It’s hard to believe it’s time to start preparing for Halloween. I hope you don’t let the holiday pass without celebrating, even if it means doing things a little differently.
I was thinking about Halloweens past. There is one that stands out most in my memory.
The fall of 1967 was an especially difficult time for my family. After months of awful fighting, my parents separated. With four kids in tow, my mother moved us from town into a very old farmhouse deep in the Iowa countryside. Halloween soon rolled around, but there was no “neighborhood” for trick-or-treating. The nearest house was miles away and our old car was a clunker. Making the best of circumstances, we cut out paper jack-o-lanterns, taped them to the windows, and put on old costumes. Then my mother sent us out to collect candy — at our own house! The four of us (and the dog) went out the back door into the frosty night air, came round to the front porch, climbed the dark stairs, and knocked loudly on the farmhouse door. Nobody answered. We knocked again yelling “Trick or Treat!” and waited for the door to open. Suddenly, there was a loud BOO! from behind us and we all scrambled off the porch helter-skelter! My mother stood behind an old tree in the yard laughing heartily. Amidst our scolding her for scaring us so completely, Mother handed us candy from a large Tupperware bowl, and then…we did it again! And again! We took turns giving out treats and trying to scare each other. After all the candy from the plastic bowl was transferred to our pillowcase bags, we sat at the kitchen table and ate it. Our family Halloween, all alone in the dark countryside, was the best Halloween ever.
Sometimes unusual conditions bring about the best memories.
Two years ago, I outlined 13+ Halloween games you can play in class (or at home!) for your Halloween parties. They’re especially recommended for teachers needing activities they can set up quickly and repeat for multiple classes.
Last year, I wrote about introducing Halloween to the Japanese kindergarten where I taught. I also brought out some of my favorite paper puzzles you can hand out to your younger students. You can still download these games for free here, or by clicking on the image below.
For 2020, I’ve put together some classic games you can play in your online classes: Halloween Bingo and Halloween Tic-Tac-Toe on Google Slides. These games are super easy to set up and fun to play! Give them a try!
You can download these games separately or download them in the full Halloween Game Bundle from Donald’s English Classroom. The bundle includes:
Halloween Bingo – A classic game with 30 boards in two sizes. With just 25 images, this is a Bingo game you can play with your youngest ESL students. The bundle also includes the paperless version on Google Slides!
Halloween Tic-Tac-Toe Another classic that kids love playing! With 12 boards in two sizes, this set includes draw cards for an easy Bingo game! Plus, you can upload the paperless version to Google Slides for your online classes!
Halloween House is a folding craft activity and 3D learning tool that you’ll want to keep around all year! With ghosts and goblins in every room, just print, cut, and fold!
Halloween Concentration is free, so please download and enjoy!
Halloween I Have Who Has is a fun activity for small groups or the whole class. This set includes two games and is only available in the Halloween Game Bundle!
Here’s wishing you a happy and safe Halloween!
Donald Kinney
Kinney Brothers Publishing
