13 Free Halloween Activities for Home or School

Get into the spooky spirit with these 13 free Halloween activities for kids! From virtual escape rooms to scavenger hunts, pumpkin carving to secret messages, there’s something for everyone.

Halloween is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to get into the spooky spirit with some fun activities for kids! Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or just looking for some Halloween-themed fun, we’ve got you covered with 13 free activities that are sure to delight. From virtual escape rooms to scavenger hunts, pumpkin carving to secret messages, there’s something for everyone. So grab your broomstick and get ready for some Halloween fun!

13 Free Halloween Activities for Home or School

1. Escape the Monster Mash FREE Halloween Escape Room

“Monster Mash” is a virtual escape room with a fun Halloween theme. Your objective is to get past three monsters and make it to the Halloween party. You will need to solve puzzles, as well as Halloween-themed challenges to make it to the party in time. This digital escape room is suitable for all ages and takes between 30-45 minutes to complete. Get ready to put your problem-solving skills to the test and have a blast while doing it!

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2. Decode Halloween Secret Messages

Get Secret Agent Codebreaker Halloween secret messages along with your Monster Mash Halloween escape room! This bonus resource includes:

4 different printable secret messages (both with and without answers shown)
A secret message key
Answer Key
A link for students to generate their own secret agent codename

3. Learn about the History of Halloween with a HyperDoc

The history of Halloween is interesting and fun to learn about! Make it easy with this History of Halloween HyperDoc. It includes:

Different ways to learn about Halloween traditions today and in the past.
A task for each section along with a Halloween traditions poster activity.
Fun Halloween games for early finishers

4. Listen to The Hollow Podcast for Kids

When three 6th graders at Sleepy Hollow Middle School stumble upon a real-life ghost story, they find themselves on the trail of the Headless Horseman himself. Is he truly a terrifying ghoul, or has he been misunderstood for all these years?

Get the Listening Guide

Get the Explore Board

5. Carve a Virtual Pumpkin

Here’s a fun Halloween activity that your class or kids can enjoy: virtual pumpkin carving from ABCya! You can play this game by clicking and dragging over the pumpkin to carve out holes. Once you’re finished, click on the “DONE” button for a special surprise.

6. Hear Halloween Hustle Read Aloud

The story “Halloween Hustle” by Charlotte Gunnufson is about a skeleton who is dancing his way to a Halloween party. As he grooves across town, he keeps stumbling, tumbling, and falling apart. The question is whether Skeleton can stay in one piece long enough to make it to the party. Hear it read by Joel McHale on Storyline Online.

Get the Activity Guide

7. Play a Halloween Google Doodle

Google Doodles are special logos that appear on the Google homepage to celebrate holidays, events, and people. Over the years Google has created many Halloween-themed Doodles that feature fun activities and games like Magic Cat Academy and The Great Ghoul Duel.

8. Go on a Self Guided Tour of the Disney Haunted Mansion

Uncle Deadly from The Muppets hosts a self-guided tour of the most mystifying Disney Parks attractions around the world. The tour includes the Haunted Mansion at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris. This interactive YouTube experience unlocks secrets behind the magic and stories of these attractions . Be sure to see the journey through to the end for a special surprise.

9. Paint Jack-O-Lantern Rocks

Pumpkin carving is fun but messy. You can make your own mini jack-o-lanterns by painting rocks with fun or spooky faces.

Materials: Flat stones, orange acrylic paint, paintbrush, and black sharpie.

Directions: Clean the rocks with water to remove dirt and dust, then let them dry. Once they are dry, paint them with orange paint. Let the paint dry completely. Once the paint is dry, draw scary, fun or silly jack o’lantern faces on each of the rocks with a black Sharpie marker.

Tip: You can add a layer of varnish to protect the paint.

10. Go on a Halloween Scavenger Hunt

A Halloween scavenger hunt is a fun activity for kids during the Halloween season. The scavenger hunt involves finding Halloween-themed objects.

There are different versions:

A scavenger hunt where each clue leads to the next.
A checklist of Halloween objects that you can edit in this Canva template.
A Halloween alphabet scavenger hunt.

These scavenger hunts can be played at home, in the classroom, or at a Halloween party.

11. Host a Toilet Paper Halloween Costume Contest

“Toilet Paper Costume” is a fun activity where participants design and create a costume made entirely of toilet paper. The costume must be worn by a member of the group and allow them to see, breathe easily, and walk. There are no specific rules for the design, so participants can get creative and have fun with it.

12. Play Brooms and Pumpkins

Brooms and Pumpkins, created by Education Resource Hub, is a game for 2-4 players that involves a game board, a die, and different colored counters. Players start on the “start” square and roll the die to move the number of places represented on the die. If a player lands on a pumpkin, they must answer a question correctly or miss a turn. If a player lands on the base of the broom, they move up to the witches hat, and if they land on the witches hat, they move down to the broom end.

Copy the Template in Canva or download the PDF below.

13. Learn about Halloween Traditions Around the World

Halloween is a holiday celebrated in many countries around the world. Traditions include carving pumpkins, dressing up in costumes, and trick-or-treating. Other countries celebrate the dead by visiting graves, offering food, or lighting candles. Learn about the different Halloween traditions as you explore this Halloween Traditions Around the World interactive map.

BONUS: Printable Halloween Activity Pack

This 20-page printable Halloween activity pack is a fun and engaging way for kids to celebrate Halloween. The pack includes coloring pages, word searches, mazes, writing prompts, drawing activities, and more.

Original template created by Educate Creatively on Canva.