Want 20% off your first purchase?

Favorite Halloween Activities for Upper Elementary Classrooms

As soon as cooler temps come along and we start to see the first signs of fall, Halloween is on the mind!  It is a fun time, but it can also cause a bit of excitement and also distracted behaviors in the classroom.  To keep students engaged throughout October, there are many ways to incorporate the fun of Halloween into your daily classroom routines with Halloween activities. You can allow students to share their excitement for the occasion while still remaining focused.

Here are a few of my favorite October activities:

1.  Read Aloud

There are some really great books that you can read to get students into the Halloween spirit.  There are so many books that have a Halloween theme but there are also a lot of “spooky” stories that are not necessarily Halloween books, but they are perfect for the season.

The Spider and The Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi

  • The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi This story has wonderful vocabulary to discuss and do a lesson on using vivid vocabulary. It is also a great opportunity for opinion writing.  Students can complete a fun opinion writing piece where students state whether they believe the fly should or should not have dinner with the spider.  You can grab a free opinion writing activity for “The Spider and The Fly” by clicking to subscribe below.

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

  • Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds is a fun read aloud that is a great mentor text during October.  This story is a wonderful example of point of view.  The story is told from Jasper's point of view but in the end we get a glimpse of how the carrots feel.  Students will love turning the tables and writing from the carrots' point of view.  You can subscribe below to grab a free point of view writing activity to accompany “Creepy Carrots.”  You can also do a fun STEM activity and have students construct a fence around “Crackenhopper Field” to keep the carrots in.

And if you like “Creepy Carrots,” you are sure to love “Creepy Pair of Underwear” too.

2.  Write a Spooky Story

October is a really fun time to work on the elements of a story by having students write a spooky story.  Writing a spooky story is a fun way to introduce story elements and work on writing with vivid adjectives.  Students can imagine frightful characters and create a fun setting with a plot that will spook their friends.  Students love having a chance to be creative and have fun with their writing. 

You can find this spooky story pack HERE.

3.  Halloween Foldable Book

I love to use foldable books for special occasions because they are low prep and quick activities.  A Halloween foldable book is a fun activity to have students complete in October because it covers some of the fun things that students want to discuss Halloween and gives them a chance to share their excitement.  I love to use foldable books for morning work because they can be completed in a short amount of time.  Students can then use their foldable books during our morning meeting to share.  It is a fun way to start the morning and allows students to share their excitement about their costumes, candy, and more.  You can find this foldable book HERE.

4. Costume Inferences

Another favorite October activity is a costume guessing game.  Students are always buzzing about what they will be for Halloween and you can incorporate their excitement into a fun way to practice making inferences.  Students can give clues about their costumes and friends can guess what they will be based on the clues given.  This is a great way to discuss making inferences and how we can use clues that authors give us to make a “guess” or inference.  You can subscribe below for this free costume inference activity.

5.  The Day After Halloween

The day after Halloween usually brings tired eyes and candy-filled bellies.  Students are tired and ready to crash from their sugar high!  To keep students engaged on the day after Halloween, you can get them up and moving with a fun “Find Someone Who…” game.  This allows students to get up and moving but also gives them a chance to talk to their friends.  It's a fun way to start the day!

Another fun activity for the day after Halloween is a persuasive writing activity where students can choose their favorite candy and try to convince friends to give them all of their favorite candy.  Students are excited to talk about Halloween and candy but are also very persuasive in their writing!

You can also grab these free thank you notes to give to volunteers that help out with your Halloween celebration.  There are three versions available.  You can grab them for free HERE.

I hope you found some new Halloween activities to share with your students throughout the month of October!

Shop the resources in this post here:

You can check out more monthly themed ideas & resources HERE.

Please note that this post does contain affiliate links and I do receive a small commission from any products purchased through these links.

Happy October!

Follow:

2 Comments

  1. Natalie
    October 26, 2018 / 4:31 pm

    I simply LOVE this and simplicity of it!
    Thank you for sharing.

    Natalie

  2. Doreen
    October 27, 2018 / 1:50 pm

    I just subscribed so that I can download the freebie, The Spider and the Fly opinion writing, however there is not a way to download it now. Instead, the subscribe box continues to pop up. How do I receive the items from you site that I can download?

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop