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Halloween Programming Tips
As a child once myself, I know the agony of not being allowed to dress up in a spooky costume and roam the streets with my friends. Halloween was always seen as an American tradition by my parents, and the concept of asking strangers for lollies was supposedly both obnoxious and distasteful.
Every year, I was deprived of this exciting time in October, and forced to stay home and be the giver of tricks and treats. Watching my friends wander away laughing and enjoying themselves was a scarier prospect than any of the Halloween decorations around my street.
With COVID still a prevalent factor today, I hope children who stay home this year do not have the same traumatic experience as I did.
So without further ado, here are 3 Halloween programming ideas that will hopefully satisfy the children in your centre, and undo some of the anguish that has haunted those in a similar predicament as I.
Games
While a fairly standard game, Spotlight is sure to spook many of the children in your centre, and is extremely simple to run with a substantial group of participants. Using a torch, one person walks around a large, dark space, while the other participants hide. The seeker must find all the children, with the last one found being the seeker for the next round. Setting up the space with large objects such as chairs, tables, mats and bins presents more possible hiding spaces.
If your centre has access to the school hall, this space is perfect. While all the lights are off, playing spooky noises through a speaker is a cool way to add atmosphere to the game, and children of all ages are sure to enjoy being involved.
Cooking
Cooking activities are always popular, so adding a Halloween theme is easy and will attract many participants. There are an array of recipes available online such as eyeball cupcakes and redback spider cookies, all with simple ingredients, and all suitable for children.
If running an activity like this may be too difficult given the space in your kitchen, providing a Halloween-themed afternoon tea could be a great alternative. Whether it's toffee apples or red ‘blood’ cordial, these special treats are sure to excite your children in preparation for the 31st.
Decorating
With houses and shops beginning to feature cobwebs and bats, why not follow suit and decorate your centre throughout the week. Each afternoon, programming a craft activity that involves transforming the room is engaging and offers children the opportunity of expressing their spooky flair within the centre. I’ve listed a few ideas but be creative, and be sure to involve as many children as possible.
Allocating year groups to undertake each activity, with the older students tasked with the trickier of these projects is likely to engage groups of friends in the theme and result in an amazingly Halloween-inspired room.
- Paper jack o’ lanterns
- Paper plate bats
- Cotton spider webs
- Cotton wool ghosts
- Witches with toothpick broomsticks
- Skeleton string art
- Balloons with scary faces
- Pipe cleaner spiders
Remember to be creative, and be sure to send us pictures of your centres. We are more than happy to post these on our social media to inspire others who are struggling to think of a suitable programme.
Stay safe, stay scary and happy Halloween!
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