A NOT-TOO-SPOOKY OCTOBER

Five screen-free Halloween activities for kids aged 6–9

A cosy afternoon of drawing, making and solving, with very little preparation needed.

Halloween excitement can start long before the costumes go on. Set out a few pencils, some paper and a choice of playful challenges, and children can invent their own little world of pumpkins, friendly monsters and mysteries. Here are five ideas you can try at home, whether you have ten minutes after school or a whole rainy afternoon.

1. Invent a monster with a surprising personality

Ask your child to draw a monster, give it a name and decide what makes it happy, nervous or brave. Does it love dancing? Is it afraid of tiny spiders? Add a speech bubble and you have the start of a story. Keeping the monster silly or friendly makes this an easy choice for children who dislike scary Halloween scenes.

2. Design a costume on paper

Draw a person-shaped outline, then challenge your child to design a costume using things they might find at home. A cardboard crown, a stripy scarf or a pair of enormous paper wings can lead to all sorts of ideas. They can colour their design first and decide later whether they want to make any part of it.

3. Make a tiny trick-or-treat map

Draw a few houses and paths on a sheet of paper. Add a pumpkin patch, a friendly haunted house and a sweet shop, then ask your child to choose a route and explain where they would stop. Older children can add their own clues or directions for somebody else to follow.

4. Try a Halloween word and drawing challenge

Write a handful of Halloween words on separate slips of paper: pumpkin, bat, moon, ghost and costume are a good start. Pick one at a time and give your child two minutes to draw it, use it in a sentence or make up a riddle about it. The rules are simple enough to change as you go.

5. Print a mix of activities and let them choose

When you need an activity ready to go, a varied printable pack lets children move between word games, drawing and puzzles at their own pace. Print a few favourite pages for a short session or set out the whole pack with crayons for a longer one. There is no need to complete every page in order.

HOSTING LITTLE MONSTERS?

Make the party easier, too.

The Halloween Party Kit brings together 29 printable pages for little guests. Download the PDF and print the activities you want for your celebration.

Shop the Halloween Party Kit

Make the afternoon easy

Put the supplies in one spot and let your child pick the first activity. A small choice often works better than presenting a long checklist. If you make a recipe or craft together, keep an adult nearby for food preparation, scissors and any other tools. Finish by hanging up a favourite drawing or letting your child tell you the story behind it.

For more ready-to-print ideas, explore the 19-page Wanderlings Halloween activity pack on Etsy.