How to Survive Halloween as a Teacher
By LAURIN BRAINARD Updated Oct. 18, 2023
Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year which means that we not only have to survive Halloween day, but also the THREE school days that follow. Here are a few quick teacher tips to help you not only survive, but enjoy one of our student’s favorite days of the year. Click here to save this post to your favorite Pinterest board to read again!
1. Choose a Comfortable Costume
You will be wearing this costume all day long while still being expected to perform your teacher duties, so save the itchy wig and high heels for trick or treating. #dontbecrazy This year I dressed up as a blue crayon and it was the best costume ever! I got to wear my soft black leggings with boots and a comfortable shirt. #bestcostumeever
2. Be Prepared to Throw Out the Lesson Plan Book
I always have jam packed lesson plans on days like Halloween. It is one of those days where I MUST keep my students busy if there is any chance of enjoying the day. However, it never fails that parents will show up with cupcakes, cookies, and treats galore even if we did not plan a classroom party. When this happens, just push something off the lesson plans to make time for special surprises at the end of the day.
My favorite resource for Halloween is this NO PREP Halloween Packet. It includes everything we need for a complete day of learning that covers so many standards, and it even has editable lesson plans already made for you! It is easy to pause lessons as needed and pick up where we left off at a later time of the day. Check it out here:
3. Have Extra Costumes Prepared
There are always a couple of kids who show up to school without a costume. My sweet littles are so sad and embarrassed if they are the only students without a special outfit. I always make sure to have some animal clip art printed out so that I can easily turn a sentence strip and clip art into a costume! Just wrap the sentence strip around the child’s head, staple the clip art of their choice and….tada… Instant costume.
4. Don’t be Afraid to be Silly
This year, my students are naturally chatty. Finding ways to keep the chatter to a minimum is a struggle…especially when all my kids are wearing costumes. I made sure to have silly stories, a class reflection, and lots of giggles to keep the chatter down and the learning a priority.
5. Save Treats for the End of the Day
Several students will typically show up to class with treat bags for their friends. I allow this, but we wait to pass out until the very end of the school day. Otherwise, it never fails that a few kids will be sneaking candy throughout the day. Nothing is worse than having to take away their treats because they didn’t follow directions. If you want to make your own treat bags, then check out this post for some free treat bag tags: Halloween Treat Bag Tags.
6. Have FUN!
Halloween is supposed to be a fun day. If your school is like mine, then students will be wearing costumes. We even have a parade!
I love to play a Halloween version of I Have Who Has and you can grab it free in this post: Halloween I Have Who Has
If you want to try something really creative, then you could also try out a Spider Classroom Transformation this Halloween season!
Spend this special day getting to know your students and plan some special activities to do with them. It is days like this that they will remember forever.
Here are some other FREE activities to have on hand this Halloween!
- Halloween Sentence Sorting Cards
- Halloween Write and Wipe Activity
- Halloween Name Tags
- Fall Activities for Kids
I hope these tips help you make the most of your Halloween with your littles! Here is an free resource you can use with your students to make Halloween a fun day for your students:
This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my affiliate links, which helps to support The Primary Brain blog. As always, I only recommend products that I love and all ideas shared are my own.
Written on October 31st, 2017 by Laurin Brainard