Happy Haunting! Homeschool Halloween Lesson Plans

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Learn while having fun with Halloween Lesson Plans

Halloween has its roots in Celtic traditions. Many cultures celebrate this time year, for example, All Saints’ Day, Samhain, and Halloween.

In the United States, we have made it a celebration of  costumes, decorations, pumpkins, crafts, fun foods, candy, and trick or treating.
If you want a safe, but fun alternative to trick or treating, be sure to check out “Trunk or Treat.” 

Your children are excited about the upcoming festivities. Use this to engage them in a lesson at home.
I like to have a “hook” in the lessons I plan, simply because it helps make the lesson more memorable and the children are more excited to learn.
Halloween gives you a great hook ready to go!

I concentrate on lesson plans for elementary age children, however, here is a math lesson plan for young ones: (it actually has several lessons within it).

You can also easily do a colors or shapes lesson with Halloween as a theme as well.

You can download these lessons in an easy format here. 

Counting Spooky Objects (Young)

Objective: Develop counting skills and number recognition (1-10) using Halloween-themed objects.

1. Visuals:
   • Introduce the concept of counting and numbers using Halloween-related terms (e.g., bats, pumpkins, ghosts).
   • Use flashcards or visual aids to show the numbers from 1 to 10 and discuss their meanings.
   • Add Arts and Crafts to this activity by making your own flashcards.
   • Add color recognition, by introducing “Halloween” themed colors (orange, black, purple, etc) and have your child cut out objects in each color on to the flash card, then write a number beneath (ie. bat: 8)
     
     
2. Math Activity:
   
        •  Provide a tray with Halloween-themed objects, such as plastic spiders, mini pumpkins, or ghost-shaped toys.
        •  Ask the children to count the objects and place them in groups according to their number
            (e.g., all the spiders in one group, all the pumpkins in another).
        •  I also love this activity because it teaches groupings or categorizing.
   
   
3. Sensory Play:
       •  Fill a large container with colored rice, hiding Halloween-themed objects (e.g., plastic spiders, mini pumpkins, ghost figures) within it.
       •  Let the children search for the hidden objects, counting them as they find them.
   
   
4. Story Time:
       •  Read a Halloween-themed counting book, such as “Ten Timid Ghosts” by Jennifer O’Connell or 1, 2, 3, Boo!: A Counting Book from 1 to 20
          (this book is lots of fun because it is an “I Spy” book as well.)
   
   
5. Craft Activity:
       •  Provide the children with a sheet of paper and markers/crayons.
       •  Ask them to draw a specific number of Halloween objects (e.g., five pumpkins, three bats) according to the numbers discussed during the lesson.

Lesson Plan: Haunted House Design Challenge (Elementary)

Objective: To encourage creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills through a Halloween-themed design challenge.

1. Introduction:
   • Begin by discussing the concept of haunted houses and their association with Halloween.
   • Talk about What makes a haunted house spooky?
     What are the different architectural features and elements commonly found in haunted houses, such as bats, cobwebs, squeaky door hinges, and eerie lighting.
     
     
2. Research and Inspiration:
       •  Assign your child to research different types of haunted houses or spooky architectural structures.
       •  Encourage them to gather inspiration from books, online sources, or even real-life haunted house stories.
       •  Design Brief and Brainstorming:
       •  Provide your child with parameters or a design brief for their structure,  including specific requirements and constraints
         (e.g., size limitations, budget, spooky elements to include). Basically, you are creating a haunted house design rubric.

*If you don’t know what a rubric is, I go into detail in my lesson plans and have one done for 2nd grade writing you can buy here.
I also talk about how rubrics work here.

         •  Once your child has a design in mind, allow them to brainstorm with you and share their ideas.
            (This works especially well if you homeschool in a co-op and children can share and brainstorm together.)

   3. Materials and Construction Planning:
        •  Discuss the materials that they will need to construct their haunted houses, such as cardboard, craft paper, markers, and glue.
        •  If needed, guide them in creating a detailed construction plan, including measurements and a list of required materials.

   4. Construction Phase:
        •  Allocate time for your child to build their haunted houses based on their designs and construction plans.
        •  Encourage them to experiment with different materials and techniques to create spooky and visually appealing structures.
        •  Your child may take an entirely different approach and build a haunted house out of sugar cubes (as an example) and paint them black.
           If your child has a lot of fun with this assignment, let them run with it.

   5. Presentation and Critique:
       •  Once the haunted house is complete, it is ideal if you can find a way for your child to share their creating.
       •  Encourage your child to explain their design choices, point out the spooky elements, and share any challenges they faced during construction.
       •  This also meets speech and communication requirements. Practice is fabulous!
       •  Facilitate a constructive critique session-it is ideal if you spent a good amount of time on your Haunted House Rubric
          so that your child can critique their own creation with you serving to help if needed.

   6. Extension Activity: Storytelling:
      •  Have students write a short spooky story or create a narrative about their haunted house,
         incorporating the design elements and spooky features they included.

This lesson plan encourages creativity, critical thinking, and hands-on construction skills while incorporating Halloween themes and concepts.
It provides an engaging and challenging activity for mid to upper age elementary students during the Halloween season.

Did you love that lesson? Are you looking for something still Halloween themed, but maybe less whimsical? How about a Halloween History Lesson?

Lesson Plan: Unveiling Halloween Origins (Middle School)

Objective: To explore the historical roots and cultural significance of Halloween through research, discussions, and creative activities.

1. Introduction:
   • Begin by discussing Halloween as a holiday celebrated on October 31st and its association with costumes, trick-or-treating, and spooky traditions.
   • Explain that Halloween has historical roots and has evolved over time.
     
     
2. Research and Presentation:
       •  Briefly introduce Celtic traditions, Samhain, and All Saints’ Days in reference to Halloween and ask your child
           to research the one that interests them the most.
       •  Provide resources such as books, articles, and online references to assist in their research.
       •  Have your child create a brief presentation (poster or PowerPoint,) to share with other homeschoolers or your family.
          (This also meets presentation and speech requirements.)
   
   
3. Historical Costume Design:
   Explain that costumes have been a part of Halloween traditions throughout history.
   Allow your child to have fun with design and history by choosing a historical era and designing a Halloween costume inspired by that era.
   Encourage them to consider the clothing, accessories, and cultural elements relevant to their chosen era.
4. Costume Presentation and Explanation:
   Once done, have your child show the drawings, or ways that they have created their costume.
   Then ask your child to explain the historical context of their costume, including the era and cultural references they incorporated.
5. Historical Halloween Games:
   Explain different Halloween games or traditions from different historical periods (e.g., bobbing for apples, divination games, fortune-telling).
   You can have your child research these.
   Have them pick one that they like most and tell you why.
6. Extension Activity: Creative Writing:
   Ask students to write a short fictional story set in a historical period during Halloween.
   Encourage them to incorporate historical details and Halloween elements into their stories.

This lesson plan combines research, discussion, creative activities, and historical context to deepen students’ understanding of Halloween’s origins.
It fosters critical thinking skills, cultural appreciation, and historical knowledge among elementary age children.

What’s the good of being a ghost if you can’t frighten people away?”
— Barbara, “Beetlejuice”