15 Halloween SEL Activities for Classrooms & Counseling Spaces

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Turning Halloween Energy Into Learning Moments

Halloween is one of the most exciting days of the school year — but it can also be one of the most chaotic. Costumes, candy, and spooky fun bring out extra energy in kids, which can sometimes overwhelm classrooms or counseling sessions.

Instead of fighting the excitement, why not channel it? With the right activities, Halloween can become a meaningful opportunity to teach social-emotional learning (SEL) skills like gratitude, teamwork, mindfulness, and emotional awareness.

Here are 15 Halloween SEL activities that are fun, creative, and perfect for classrooms or counseling spaces. They’re easy to set up, budget-friendly, and best of all — they help kids grow while celebrating the season.

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1. Pumpkin Gratitude Writing

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Supplies Needed:

• Orange paper pumpkins (cutouts or printables)
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Bulletin board, wall space, or a large poster to create a “Gratitude Patch”
• Optional: glitter pens or stickers for decorating

Time Required: 15–20 minutes

How to Do It:
Give each student one or more paper pumpkins. Ask them to write something they’re grateful for inside their pumpkin. Encourage variety — they can list a person, a small joy, an experience, or even a favorite Halloween memory. Once finished, display the pumpkins together on a bulletin board or wall to create a festive “Pumpkin Gratitude Patch.”

Reflection Questions:

• “What did you choose to write on your pumpkin, and why?”
• “How does thinking about gratitude make you feel?”
• “What’s one small thing today that you’re thankful for?”
• “How does our Gratitude Patch remind us of the good things in our lives?”

SEL Focus:
Promotes gratitude, reflection, and a positive classroom community.

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2. Ghost Breathing Exercise

Teach kids calming breaths by having them breathe out slowly while making a soft “wooo” sound like a ghost. Make it playful but focused.

SEL focus: Mindful breathing for self-regulation.

Supplies Needed: None (optional: Halloween ghost cutouts for visuals)
Time Required: 5 minutes

How to Do It:
Invite students to sit comfortably. Tell them they’re going to “breathe like ghosts.” Inhale slowly through the nose, then exhale with a long, soft “wooooooo” sound. Repeat 5–7 times.

Reflection Questions:

• “How did your body feel before and after ghost breathing?”
• “What other times could you use ghost breathing to calm down?”

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3. Emotion Pumpkin Faces

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Provide blank pumpkin templates and let kids draw different emotions on each one — happy, sad, scared, excited. Discuss times they’ve felt each emotion.

SEL focus: Expands emotional vocabulary.

Supplies Needed: Pumpkin templates, crayons/markers, scissors
Time Required: 15 minutes

How to Do It:
Give each child a pumpkin template. Ask them to draw different expressions: happy, sad, scared, excited. Hang them on a classroom “pumpkin patch of feelings.”

Reflection Questions:

• “Which pumpkin face was easiest for you to draw?”
• “Can you share a time you felt like one of your pumpkins?”

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4. Spiderweb Team Game

Have students sit in a circle. One child holds yarn, says something kind to another, and tosses the ball of yarn. Keep going until you have a web.

SEL focus: Teaches cooperation and how kindness connects us.

Supplies Needed: Ball of yarn (black or orange works best)
Time Required: 15–20 minutes

How to Do It:
Students sit in a circle. The first student holds the yarn, says something kind to another, then tosses the yarn across. Continue until everyone’s connected in a giant web.

Reflection Questions:

• “What did the web remind you of?”
• “How does kindness connect us in real life?”

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5. Worry Monster Box

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Decorate a shoebox with googly eyes and teeth to look like a monster. Students write down worries and “feed” them to the monster.

SEL focus: Externalizes worries, reduces anxiety.

Supplies Needed: Shoebox, googly eyes, craft paper, markers, scissors
Time Required: 20 minutes (to decorate) + 5 minutes daily use

How to Do It:
Decorate the box like a silly monster with teeth. Students write worries on scraps of paper and “feed” them into the box. Empty it weekly.

Reflection Questions:

• “How did it feel to give your worry to the monster?”
• “What’s one worry that feels lighter now?”

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6. Haunted Feelings House

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Draw a haunted house with rooms labeled for different emotions (fear, joy, sadness, surprise). Kids place sticky notes with times they felt that emotion inside the matching room.

SEL focus: Encourages emotional awareness and sharing.

Supplies Needed: Large paper or poster of a haunted house, sticky notes, markers
Time Required: 15 minutes

How to Do It:
Draw rooms labeled joy, fear, sadness, surprise, etc. Students write short notes about times they felt each emotion and stick them inside the matching room.

Reflection Questions:

• “Which room had the most notes?”
• “Why do you think it helps to see feelings written down?”

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7. Mindful Candy Sorting

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Give each child a small selection of candy (or colorful beads if you prefer). Have them notice the colors, shapes, textures, and smells before eating or touching.

SEL focus: Teaches mindful awareness through senses.

Supplies Needed: Small pieces of wrapped Halloween candy (or beads/buttons), bowls
Time Required: 10 minutes

How to Do It:
Give each child a small mix of candy or objects. Guide them to notice shapes, colors, textures, and smells before tasting (or touching, if non-edible).

Reflection Questions:

• “What did you notice when you slowed down?”
• “Did anything surprise you about the colors or textures?”

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8. Bat Wing Breathing

Guide kids to stretch their arms out like bat wings. As they breathe in, wings rise up. As they breathe out, wings fold down. Repeat 5 times.

SEL focus: Combines movement and mindfulness.

Supplies Needed: None
Time Required: 5 minutes

How to Do It:
Ask kids to stretch arms wide like bat wings. Inhale as wings rise, exhale as they fold down. Repeat 5 times slowly.

Reflection Questions:

• “How did your wings feel when rising and falling?”
• “Do you feel calmer or more focused after bat breathing?”

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9. Kindness Pumpkin Patch

Each time someone shows kindness, add a pumpkin cutout to the classroom wall. By Halloween, you’ll have a whole “patch” of kindness.

SEL focus: Reinforces positive behavior and kindness.

Supplies Needed: Pumpkin cutouts, bulletin board or wall space, tape/pins
Time Required: Ongoing throughout October

How to Do It:
Every time someone shows kindness, add a pumpkin cutout with their name and kind action written on it. By Halloween, the patch is full.

Reflection Questions:

• “Which kindness pumpkins made you smile the most?”
• “Why does kindness grow when we notice it?”

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10. Emotion Charades (Halloween Edition)

Write Halloween-themed situations on slips of paper (e.g., “You’re scared of a spider,” “You’re excited to trick-or-treat”). Kids act them out, and others guess the emotion.

SEL focus: Builds empathy and nonverbal communication skills.

Supplies Needed: Slips of paper with Halloween scenarios, basket
Time Required: 15–20 minutes

How to Do It:
One student picks a slip (e.g., “You see a spider,” “You’re excited to trick-or-treat”) and acts it out without words. Others guess the emotion.

Reflection Questions:

• “What clues helped you guess the emotion?”
• “How do we show emotions with our faces and bodies?”

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11. Jack-o’-Lantern Journals

Give students time to write or draw in journals about a moment when they felt brave, like a jack-o’-lantern shining bright in the dark.

SEL focus: Encourages resilience and self-expression.

Supplies Needed: Journals or paper, pencils, crayons
Time Required: 15 minutes

How to Do It:
Ask kids to write or draw about a time they felt brave, like a jack-o’-lantern glowing in the dark.

Reflection Questions:

• “What makes you feel brave?”
• “Why is it good to remember times you’ve been strong?”

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12. Frankenstein’s Problem-Solving Lab

Present silly “spooky” problems (e.g., “The mummy lost his bandages!”) and let kids brainstorm solutions.

SEL focus: Practices creative problem-solving and teamwork.

Supplies Needed: Scenario cards with “spooky” problems, whiteboard/markers
Time Required: 20–25 minutes

How to Do It:
Present silly problems (“The witch lost her broom!”). In groups, kids brainstorm as many solutions as possible and share.

Reflection Questions:

• “Which solution was most creative?”
• “How did teamwork help you come up with ideas?”

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13. Pumpkin Pass Compliment Game

Sit in a circle and pass around a small pumpkin. Whoever holds it gives a compliment to the next person before passing it along.

SEL focus: Builds social bonds and positive peer interaction.

Supplies Needed: Small pumpkin (real or foam)
Time Required: 10 minutes

How to Do It:
Sit in a circle. Pass the pumpkin around. The child holding it gives a compliment to the next person before passing it.

Reflection Questions:

• “How did it feel to receive a compliment?”
• “Why do you think giving compliments is powerful?”

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14. Halloween Mandalas

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Provide Halloween-themed mandalas to color (spiders, pumpkins, bats). Play calming music while they work quietly.

SEL focus: Promotes mindfulness, focus, and relaxation.

Supplies Needed: Halloween mandala printouts, crayons/colored pencils, calming music
Time Required: 15–20 minutes

How to Do It:
Give each child a mandala to color. Play gentle background music. Encourage quiet focus.

Reflection Questions:

• “How did coloring make you feel?”
• “What colors did you choose and why?”

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15. Candlelight Circle

Sit in a circle with LED tea lights. Each child shares one positive memory, hope, or something they like about the season before passing the “candle” along.

SEL focus: Builds community and reflective sharing.

Supplies Needed: LED tea lights, circle seating arrangement
Time Required: 15 minutes

How to Do It:
Each child holds an LED tea light, shares a memory or hope, then passes it on. The circle glows brighter with each light.

Reflection Questions:

• “What did you notice when we shared together?”
• “Why is it special to listen to each other’s memories?”

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Wrapping It Up: Making Halloween Meaningful

Halloween doesn’t have to be pure chaos in classrooms and counseling spaces. With these 15 SEL activities, the energy of the season can become a tool for learning — helping kids regulate, reflect, and connect.

Whether it’s building a kindness pumpkin patch, practicing ghost breathing, or coloring mindful mandalas, these activities remind children that celebration and learning can go hand in hand.

Next step: Pair these activities with DIY Halloween Decor Ideas for Therapy Offices to create a space that feels festive, calming, and professional.

Other games that you might find interesting: