Halloween in the Classroom – It’s more than just fun!

Hi, it's Sandra from teaching Treks and just in time for Halloween!

Halloween is a topic that is guaranteed to engage student interest! If you live in a part of the world that celebrates Halloween, and your school district approves its inclusion in the classroom, then incorporating Halloween in your learning program is a must!

When we use topics that are of high interest to our students, the benefits are amazing... and what are kids more fascinated by than strange creatures, free candy and all things spooky?

Halloween based activities can be easily incorporated into so many areas of the curriculum, from creative writing to art and craft and math problem solving. Simply applying the skills students are learning, like decoding text or counting, in a spooky context can generate huge growth in motivation and engagement levels.

Like many other teachers, when I find something the kids love, I work hard to capitalize on their enthusiasm! Whether it be a special day, a great novel or a topic like dinosaurs, I put in a lot of time and effort to incorporate it in a meaningful way across the curriculum.

Teachers and parents know about the high levels of motivation that occur when learning focuses on children’s interests. How often have we seen this motivation lead to increased engagement and so many opportunities for deeper learning?

Perhaps the part I like best is the natural flow on effect that helps to build a positive classroom environment and make behavior management a breeze! When kids are on task and keen to complete their work, there really is no down side!

Here are some freebies to help you bring a few Halloween celebrations into your classroom.

Finally, and most importantly in my opinion, there are the creative and critical thinking opportunities afforded by a topic of great interest to students. Providing kids with a range of high interest, open-ended activities, and the opportunity to make choices in their responses to these tasks, empowers kids to take control of their own learning. The task cards below, from my TPT store, are my attempt to meet this end.

                   Happy Halloween in your classroom – it’s more than just fun!