toddlers or preschoolers with just a few minor tweaks. 

So, what does your spooky scavenger hunt need?

If you’re going all-out on the monster-y stuff (technical term, FYI), you’ll need a core idea; something to weave the experience around. 

This, of course, should be tailored to be age-appropriate, but you can’t go wrong with the classics. 

Maybe you’re a team of intrepid investigators exploring a witch’s house. Maybe there’s a monster on the loose in a castle, and it’s up to you to find it. Just keep it child-friendly, okay? 

Once you’ve got a concept in place, it’s time to engage your inner set designer and decorate your home (or garden) accordingly. Unless you’re trying to avoid spoilers, you can draft your little ones in to help — it’ll build anticipation and channel that creative spark. 

When your concept and setting are in place, the hunt can begin. While scavenger hunts typically feature increasingly cryptic clues to solve, we’re focusing on the storytelling, so simply hide things in fairly obvious places for your little ones to find. 

If you’d like to add a layer of challenge (or include older siblings later on), you can ramp up the difficulty a little by weaving in some of those clues we mentioned. They could be a cryptic two-line rhyme nudging them to the next location or something a bit more brain-taxing, like a riddle. 

At each location, they’ll need to find an item and check it off their list. Once they’ve got them all — hurray! The mystery is solved, and the monster is tamed. 

Scavenger hunts are ideal Halloween children’s activities as they engage creative and problem-solving parts of their brains, as well as teaching teamwork in a hands-on way.

2. DIY Decorations

You know what the world needs more of? Children’s creativity. It’s the purest form of magic we have, free of agenda beyond the joy of making something and flexing creative muscles. 

And Halloween is an opportunity to channel that creative energy into something you can proudly display in your hallways. That’s right, we’re talking DIY decorations. 

Whether it’s cardboard tube ghosts, paper pumpkin garlands, or pipe cleaner skeletons, there are many possibilities for Halloween crafts for children, all tailored to age and skill level. 

You may need to play project director, and you’ll definitely need to supervise and support, but helping your little one make their own Halloween decorations will be a) gloriously fun and b) a subtle way to encourage creative expression.  

But remember: the process is the reward. This is a space for creative play. And besides, there are no rules for make-believe — the weirder your little one’s monsters, the better. 

3.Scary Sensory Box

Getting hands-on (literally, FYI) for the third entry on our list of Halloween activities for children. 

Sensory boxes (sometimes called sensory bins) are well-known to support the development of your little one’s fine motor skills, but they’re also a fiendishly fun way to teach storytelling. 

They’re super simple to set up and, unless you’re feeling particularly extravagant, make use of items you’ve likely got squirreled away in cupboards or destined for recycling.
 
Whether you opt for dishes, washing-up bowls or something larger, the format remains the same: select several items with a satisfying texture — ideally several different textures — and pop into your chosen container. For example:

• Shredded paper
• Sand (regular or kinetic) 
• Play dough

Then, spend a little time cooking up a story to attach to the items, ideally one that links them to each other. Maybe you’ve found the ingredients from a witch’s brew, or stumbled across a spooky scientist’s leftover experiment. 

(FYI: Don’t make it too scary. Look to age-appropriate books for inspiration.)

Once you’ve got your ingredients and your story ready, walk your little one through your fiendish discovery, allowing them to interact with each item. Be sure to ask questions, gently prompting them to explain the textures using simple language like “squishy” or “slimy”. 

Like any sensory or messy play activity, be sure to supervise your little one at all times, keeping the experience safe and fun for everyone. 

4. Skeleton Says

A spooky twist on a family classic. (Simon says, FYI.)

There’s a simple reason this activity has endured across the decades: it’s a dose of pure fun, guaranteed to get your little one giggling with glee. 

You’re probably familiar with the setup, but if you’re not, it works like this:

• Nominate someone to be ‘Simon’ (a stuffed skeleton toy, for example.)
• Put on some music to set a spooky atmosphere
• Call out actions for your little ones to copy, making sure to say ‘Skeleton Says’ before each
• Occasionally leave out ‘Skeleton Says”, catching out anyone who still performs the action.

In most versions of the original game, the person who still performs the action is “out”, but you don’t have to do that — focus on fun, rather than competition. 

The actions can be as simple as you like, just make sure they’re safe and accessible for everyone playing. Some ideas could include: 

• Pull a scary face
• Roar like a monster
• Laugh like a witch
• Walk like a zombie
• Fly like a bat

And while the focus should be on the fun, Simon/Skeleton Says poses a variety of developmental benefits for your little one, including encouraging listening skills and introducing them to verbs, which will help them with early sentence building.

5.Halloween Story Time

The simplest activity on our list, by some measure. Ideal for little ones exhausted from the spooky fun, or who simply prefer quieter, less-energetic activities.  

We’re big believers in the power of a good bedtime story, and there’s no better way to wind down than by settling into one of the many brilliant Halloween books for children currently on shelves. 

And we mean settling down. Ideally by getting as cosy as possible, and letting the story take centre stage. If you’ve got Halloween lights up, now’s the time to flick them on. 

And if you are eager for a little audience participation, you could encourage your little one to join in for any sound effects, or even, if they’re able, join in with helping you to tell the story. 

And that’s our list. A spook-tacular selection of Halloween activities for children that’ll get their storytelling cogs turning and ignite their imagination. 

Need more activity inspiration? Check out our blog, where you’ll find articles on everything from autumn activities to fun activities for gross motor development. 

And if you’re seeking a nursery for your little one, be sure to find a Busy Bees nursery near you.