I LOVE Halloween. Oh, who am I kidding? I love all holidays, but Halloween is definitely one of my favorites! There are so many awesome books and craft ideas out there that I struggle every year deciding which ones I want to do. I thought it would be fun to share a few of our tried and true favorites along with a few new ideas Emily and I tried this year.
BOOKS:
My ALL-TIME, HANDS DOWN favorite Halloween book is We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt by Marcia Vaughan. If you haven’t read it, you’ve got to. You can act out the story, create an obstacle course to go along with the book, work on predicting, sequencing, formulating sentences, describing, answering wh-questions, and so much more.
If you’re interested in more ideas for this book, check out my interactive book companion.
Emily and I both love pairing books with songs that incorporate motor movements and fun crafts!
Other fun books include:
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Collandro
Click, Clack, Boo by Doreen Cronin
Go Away Big, Green Monster by Ed Emberley
Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw
SONGS:
Music is a great way to stimulate spontaneous language and social interactions. You can practice following directions, imitating motor actions, and giving directives (ex. play it, turn it on, play it again, turn lights off, etc.). Below are a few fun songs that our students enjoy.
Have You Ever Seen a Pumpkin:
LYRICS: Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin? Have you ever seen a pumpkin with no face at all? So I made a jack-o-lantern, a jack-o-lantern. So I made a jack-o-lantern, a jack-o-lantern with two eyes, one nose, one mouth with shiny teeth. So I made a jack-o-lantern for Halloween night!
(Click on the song titles below to play the songs on You Tube.)
Spooky, Spooky
The Monster Mash
5 Little Pumpkins
CRAFTS:
Paper Bag Pumpkin:
This craft is so easy and perfect for preschool or younger elementary students.
Directions: Have your students paint half of a lunch-size brown paper bag orange and the other half green (do this on both sides of the bag). Once the bag dries, stuff it halfway full with newspaper, and tie it in the center with a piece of yarn (to make it look like a pumpkin). Cut a mouth, eyes and a nose out of black construction paper. Then cut out “shiny” teeth from foil. Have your students glue the face on one side of the paper bag to make a jack-o-lantern. Leave the other side as it is so that it looks like a pumpkin. Use the pumpkin as you sing the song “Have You Ever Seen a Pumpkin” (Sung to the tune: “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie”).
Paper Pumpkins:
This cute pumpkin is one of Emily’s favorite crafts because it’s easy, low prep, and covers several different skills! Add in handwriting/writing and sentence formulation by having your students describe their pumpkin. For more handwriting ideas, check out Emily’s Halloween writing prompts.
Directions: Draw a few lines on orange paper and have students cut away! Staple or tape the paper loops together. Make a small green loop for a stem. You could add leaves or vines, too!
If you try any of these ideas out and like them, let us know in the comments!
Click HERE for our FREE, fun Halloween Interactive Book!
Happy Halloween!!
Nicole
