It’s that time of year again when our little pumpkins start bouncing off the walls with excitement for all things spooky and sweet. But let’s be real — finding Halloween activities for toddlers that are both simple and don’t cost a fortune can be a challenge. We want to create magical memories without depleting our energy or our wallets.
That’s why I’ve put together this list of 35 Halloween activities for toddlers and preschoolers that are both easy and affordable. Whether you’re a Pinterest-perfect mama or more of a “Is this a Halloween decoration or did I just forget to clean again?” type (just me?!), I’ve got something for everyone. These ideas are such a breeze, that you might even have time to sneak a few of those fun-size candy bars for yourself. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me!
So grab your broomsticks and get ready to fly through this list of 35 hauntingly fun and easy Halloween activities for toddlers and preschoolers.
Children and Safety: Any activity or craft idea posted on Meredith Adkisson has been suggested with adult supervision in mind. Children’s abilities vary by age and by the child and although we take care to forewarn things that include tools, choking hazards, etc, we do not take responsibility for your own child during these activities. We offer suggestions, it is however up to parents and childminders to ensure the safety of their own children.
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35 Easy and Fun Toddler and Preschool Halloween Activities
These easy and fun ideas for toddler Halloween activities are sure to satisfy your preschoolers and are the perfect way to celebrate the spooky season. From easy Halloween arts and crafts, sensory activities, pretend play, and more, you’ll keep your little goblin entertained for days. Plus, we have free printable Halloween activities that are perfect for your pocketbook and your preschooler.
Pumpkin Patch Pretend Play
Transform your living room into a mini pumpkin patch. You can opt for mini pumpkins, plastic pumpkins, orange balloons, or fill pumpkin-shaped treat bags with paper to create your own budget-friendly pumpkins. Let your toddler “pick” pumpkins and load them into a wagon, kids grocery cart, stroller, or basket.
Ghost Bowling
Stack up toilet paper rolls decorated as ghosts and let your little one knock them over with a ball.
Halloween Sensory Bin
Fill a plastic container with dried black beans, plastic spiders, mini pumpkins, Halloween-shaped erasers, large googly eyes, or other safe Halloween trinkets for a spooky sensory experience. (Please supervise closely to prevent choking hazards!)
Mummy Wrap Race
Use rolls of toilet paper to wrap each other up like mummies. This is a fun one to get the big kids involved with!
Pumpkin Face Stickers
If you’re looking for a fun and easy activity for your toddler and preschooler while you’re on the go, this is easy to toss in your bag and hit the road. Draw a large pumpkin on paper and let your toddler decorate it with these pumpkin stickers for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Spooky Shadow Puppets
Use a flashlight to create spooky Halloween themed shadow puppets on the wall. If you have a Cricut, you can easily cut out Halloween shapes on black cardstock and tape them to popsicle sticks. if you don’t have a fancy cutting machine, do it the old fashioned way and trace shapes or free-draw simple Halloween figures and cut them out.
Halloween Dance Party
Put on some classic Halloween tunes and have a dance-off in costumes. This is even more fun after dark if you have some black lights or glow sticks.
Candy Corn Counting
Practice counting with candy corn or candy pumpkins. (Please supervise closely to prevent choking hazards!)
Monster Feet
Cut out large monster foot shapes from colorful foam or felt and cut a hole large enough for your kiddo’s foot to fit through. Let her stomp around the house with her new monster feet!
Halloween I Spy
Create a simple Halloween-themed I-Spy game with Halloween decor at home. Or use our printable Halloween I-Spy, which is a great activity to to practice observation and teach counting.
Witch’s Brew Bubble Play
Add food coloring and dish soap to water, plus some Halloween-themed or creepy crawly plastic toys in a plastic cauldron or large bowl for a spooky sensory experience. This is a perfect outdoor activity on nice weather days.
Ghost Handprints
Make handprint ghosts using white finger or tempera paint on black paper. Add some cute little ghost faces for spooktacular art you’ll want to display all season.
Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Children of all ages will absolutely love a scavenger hunt! You can easily create an easy and exciting scavenger hunt for your littles with this free download and some Halloween treats or trinkets. It’s easy to set up and is great Halloween fun! This is another activity that is perfect for the big brothers and sisters to get involved with.
Spiderweb Walking
Create a “spiderweb” on the floor using painter’s tape, masking tape, or this super fun glow in the dark tape and have your toddler practice walking on the lines. This is perfect for younger kids who are working on balance and gross motor skills.
Pumpkin Smoosh Painting
If you’re looking for a mess-free painting activity Put blobs of washable orange finger paint inside a gallon-size ziplock bag with a large cut-out paper pumpkin shape. Let your toddler smoosh the paint around to color the pumpkin. To ensure your child and table don’t end up covered in paint, seal and tape the bag opening to prevent leaks.
Costume Dress-Up Station
Set up a box of old clothes and Halloween accessories for imaginative play. Kid to Kid, Facebook Marketplace, and garage sales are all great places to find gently used Halloween costumes for cheap!
Pumpkin Stacking
Use mini pumpkins or these cute pumpkin erasers for a stacking challenge.
Monster Playdough
Here’s come classic toddler fun that’s a great fine motor activity. Make green or purple homemade playdough and add googly eyes and pipe cleaners for monster creation.
Pumpkin Seed Sorting
After carving a pumpkin, let your toddler sort seeds from the pumpkin goo. It’s a fun sensory activity for kids who don’t mind getting a little messy.
Halloween Freeze Dance
Play Halloween music and have your toddler freeze in spooky poses when the music stops. This is an easy Halloween game that can even be played in the car.
Bat Wing Flapping
Cut out simple bat wing shapes from black paper, foam, or felt and let your toddler pretend to zoom around like a bat.
Halloween Monster Sock Puppets
Turn old socks into Halloween monster puppets with googly eyes, yarn, pipe cleaners, ribbons, pompoms, etc. to decorate your monster. (If you choose to use hot glue, please do not leave children unattended or allow them to use the hot glue gun, as serious injuries could occur.)
Pumpkin Rolling Race
Use small pumpkins for a rolling race across the floor. Use painter’s tape or masking tape to make a finish line. To up the challenge on this Halloween game, use tape to create circles or squares on the floor that toddlers and kids try to roll their pumpkins into.
Halloween Obstacle Course
Create a simple obstacle course using Halloween-themed props like plastic pumpkins and spiders to step over or a “spider web” to crawl under.
Spooky Story Time
Read Halloween books for kids in a blanket fort with a flashlight. Prep some special snacks, so you can really enjoy this Halloween storytime.
Witch’s Hat Ring Toss
This is a two-in-one activity. First, make paper plate witch hats. Those does take some extra time and adult help, but the finished product makes the rest of the activity possible. If you don’t want to make your own, grab a cheap witch hat from the dollar store.
Now, take your witch hats and throw rings (made from paper plates with the centers cut out) over them for a carnival-style game that is great for practicing hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills.
Pumpkin Patch Sensory Walk
Fill shallow bins with different textures (dried leaves, cooked spaghetti “worms,” acorns, pinecones, oats, hay, etc.) for a sensory walk.
Halloween Matching Game
Play a simple matching game with pairs of Halloween-themed pictures. For younger toddlers, you can start with fewer pictures and work up to more.
Spiderweb Painting
Use painters tape to creat a spider web design on a canvas or sturdy card stock or poster board. Let your child paint all over the surface, completely covering any white spots. It’s ok if it gets on the tape! After the painting is complete, very carefully pull off the painter’s tape, to reveal a white spider web. Decorate with spider stickers, paper cut-outs, or plastic spiders when it’s completely dry!
Trick-or-Treat Practice
Set up a few doors in your house and practice trick-or-treating. We used to do this when my girls were itty bitty and they loved it! It’s a great way to practice saying “Trick or treat” and “thank you ” to get them ready for the big day. The grandparents’ house is also a great place to practice!
Ghost Balloon Tennis
Blow up white balloons and draw faces with permanent markers to look like ghosts and play “tennis.” If you don’t have a racquet, it’s ok! Use a fly swatter or create your own racket with a paper plate and paint stir stick
Ghost Tissue Paper Art
Here’s a simple craft activity to work on fine motor skills. Help your toddler tear white tissue paper into small pieces and glue it onto a ghost outline on black or orange construction paper. You could also adapt this activity with a pumpkin or bat shape for even more Halloween craft fun.
Pumpkin Hammering
Draw faces on pumpkins and help your toddler hammer in golf tees for “hair.”. This activity requires constant adult supervision but offers an incredible sensory experience for kids and will be one of their favorite activities!
I suggest using a child-sized hammer so the child has more control. If you’re worried about little fingers being smashed, you can opt for protective gloves. This can make it more difficult to use the hammer, so you can just have the child wear it on the opposite hand that is holding the tees. And always have children wear protective safety goggles when using tools. It’s a great habit to start young.
Halloween Simon Says
Play Simon Says with Halloween-themed actions like “creep like a spider” or “fly like a bat.”
Halloween Dot Art
Print our Halloween dot art sheets and let your little monster dab away with their favorite color BINGO or dot markers. This is a great activity to practice hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and grip.
Wrapping Up: Easy and Fun Halloween Activities for Toddlers
There you have it, mamas! Thirty-five of the best Halloween activities and crafts for toddlers that won’t require a second income or a degree in rocket science. Remember, the key to a successful spooky season with your little one is to keep things simple, embrace the mess (it’s just extra decoration, right?), and don’t forget to snag some of that candy for yourself. You’ve earned it!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a pumpkin spice latte and whatever Halloween candy I can find that my kids haven’t devoured yet. Happy haunting, and may you have the best Halloween with your littles this year!
