Educational and Inexpensive: Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Fall is flying by, and Halloween is tomorrow! This holiday tends to be a favorite for kids, since it incorporates two of their favorite things: costumes and candy. In the midst of the dress up fun, it’s also a great chance to squeeze in a little family time. Tomorrow afternoon, after everyone transforms into their favorite cartoon characters and superheroes, surprise your young ones with these fun family games.

As an added bonus, they all offer a bit of educational value -- but we won’t tell unless you do.

Ghost Bingo

Using these free Ghost Bingo printouts, have your kids use their Halloween candy to practice a little math. For younger kids, practice simple number recognition, but for the older ones, unleash your trickiest multiplication tables. Winner gets an extra piece of candy before bed!

Spooky Stories

For the book-loving family, Halloween is the perfect creative writing exercise. Have kids get costumed up and come up with their own spooky story, and be sure they put it down on paper - tying creativity and handwriting together has lots of benefits. To get the storytelling juices flowing, have a few silly Halloween prompts ready to go. When everyone’s done, share each story over spooky hot chocolate and marshmallows, and watch your kids dissolve into laughter.

(Not) Scared of the Dark

If the dark makes your child nervous, Halloween might be a little intimidating. To solve the problem, grab some glow in the dark markers at the store and before trick-or-treating, have your family decorate old t-shirts. Wear them together, or even create headscarves. Your child will learn that there’s safety in numbers, and that a little preparation goes a long way.

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

Sometimes Halloween arrives and kids want a new costume, or maybe they’ve been too busy with homework and soccer practice to even pick one out! In this case, visit your pantry. A brown paper bag has endless creative potential. Next time someone in your family needs a new alter ego, just get crafty!

While all of these Halloween activities are inexpensive or free, we recognize that Halloween can be an expensive time for families. Why not save a few dollars on Halloween goodies while earning money for your school with the discounts on our School Supporter app? Learn more on our website.

We hope you enjoy these activities tomorrow, and have a very happy Halloween! 

Image via (CC) Guadiramone