Montessori Halloween activities

Here are some fun Montessori based Halloween activities to do with your preschooler!


Math:
Pumpkin Seed Counting: After carving a pumpkin, rinse and dry the seeds. Take 20 index cards and number each one (1-20). Have your preschooler count and place the correct number of pumpkin seeds to match the numbered index card. Example: If your child is working are on the index card with the # 3 on it, then the child should count out 3 pumpkin seeds and place them on the card.


Ghost Matching: Make 10-12 ghosts out of white felt or construction paper. Draw the same face on every two of the ghosts (ex: 2 happy ghosts, 2 mad ghost, 2 sad ghosts). Have your child match the ghosts by facial expressions.


Sensory:
Halloween Sensory Box:
Place small pumpkins, gourds, acorn squash, Indian corn and other Halloween items you can buy at your local pumpkin patch in a large box. Place a blind fold on your preschool and ask him/her to reach into the box and feel an object. Have your child describe the object and guess what it is they are holding.

Black Cat Touch cards: Cut out a cat shape out of cardboard. Buy black satin, fake fur, cotton and other textured fabrics from your local craft or fabric store. Glue the different fabric to your cardboard cats. Your child can "pet" the cats and feel the different textures.


Practical Life:
Cooking Pumpkin seeds: Let your child help prepare pumpkin seeds to be cooked. Your child can wash, dry and salt the seeds.


Art:
Painting: Provide Halloween paint colors at the easel.

Pumpkin Paper Plate: Have your preschooler paint a paper plate orange. Let the paint dry as your child cuts out eyes, nose and mouth out of black construction paper and a stem out of brown or green paper. Let child glue the face on when paint is completely dry.


Science:
Life Cycle of a Pumpkin: Montessori for Everyone offers a wonderful (and free) download of the life cycle of a pumpkin.

Reading:
Read several Halloween themed books: Avoid scary Halloween books. Read to your preschooler every day and place several Halloween/fall themed books in your childs reading corner basket so she can sit and look at the books as she pleases.