Halloween Classroom Decorations and Activity Ideas

Looking for a way to spruce up your classroom for Halloween? Need some spooky activity inspiration?

Fall/winter is such an exciting time of the year, especially when it comes to the holidays. One of the first ones that comes our way in October is Halloween! And while it is a festive time, teachers know that festivities can quickly lead to overwhelm.

We want to be the “fun” teacher and make the day special, but we also don’t have tons of time or money to spend on a holiday — especially with several others soon approaching. Luckily, I’ve got you all covered with easy Halloween classroom decorations and engaging activity ideas!

Bat Cave Room Transformation

Bats are the perfect compliment to Halloween, and this Bat Cave Room Transformation is an awesome way to get a little spooky this season. Not only does the room transformation come with a few signs and other items to deck out your space, but it has plenty of engaging bat-themed activities, too! It’s geared towards 1st graders, but it may also work with some kindergarten and 2nd grade classrooms. The activities include Batty Math, Bat Writing, Spin & Add, Batty Vowels, Fact or Fiction, Bat Vocabulary, and much more!

Not willing to invest in bat-themed decorations? No problem! You don’t need to decorate your room for a batty transformation, but I preferred to do so. The Dollar Tree should have everything you need to spruce up your room, especially around Halloween time.

Other Room Transformation Ideas

When it comes to room transformations for Halloween, you can do so many different things — the possibilities are endless! A few other ideas that come to mind include monsters, pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, apples, or a combination of several different Halloween themes.

What are some good activities to use in class for Halloween?

I’ve tried out lots of Halloween activities with my first graders over the years, so I’ve learned quite a bit about what works well and what doesn’t. For one, you of course want to stay on theme and make the activities enjoyable for students. That way, they’ll stay engaged the whole time and really get into the holiday spirit! For two, you want to ensure that your Halloween activities align with your curriculum. That’s how you achieve the perfect balance of practice and fun!

Below, I’ve linked to several of the Halloween activity ideas that my students have loved in the past. If you try them out with your class, I’d love to know what you think!

• Halloween Color By Code – Addition and Subtraction – You can get the addition and subtraction editions separately, or purchase the bundle with both!
• Reading on the Move – Halloween Edition! – This fun Halloween reading activity combines fluency practice with movement to keep kids engaged1
• Halloween Fluency Passages – I love fluency passages in the classroom, and these fun Halloween themed ones will get every student excited to read.
• The Halloween Challenge – The Halloween Challenge is one of my all-time favorite activities for the holiday. It gives students a ton of engaging tasks to complete in pairs, making it a great way to practice their teamwork skills.
• Digital Halloween Party – This Digital Halloween Party is perfect for distance and in-person learning. Simply click through the slides to shuffle through the fun spooky activities!
• Halloween Pumpkin Detectives Activity – In this activity, students will become detectives to find out everything about their pumpkins! They will love transforming into little investigators to solve for the height, circumference, and other pumpkin stats.
• What Should My Teacher Be for Halloween? – This one is a hoot! I always have to get my students to draw what they think I should be for Halloween. This activity will give you and your class tons of laughs, and you may even get a great costume idea out of it!

Takeaway

Planning your Halloween lesson plan and room decor can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! These low-prep Halloween classroom decorations and activity ideas can help make the day stress free for you and fun for your students. Enjoy!