Halloween: Games Page 1 Do you know of any good activities that would go along with this theme?  Click on the Pre-K Fun mailbox to share them!

Witch, Witch, Ghost

Have the children sit on the floor in a circle. Choose one child to be "it."
The child who is "it" walks around the outside of the circle, lightly tapping
 the head of each child in the circle saying, "Ghost" to each child.
 When the child who is "it" taps a child's head and says, "Witch,"
 the child named "witch" must get up and chase after "it." If "it"
 gets back to the proper place on the floor, then the "witch"
 becomes "it" and the game continues. (Variation: You can play
 this game all the time, just change the words to go with your theme.) 

Whoooo Am I?

Write a word that has something to do with Halloween on a piece of paper.  Make up as many sheets of paper, each with a different word, as there are players.  Some good words are BAT, GHOST, WITCH, BROOM, JACK-O-LANTERN, BLACK CAT, VAMPIRE, PUMPKIN, GHOUL, GOBLIN, and SKELETON.  To start the game, the players sit in a circle.  Choose someone to be it.  The player who is "it" stands in the middle of the circle with one of the words pinned to her or his back.  Everyone knows the word except the player who is standing in the circle.  The player tries to find out "WHOOOOOOOO AM I?" by asking questions.  The questions must be answered "yes" or "no."  After 5 questions, it is someone else's turn.  This game has no winner.  It is just fun to play!


Feed The Jack-O-Lantern

Draw a jack-o-lantern shape on the outside of a box.
 Cut out the mouth section. Have the children
decorate the jack-o-lantern using crayons or markers.
 Players take turns tossing bean bags into the
jack-o-lantern's mouth.

Fortune Teller 

Have someone dress up as a fortuneteller, or you can hire a person
 to act as a fortuneteller. Wear a kerchief, colorful clothes, lots of
 jewelry and talk mysteriously. Have a table set up in a poorly lit
 room with a crystal ball if you have one. Have the guests come
 into the room one at a time and ask the fortune teller questions.
 You may want to tell the fortuneteller a little about each person before
 starting without them knowing it. Be sure that you don't scare the little ones.

Witch and Ghosts

The children sit on the floor in a circle. They are the ghosts.
 One child is chosen as the witch. The witch walks around
 the circle chanting the following poem. One of the ghosts say
 "BOO".  The witch turns quickly and tries to guess which ghost it was.

If I were a witch
I’d ride on a broom
And scatter the ghosts
With a zoom, zoom, zoom.

Directions:
Draw a witches head (not too scary) or whole body on the chalk board.
 Fill the bin with water and sponges. Have children stand close enough
 to the board to be able to hit it accurately with a wet sponge. Place
 water bin and sponges near this spot. Tell children to take turns
 throwing wet sponges at the witch to try and 'melt' her away. As the
 witch becomes wet and water drips down the board, it will appear as if she
 is melting. Be sure the children are squeezing out the sponges before throwing.

Pass the Pumpkin With Your Chin

Pass a small pumpkin around the circle by only using your chin.

The Mummy Wrap

Team everyone up in teams of two or three. Each team gets one roll
 of toilet paper, the team who wraps someone from their group first wins.

Musical Chairs

Play with the spooky music.

Mystery Boxes

Need boxes with lids with a different "spooky" item in each one.
Decorate the boxes with special effects, spider webs etc. Inside put...

Bones
(fresh carrots or use well cleaned chicken bones)
Brains
(tofu- round off the edges)
Eyeballs
(Peeled grapes or oiled olives)
Fingers
(hot dogs or cheese sticks)
Hair
(cut from an old doll, an old wig or saved silk from corn on the cob)
Hand
(Fill a latex surgical glove with water, drape it over a bowl to give it some shape
 and freeze it. Just before the party, stick it in a tray of dirt, sand, or rice
 so your guests have to feel around in the dirt for the "buried hand".)
Intestines
(wet cold spaghetti)
Liver
(a half of a canned peach)
Skin
(oil a soft flour tortilla)
Teeth
(unpopped popcorn)

Noodle Grab

Fill a pot with water & add cooked spaghetti. Add small toys.
 The spaghetti will float on top & toys will sink to bottom.
 To get to the toys, kids have to reach into the GROSS mixture! 

Pin the Stem on the Pumpkin

Secure a large pumpkin to the wall. Give each child a construction
 paper stem with a piece of tape on it. Let each child cover
 their eyes and let them try to pin the stem on the pumpkin.
(Variation: pin the nose on the Jack-o-Lantern, Stem-on-the-Apple,
Hat-on-the-Scarecrow, or whatever variation best suits your party theme.)

Halloween Bowl

Gather four 2-liter plastic bottles. Fill with a little water at the
 bottom to add some weight. You will use these bottles as bowling
 pins. Now use a small pumpkin as the bowling ball. Players can roll
 the pumpkin and see how many bottles they can knock over on each
 roll. Points awarded to the person who can knock over the most.

Pumpkin Toss

Get a very large piece of cardboard, cut into a pumpkin shape.
 Cut out the eyes, nose, and mouth. Make or buy
 some beanbags to throw in the cut outs.

Guess How Many

Fill a jar with candy corn or miniature marshmallows and have
 the children guess how many are in the jar. This is
 a good game to play at the beginning of the party.

Memory Game

Put a few theme-appropriate items (an apple, a piece of candy, a leaf, etc.)
 on a tray. Show the tray to the children for a few seconds, then
 have them write down (or call out) as many items as they remember.

Jack-o'-lantern Jump

Blow up some round orange balloons. Attach long strings to them.
 Hold the balloons with tied end up, and use permanent markers
 to draw different jack-o'-lantern faces on them. Hang the balloons
 from the ceiling or a doorway at a height that will tempt
 the children to stretch, jump, and bat at the balloons.

Popcorn Relay Race

Set out bowls full of popcorn at one end of the room, empty
 bowls at another.  Teams must transport the popcorn from
 full bowl to empty, using a measuring cup.  This is a messy
 game - plan it for the end of the party! (Note: popcorn
 is a choking hazard for children under three).

Cotton Ball Scoop

Fill large mixing bowls with cotton balls and give each
 child a spoon. They must scoop out as many cotton
 balls as possible in one minute - without using fingers!

Old Witch and Her Black Cat Game

Children sit on the floor in a half circle. One child, the witch, stands
 a short distance away with her back to the cats. One of the children
 is pointed to, by the teacher and the child "meows." The witch turns
 around and tries to guess which child is the black cat.
 Continue until everyone has a turn.

Black Cat Hunt

Hide many paper black cats around the classroom so that
 children do not have to move objects to find them. Have
 children each hold hands with a partner. Each pair of children
 must find as many black cats as they can without letting go of their
 partner's hand. After the hunt, everybody meows,
and receives cat food from the teacher. (Candy corn.)

Halloween Hop

Teacher is the Silly Witch with the broom.

"It is Halloween Night and it is very dark outside. I am a very silly witch
 and I am going to cast a very silly spell on you. I am going to wave my
 broom and turn all of you into frogs. Now, how do frogs move around?
 They Jump. Every time I wave my broom, you will all jump
 around. When I put my broom down, you will all stop.

"Great opportunity for teacher to display her acting talents.

Floating Jack-O-Lanterns

Use a tub that is filled with water. Float 3 small plastic pumpkins in it.
 On the bottom of each pumpkin is a number 1,2, 3. Now on the table
 are 3 container that are filled with items that the children can see.
 One container is labeled with # 1,another with #2 & the last container
has a # 3 on it. The children must pick a pumpkin from the water & what ever
 number is on the bottom is the container that they get to pick one item from.

You’ve Been Ghosted

Want to begin a new Halloween tradition in your neighborhood,
 and get the excitement started early?  Ever been Ghosted? Ghosting
 is done a week or more before the big day. All you need is some
 Halloween candy, 2 brown paper lunch bags, 2 copies of the You've
 Been Ghosted letter and 2 copies of the Ghost picture. Put the candy,
 one letter and one picture in each of the brown paper bags. When it's
dark, sneak over to a neighbor's house, leave the bag on their porch,
 ring the bell and run away. Don't let them see you. Your Ghosted
 neighbors will in turn, ghost two more people. Before you know it,
 it will spread through out the neighborhood.

Now it's your turn to "ghost" two other people in your neighborhood.
 You should "ghost" these people within 2 days of receiving your treat.
 Hang the ghost on your front door so that everyone can see that you
have been "ghosted" and will not ghost you again. This will also let you know
 who you can ghost. Fill 2 bags with candy and treats. Copy this letter and
 the ghost twice. Include treats, letter, and ghost in your bag of goodies
 for the neighbors that you choose. After dark and only with an adult,
 "ghost" 2 of your neighbors. Do not let the person that you are
 "ghosting" see you, for it adds to the fun of it all.
Place the treat bag on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and run!
 It will be fun to see how many ghosts will appear in your
neighborhood by Halloween. Please keep it safe and enjoy!

Monster Match

Make a game board by arranging eight to ten different stickers in rows
 on a piece of tag board or an open file folder. Then make a duplicate
 game board and cut it apart into cards. Cover both with clear
 contact paper for durability. The children match the cards with
 the game board in this self correcting game that
reinforces visual discrimination.

Halloween Puzzles

Halloween puzzles are easy to make from commercial bulletin board
 decorations. Choose simple figures such as bats, pumpkins, or
scarecrows. Make an outline of the figure on a sturdy piece of
cardboard or tag board. Cover the decoration itself with clear
 contact paper and cut it into several large pieces. Have
the children arrange the puzzle pieces inside the outline.

Halloween Color Sort

Making sorting stations from shoeboxes or large margarine tubs that
 are covered with black, white, and orange construction paper. Provide
 a large tray of black, white, and orange objects for students to sort by color.
 You can use objects from around the classroom and holiday novelty items.

Apple On A String 

Materials Needed: 
Apples 
String 
Scissors 

Hang the apples from the ceiling on long pieces of string.
  Say "go" and have the players  eat the apples without
 using their hands! The first player done is the winner! 

Make A Face Pumpkins

Make several large pumpkins from cardboard that has been
 painted orange. Give the children an assortment of geometric
 paper shapes. Let them use them to create a variety of
 jack-o'-lantern faces on the pumpkins, different ones each time they play.

Trick or Treat Game 

Place slips of paper in a brown lunch bag. On each, write down
 a different "trick" such as "Hop on one foot" or "Close your
 eyes and touch your nose". Have each child in turn, say, "Trick
 or Treat" and draw a paper from the bag.
 Have all the children act out the movements.

Mystery Bag Surprise Game 

Explain what a mystery is. Put a number of objects without
 sharp edges in a large bag. Examples are unsharpened
 pencils, small pumpkin, block, sponge. One child reaches
 into the bag for an object and tries to guess what it is without
 looking. then the child removes it to see if he/she guessed correctly. 
Repeat until all have had a turn.

Undercover Pumpkin 

Challenge your little ones to think like scientists with this guessing game.
 While students are out of the room, drape a cloth over a pumpkin so that it
 covers the pumpkin but still shows its size and shape.  During a group time,
 use the following riddle to prompt the class to guess
 the identity of the hidden pumpkin. 

Here is something you can't see.
Listen to these clues to guess what it might be.
It grows from a seed, but it isn't a weed.
It has a stem. It sits on the ground.
Its shape is kind of round.
Its color is orange like a tangerine.
It smiles at you on Halloween!

Ghosts and Witches 

Divide the group in half. Have the children line up on opposite sides
 of the room. These are the ghosts.  Two children, one from each side,
 are selected to be witches. They are blindfolded (or cover their eyes
 with their hands) and stand in the center of the room. The ghosts,
 one at a time, cross over to the opposite side. If a witch hears a ghost
 from the other side crossing, the witch calls, "I hear a ghost." If
the witch is correct, the ghost drops out of the game. If the witch
 is wrong, a ghost from the witch's own side drops out.
 The side whose witch catches the most ghosts wins.

What Time Is It, Mrs. Witch? 

One player is witch, who stands in center of room. Remaining players
 form a line on one side of room.  Teacher asks, "What time is it,
 Mrs. Witch?" If witch says, "Midnight," players run across to other
 side of the room. Those tagged by witch stay in center to help
 witch tag other players. Repeat until all but one
 child is tagged. Last child then becomes witch.

Witch's Brew 

Draw a large pot on poster board, and stand it upright on table.
 Children sit on floor in front of table.  Teacher explains, "The
 witch is boiling some brew. A witch uses a variety of things in
 her stew. Listen and tell what objects are in the brew from the
 noises they make." Teacher makes noises behind the poster
 board, and children guess what makes each noise. Examples
 are beaters, hands clapping, a bell ringing, or blocks hitting.

Skala Kazam - Witch Magic 

Pretend to be a witch and perform magic. Display pictures related
 to Halloween. Discuss each picture.  Place a "magic" scarf over
 the pictures. Remove one picture when lifting the scarf and say,
"Skala Kazam!" Players tell which picture disappeared.
 Variation: Use objects instead of pictures.

What Is a Shadow? 

Discuss shadows. Go outdoors and discover your own shadow. Recite
 the following verse as the children make actions to go with words: 

If I walk, my shadow walks.
If I run, my shadow runs.
And when I stand still, as you can see,
My shadow stands beside me.
When I hop, my shadow hops.
When I jump, my shadow jumps.
And when I sit still, as you can see,
My shadow sits beside me! 

Try to change shape and length of shadow. Discuss other ways shadows
 can be made; either in bright light or at night when the moon is shining
 bright. Discuss fears about shadows, and give explanations
 for shadows to help remove children's fears.

Pumpkin Pond

Fill up a small kiddy pool with water & adding
 plastic pumpkins that have small prizes inside. 

Pumpkin Hoop Toss

Give each child a turn to try and throw a large hula hoop over a large pumpkin.

Pin the Tail on the Cat

Make a black cat out of felt & find some great cat eyes at the craft store.
 Cut a tail out of some fake fur, add rough velcro on back, & make a
 blindfold out of leftover felt and elastic. 

Orange and Black Streamer Dance 

Cut orange and black crepe paper streamers into pieces.
 Tape the pieces to your children's wrists. Then play
 Halloween music and let the children dance around the
 room, waving and twirling their orange and black streamers. 

The Witch's Caldron

Materials Needed:
small cup of jelly beans per child
Iron caldron or big pot

Directions:
Put the caldron on  the floor or on a low table.  Each player
 takes a turn trying to throw teh jelly beans into the caldron.  

Ghost Hunt

Cut white construction paper into 4"x5" pieces. Roll and tape to form tubes
 (these are ghost callers). Make one for each child. Also make 2 construction
 paper ghosts. Show everyone the two ghosts. Have children close their
 eyes. Teacher hides the ghosts. Children open eyes and count 1-2-3
 GHOST! On the count of "ghost" the hunt begins. The children who
 find the two ghosts sit by the teacher. Give them a ghost caller and let
 them make ghost noises for the next ghost hunt. The noise helps call the
 ghosts from their hiding places. Continue until all children are making ghost noises.

Bobbing for Apples 

A traditional Halloween game! Put apples in a clean large wash tub or
 container filled with water. The object of this game is to grab one of
 the apples and remove it from the water without using your hands, you
 must use only your mouth. That's all you need and the fun begins. It's
 a lot of fun to watch your friends do this. This is a very wet, and very fun
 game so you may want to consider doing this outside or keep a mop
 handy. It is even more challenging if the stems are removed from the
 apples. The indoor, dryer and more sanitary version of this game is to tie
 the apples to strings that are suspended from the ceiling. This way your
 guests will not get wet or have their makeup wash off.  If you dislike getting
your face wet try this version of apple dunking. Take a small bucket with
 water in it and float full size marshmallows in it. Then give each person
 a straw. (Shorter straws are easier to use and hold the marshmallow).
 Then have a contest to see who can get the marshmallow picked up in
 the shortest amount of time. You are allowed to
 eat the marshmallow when you capture it. 

  Pre-K Fun Theme pages are non-profit &  for educational reference only! 
No copyright infringement is intended.
I do not claim any of these as my own ideas.  
They are shared from friends and fellow group members.  
Some ideas found have been compiled from groups through the yrs.
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!