Looking for some family friendly activities to enjoy this Halloween? I have ten fang-tastically fun activities that are perfect for babies and toddlers! I have jam packed this blog post with activities to suit everyone so keep scrolling to discover the best ways to celebrate Halloween with babies and toddlers!
Why is it important to celebrate Halloween with babies and toddlers?
Halloween is a great way to introduce the idea of
ghosts, monsters, witches and other scary things in a friendly way
which doesn’t intimidate your child. You can explore emotions with toddlers and use fun games
like peek-a-boo to encourage responsive, turn taking interactions with babies. These are
fantastic social skills for your child to learn and it will also give them a
strong foundation for understanding Halloween as they get older.
What
if I don’t celebrate Halloween?
Some people choose not to celebrate Halloween for
religious or other personal reasons. That’s absolutely fine and you will find
that many of these activities can still be
enjoyed as a celebration of Autumn instead. So let's get started!
Number
1. Spooky Spaghetti & Pumpkin Pies
Number 1 on my list of activities to celebrate
Halloween with babies and toddlers is my Spooky Spaghetti & Pumpkin Pie
messy play tray! This gruesome cooking tray is perfect for little hands to
explore a variety of textures. If you are a fan of the blog, then you already
know how much I LOVE Messy Play! And this messy play activity is packed with
colours, textures, smells, sights and sounds that are guaranteed to stimulate
all of your child’s senses. Click here to find out more.
Number
2: Spooky Salt Dough Decorations
Next up is Spooky Salt Dough decorations! Why not make something you can cherish for years
to come? Babies and toddlers love to be hands on and Salt Dough is a great
option for sensory play. We had loads of fun creating Halloween
ornaments to decorate our living room with this year. To find the recipe and
instructions, click here.
Number
3: Spooky Snap
Number three on my list of activities for celebrating Halloween with
babies and toddlers is Spooky Snap!
Spooky Snap can be played using any Halloween
pictures you have at home. But I have created a FREE Halloween Activity Bundle for you and your child to enjoy. Download it now to get the
Halloween Flashcards pictured above.
Number 4: Halloween Sensory Rice
Number four on my list is Halloween Sensory Rice! Sensory Rice is another wonderful messy play
material. It is long lasting, inexpensive and super easy to make. You can find my
Halloween Sensory Rice recipe here. It’s perfect for pouring, scooping, sprinkling
and burying. Use your
imagination with this versatile play material and teach your toddler about
Halloween.
Number 5: Make a Halloween Ghost
Arts and crafts are always on the list when it comes to early years activities. So number five on my list of how to celebrate Halloween with babies and toddlers is Make A Halloween Ghost. These cardboard tube ghosts are super easy to make. We made two versions, one was painted and the other was assembled from a few bits and pieces. You can find my how to make a Halloween Ghost out of a cardboard tube post here.
Number
6: Terrrrrible Tune Time
Does your baby or toddler love music? Mine too!
Nursery rhymes and songs are a fantastic way to boost your child’s speech and
language development. I have found that it’s super easy to change up the words
to popular tunes and create your own songs for any occasion. You can find my Halloween themed nursery rhymes to sing with babies and toddlers
here.
Take your Terrrrible Tune Time to the next level
with Halloween Hand Puppets! They
are quick and easy to make and require very few materials. We have been using Five Little Pumpkins and Five Little Ghosts throughout October
to liven up our rhyme time. So what are you waiting for? Find all the
instructions you need here.
Number
7: Spooky Story Station
Spooky Story Station ideas:
- Hard and soft textured toys
- Colourful scarves that could be hidden
under or waved in the air
- Some recycled cardboard / packaging
material
- A plastic cauldron / pumpkin
- Bendy pipe cleaners
- Autumn leaves (or craft leaves like this)
- A witch’s hat / broom
- And of course the picture book!
You can do
this with any story you have at home. Just look through the book for key words,
characters or ideas and try to use items from around your home to represent
each one. Which spooky story will you use? I would love to know! Tag me @craftytoddlercompany
in your posts!
Number
8: Homemade Halloween Biscuits
Number eight on my list of how to celebrate Halloween with babies and toddlers is Homemade Halloween Biscuits. Gingerbread is always a popular recipe in the colder months, but why not try my new Halloween Cinnamon Biscuits? My toddler loved icing the Halloween Biscuits using lots of bright and spooky colours. Find all the ingredients and instructions here.
If you’re not sure about baking with your baby or toddler, then check out my Great British Bake Off inspired blog post. It even has a link to my FREE Time to Bake Activity Bundle which you can get straight to your inbox!
Number
9: Apple Print Pumpkin Picture
Apples are abundant in Autumn so why not make the
most of them and try making this Apple Print Pumpkin Picture? Just cut your
apple in half and dip it into orange poster paint. The apples make the perfect
stamps and the shape is remarkably like a pumpkin!
Remember to add a little green stalk with a
paintbrush and leave it to dry before you display the picture proudly. Babies
and toddlers will also love some real life models, so grab a mini pumpkin from
your local farm shop and use it as inspiration while you dip, stamp and splodge
to your heart’s content.
Number
10: Pumpkin Sensory Tray
And finally, you can’t really celebrate Halloween properly without picking a pumpkin to carve! Why not turn your crafty carving into a pumpkin sensory play tray? Once you have removed the top of the pumpkin (and put the knife safely out of your child’s reach) you can get ready to play! Help your baby grab pulp and seeds with their hands. They will love looking at, patting, and pulling the lid off of your pumpkin too!
Toddlers can get even more involved using spoons
or an ice cream scoop to help remove the pulp from the pumpkin. Talk about what
you are doing and introduce new vocabulary. Descriptive words like slimy, sloppy,
squashy, wet, orange and heavy are exciting for young children to learn.
How
will you celebrate Halloween with your babies and toddlers?
I hope you have a Happy Halloween and find lots of
way to celebrate with your babies and toddlers. Do you have some other terrrrrible traditions or fang-tastic family activities to share?
Come and join the Crafty ToddlerCommunity on Facebook and let other parents know!
If
you liked this, you might also like:
- How to make a Halloween ghost out of a cardboard tube
- Taste Safe Play Soil and Spaghetti Worms for
Garden Themed Messy Play
- Nursery rhyme inspired activities for pre-school
children
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