Inside: Explore unique Halloween math activities and bulletin board ideas that blend learning and seasonal fun, captivating students and transforming your classroom.
An autumn breeze blew in through the half-open window in my classroom, rustling the packages of bright orange and black Halloween decorations on my desk. The crinkle of their plastic was a reminder of the upcoming holiday- one of my personal favorites.
But as I sat at my desk that morning, flipping through my lesson plans, I felt a pang of disappointment. With all of the hustle and bustle of our busy curriculum, there didn’t seem to be any room for Halloween.
Between teaching, keeping up with assessments, managing routines, and all the things that fill our days from start to finish, my schedule had zero breathing room. I glanced at the untouched decorations again, wishing I could find a way to squeeze the fun in without disrupting our flow.
Then a thought hit me. Why not blend the two? I realized if I took just a little time to strategize, maybe I could find a way to incorporate the spirit of Halloween into our regular lessons.
With a new sense of purpose and fresh determination, I set out to come up with some fun and educational Halloween math activities that support the concepts and skills we were actively working on!
Let me share some of my favorite fun Halloween math activities I’ve come up with!
Table of Contents
Crafting Ghosts for a Math-Infused Halloween Bulletin Board
I absolutely love this Ghost Halloween Math Craft as it’s the perfect blend of creativity and learning. Students practice finding missing addends while crafting adorable ghosts that will add a spooky and fun element to the classroom.
With 32 different ghost craft templates, each student can assemble one or more unique ghost crafts. Every single craft will be a delightful blend of their personal touch and a math equation waiting to be solved.
Once the crafts are finished you can display them on a bulletin board or scatter them around the classroom.
The best part? Not only are they adorable, but these ghost crafts transform your classroom into an interactive learning space. Your display can essentially become a “write the room” activity where students can walk around, find the missing number in each equation displayed on the ghosts, and write it down on one of the included recording sheets.
The answer to each equation is cleverly hidden under a flap on each ghost craft. As students check their answers, they’ll be able to lift the flap and experience the thrill of self-correcting their work.
Not only will this activity help create a vibrant and fun classroom atmosphere, but it also offers a highly engaging, multi-faceted learning experience for your students. It cleverly ties in a crucial math skill with a delightful seasonal theme, keeping your students engaged and excited about learning. Click this link to learn more. I think this will be one of your students’ favorite Halloween math activities!
Enchanting Word Problems: Halloween Task Cards to Boost Math Skills
Here’s another fun resource I’m thrilled to share – my Halloween Word Problem Task Cards. I love this activity, particularly because it ties so neatly into our Ghost Interactive Math Bulletin Board project, focusing on the same core math concept: finding an unknown part. (This is a skill we typically work on during the spooky season).
This gives your students a powerful, coherent learning experience as they solve word problems linked to a theme they’re already engaging with. The best part? These Halloween Word Problem Task Cards are free!
The task cards come as a set, each one featuring a word problem that invites students to find the unknown part. This not only reinforces the concept they’ve learned in the previous activity but also provides an opportunity for practical application. It’s like a follow-up activity that allows students to showcase and solidify their understanding.
I know this time of year is busy enough, so here’s what I love about this resource: it proves that Halloween math activities don’t need a ton of prep! This activity is quick and straightforward, saving you precious time for other tasks. But that’s not even the best part…
The task cards come with differentiated recording sheets, which means you can tailor the activity to each student’s needs, offering just the right amount of support.
The Halloween Word Problem Task Cards offer an amazing blend of learning consistency, easy prep, and personalized learning. It’s a resource designed with you and your classroom in mind. And since it’s a freebie, be sure to grab it and add a touch of Halloween magic to your math activities!
Pumpkin Measurements: Hands-On Learning in the Spirit of Halloween
One of the ways I love to get kids excited about math is through hands-on activities, and the Pumpkin Measurements activity is just that. It’s a fun, engaging, and hands-on way for students to learn about measurements.
Simply provide each student (or group of students) with a small pumpkin and a measuring tape. They can measure the circumference, height, and even the weight of the pumpkin (if you have a scale). This activity not only helps students understand measurements but also provides a tactile learning experience.
But don’t stop there; you can easily extend this activity to engage students even more. Instead of individual small pumpkins, consider getting 4 or 5 larger pumpkins and break the students into groups. They can collaborate to find the circumference, height, and weight of the pumpkin, which not only deepens their understanding of measurements but also promotes teamwork and cooperation.
Another option is to do this as a whole class activity or part of your small group instruction when you meet with each group. Instead of buying a bunch of smaller pumpkins, invest in one HUGE pumpkin. Not only will your kiddos be amazed by the size of it (because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a giant pumpkin?), but it also opens up opportunities for rich mathematical discussion and inquiry.
This activity also serves as an excellent gateway into science learning. How? Well, pumpkins are not just fun to measure—they’re fascinating in their growth process as well. Carve open the pumpkin, encourage your students to scoop out the flesh, examine the seeds, and make observations about their findings. They can then connect their observations with lessons about how pumpkins grow.
The Pumpkin Measurements activity goes beyond a simple measurement task. It’s a rich, multifaceted learning experience that integrates math, science, and natural curiosity. It’s hands-on learning and brings a memorable touch of autumn into your classroom.
A Sweet Take on Numerical Representation
Okay- so I know that candy corn is a polarizing topic. Love them or hate them, they’re everywhere during the spooky season. Grab a few bags from the dollar store because you can use these sweet treats to create another one of my highly engaging Halloween math activities.
Start by giving each student a small bag of candy corn. Encourage them to count the pieces by organizing them into groups of ten.
Once students have counted their candies, have students record the number they’ve counted in different ways. You can have them record the numeral, write it in expanded form, write the number word, draw a quick picture to illustrate the tens and ones, etc. For students who need more of a challenge, you could even have them write addition story problems to match.
Bonus- if you want a cute and quick craft you can display on your classroom door, provide your students with orange, yellow, and white construction paper. Have them use the pieces to create a large candy corn craft that they can record their work on.
I love this activity because it not only helps solidify counting and number sense but also provides an opportunity to practice different ways of representing numbers. Plus, it brings a festive twist to your math lessons.
As for what to do with the leftover candy? Well- that’s up to you. If your students washed their hands before starting and worked on a clean surface, you can have them take the treats home to eat. If not, you can have them use the candy, liquid glue, and thick construction paper to create candy corn art.
A Hauntingly Fun Approach to Data Representation
Make graphing more exciting for students with this fun twist! Provide students with a mix of Halloween-themed stickers or cut-outs. If you’re like me and have a collection of mini erasers, your Halloween-themed ones will be perfect for this!
If you don’t have enough stickers or erasers, no worries. There are plenty of free, fun Halloween-themed clipart images available online that you can print and use for your personal use.
Once students have their items, have them sort them and create a tally, bar, or picture graph to represent the quantity of each type. You may want to provide students with a blank graph template to fill in or for an extra challenge, provide blank paper and have them create the graph from scratch.
This activity does more than just teach students about graphing—it engages them in classifying objects, counting, and interpreting data. It’s a fantastic way to help students understand how to represent and interpret data, and they love the Halloween twist.
Witch’s Brew Addition: Stirring Up Math with a Magical Twist
Sometimes, math needs a sprinkle of magic, and that’s exactly what the Witch’s Brew Addition activity brings. Focused on addition with three addends, this activity asks students to think creatively and use their mathematical skills.
Here’s how it works: Students are provided with construction paper “cauldrons”. They’re encouraged to imagine they’re witches or wizards creating a magical potion. They choose three ingredients (like bats, frogs, and spiders, for example) and decide how much of each needs to go into the pot.
This could look like “2 bats, 4 frogs, and 5 spiders”, which they write as a number sentence at the bottom of their cauldron. Above the number sentence, they can draw a picture to match it.
For an added layer of fun and learning, encourage your students to write a narrative story about the magic potion they’re creating. Or, have them write a ‘How to’ recipe! This is a fantastic way to integrate writing into your math lessons.
Once complete, these cute “Witch’s Brew” creations can be displayed on a bulletin board, door, or around the classroom. It’s a unique, interactive, and exciting way to practice and reinforce addition with three addends, and I know your students will be spellbound!
Jack-O’-Lantern Geometry: Carving Shapes into Learning
I’ve got one more fun Halloween math activity for you! “Jack-O’-Lantern Geometry” is a fun blend of arts and crafts and geometry. (Because you know I love a good math craft).
Start by preparing pre-cut construction paper shapes – circles, rectangles, triangles, and so forth. Having a diverse range of shapes and colors is always a good idea to encourage students to be creative.
Invite your students to use these shapes to design their unique jack-o’-lantern faces on larger cut-out pumpkins. The varied emotions they can express with just a few simple shapes can be quite impressive!
As the students complete their jack-o’-lanterns, provide each with another sheet of paper for a math-focused task. They should keep track of each shape they’ve used in their design, along with the quantity of each. For instance, “I used 2 triangles, 1 oval, 1 rectangle…” This gives students a chance to recognize and count shapes in a practical context.
To extend the activity further, ask your students to find the total number of shapes they’ve used in their creation. They can write an addition equation to represent the total – “2 triangles + 1 oval + 1 rectangle = 4 total shapes”.
With creativity, counting, shape recognition, and addition rolled into one activity, “Jack-O’-Lantern Geometry” is a great way to bring Halloween spirit into your instruction. The finished jack-o’-lanterns can then become a part of your classroom decor, adding a touch of Halloween spirit while highlighting the students’ work.
The Magic of Halloween in Math Class
Halloween in the classroom can be so much more than costumes and candy. With these Halloween math activities, we can engage our students in learning while keeping the whimsical charm of the season.
Each of these activities is designed to infuse the fun of the holiday season into important math skills. I hope that they spark inspiration and bring a new level of engagement to your classroom.
You see, there most definitely is room for Halloween in your classroom!
Unleash the Halloween Spirit in Your Math Lessons!
Ready to embrace the Halloween spirit in your classroom? Head over to my shop and check out the Ghost Halloween Craft for your fall math bulletin board. And don’t forget to download the free differentiated Halloween Math Center.
I’d love to hear about your Halloween math activities and how these worked out for you. Leave your stories and suggestions in the comments below.
Happy Halloween!
