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.
1. Pumpkin Gratitude Writing
Give each student a paper pumpkin cutout and invite them to write something they’re thankful for. Collect the pumpkins to build a “Gratitude Patch” on a bulletin board or wall.
SEL focus: Builds gratitude and reflection.
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.
3. Emotion Pumpkin Faces
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.
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.
5. Worry Monster Box
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.
6. Haunted Feelings House
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.
7. Mindful Candy Sorting
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
14. Halloween Mandalas
Provide Halloween-themed mandalas to color (spiders, pumpkins, bats). Play calming music while they work quietly.
SEL focus: Promotes mindfulness, focus, and relaxation.
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.
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.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Eve, a former school counselor with a master’s degree in School Psychology and a passionate advocate for children and families navigating sensory challenges. As a mom of children with sensory sensitivities, I deeply understand the journey special-needs parents face, and I dedicate myself to researching and sharing practical solutions to help children thrive and feel comfortable in their bodies. My goal is also to empower counselors, therapists, and psychologists with creative strategies and supportive resources to enrich their everyday practice. When I’m not writing or exploring new therapeutic approaches, you’ll find me spending quality time with my family and continually seeking inspiration from everyday moments.
