Halloween Treasure Hunt
This is a fun game for kids but can be a little messy, so be prepared. The kids will have a great time looking for their buried Halloween treasures and you’ll have a lot of fun watching them dig for those treasures.
For this game, you’ll want to set up prior to the children’s arrival. You’ll need plastic totes, play sand, treasure pieces, and enough small plastic shovels or spoons for each child to have their own for your treasure hunt. The totes should be large but not high. The children will need to be able to reach into and dig in them easily. There should be four children to each tote. Next, using the play sand, fill each tote approximately 1/2 way up.
Now, it’s time to bury the treasures in the sand. You can use candy, inexpensive Halloween toys, pencils, erasers and even stick a ghost, pumpkin or spider deep in the sand. Be sure to set the boxes far enough apart to give the kids room to dig without being in one another’s way.
Set one child on each side of the tote. Give them a plastic shovel or spoon to dig with. When everybody is set, let them dig in. Whatever they uncover they get to keep. They will be thrilled to find their little treasures and have even more fun digging in the sand. And if you think you’re stuck with all the clean up, never fear! Just let the kids dig the sand back up and put it in the totes again. Then you’ll just need to do a quick once over with the broom or vacuum once they are done.
Empty the Trick-or-Treat Bag
This game is a little like musical chairs but a lot more fun especially for preschoolers. All kids think about that great candy and how full their trick-or-treat bag will be on Halloween night. That’s even more important than their costumes if you ask them. This game will give them a little food for thought as they venture out to trick-or-treat. Here’s how it is played.
Place chairs in a circle facing in. Have all the children set down and then go around and tell each child a different type of Halloween candy. This will be the piece of candy they become for the game. Be sure it’s candy they know so they can easily remember which piece they are in the trick-or-treat bag.
Now to pick the first piece of candy in the trick-or-treat bag you think of a piece of candy and have the children guess what you are. The one who guesses right gets to be the first piece of candy. They move to the middle of the circle and you remove their chair. Start with one of the children in the chairs and go around the ring with each child trying to guess what piece of candy the child in the middle (trick-or-treat bag) is. The first child to guess it right then become another piece of candy in the trick-or-treat bag and their chair is removed.
The really fun side of this game is when you holler, “Empty the trick-or-treat bag!” All the kids have to move to a different chair anytime you say it. Anyone left without a chair is out of the game. Play continues until everyone has been a piece of candy in the trick-or-treat bag.
Tape the Face on the Halloween Pumpkin
This game is a little like Pin the Tail On the Donkey. In this game the children get to place either an eye, a nose or a mouth on the pumpkin. If they like they can put the whole face on their pumpkin. That choice will be left to you. Here’s how to play.
The first step can be done ahead of time or as a class craft project. You will need orange, green and black construction paper, double sided tape and a blindfold. Start by making as many pumpkins as you have children in your class. Do this by cutting rather large circles out of the orange construction paper. Then add a stem to each pumpkin using the green construction paper. Make eyes, noses and mouths for the pumpkins out of the black construction paper. Remember each pumpkin will need a whole face so make as many parts as needed for the pumpkins.
When you have the pumpkins ready, place them on a wall low enough that each of your preschoolers can reach them with ease. Also place a piece of double sided tape on the back of each facial piece. This way the children can place their pieces on the pumpkin with ease.
Instead of using a blindfold, which smaller children might be a little leery of, you can place your hands over their eyes once they are standing in front of their pumpkin. With their eyes closed, covered or while blindfolded have the children take one facial piece at a time and place it on their pumpkin. Once they have placed the last feature, have them look at how crazy their pumpkin face is. They will get a kick out of not only their own, but everybody’s funny looking pumpkins.
Vote For the Best Halloween Costume
This game is always a fun game for children. They like to look at the different costumes and chose one they think is the best. Here’s what you’ll need to play the game.
Be sure each child has his or her costume. A few weeks prior send Mom and Dad a note telling them to dress their child in their costume to come to school on a certain day.
Before the day of the contest, create a necklace for each child using a piece of yarn, a hole punch and either a cut out of each number or a piece of cardboard with the number written on it to hang from the necklace. You will need empty slips of paper (one for each child), pencils and a bucket to place the votes in.
As the children arrive, give them each a number necklace and have them place it around their neck. Each child should have a number that is large and visible to the other children. Tell the kids what these numbers are for and that it will be a part of the game. Numbers are easier for the children to write than their favorite costume name or the name of the student who is wearing it.
When all the children have arrived explain the game. What they will need to do is look at the other kid’s costumes. When they decided which costume is their favorite they will need to write the corresponding number on a slip of paper and place their vote in the bucket.
Once all the children have voted, it’s time to count the votes. Whoever has the most votes for their costume is the winner. The winning student can be named the student of the day, give them an extra Halloween treat, or some other small prize. Add as many categories to your list as you want and hand out a grand prize to the best costume.
Holidays Crafts and Activities
Holidays from New Years to Christmas are a great excuse to teach your preschool child with crafts and activities.