As the spooky season approaches, outdoor activities can get the little ones excited. Halloween can be a fun, novel holiday for young children — it certainly doesn’t have to be scary or frightening! These outdoor Halloween activities are perfect for young children.
1. Get Hands On
Set up a pumpkin decorating station with pumpkins, crayons, markers, stickers, and other decorative items. Encourage the little ones to use their creativity and decorate their pumpkins however they want.
Or take the fear out of being messy for a day. Explore some ooey-gooey sensory materials, like the inside of a pumpkin or some homemade slime at your outdoor sensory table.
2. Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Hide Halloween-themed items like spider webs, witches’ hats, and ghosts around the outdoor area, and give the children a list of items to find.
Or you can teach the children about nature by letting them look for “creepy-crawly” insects and animals in the garden — spiders, worms, centipedes, etc.
3. Costume Parade
Have a costume parade where children can show off their Halloween costumes. Encourage them to be creative and come up with their own costume ideas. You can also have a contest for the best costume and give out prizes
4. Halloween Crafts
Set up a Halloween craft station with materials like construction paper, glue, glitter, and markers. Let the children create their own Halloween crafts like paper bats, pumpkins, and ghosts.
5. Ghostly Obstacle Course
Set up a spooky obstacle course with ghostly figures, spider webs, and other Halloween-themed props. The children can run through the course and try to avoid the “ghosts.”
6. Halloween Storytelling
Gather the children together and read some Halloween stories. You can also have the children take turns telling their own spooky stories.
7. Halloween Treats
Of course, what would Halloween be without treats? Have a Halloween-themed snack time where children can decorate cookies and other snacks.
Outdoor Halloween activities can get young children excited for Halloween while also providing them with opportunities to be creative, learn, and have fun. These activities can help to enhance their imagination, problem-solving skills, and motor skills, all while celebrating the spooky holiday.
