October 18, 2017/
It’s 2 weeks away so it’s officially Halloween Time! Today we have some fun Halloween time language and fine motor activities (one with no materials needed!) and books to read during these next couple weeks.
- Spooky I Spy: This is a fun game you can do virtually anywhere. When walking or driving around your neighborhood, school, and other community areas, look out for Halloween decorations on houses, buildings, trees, etc. Have your child describe the items trying to use all 5 senses—you can even try to go up and feel the items (if it isn’t too intrusive to your neighbors). Try to think of good descriptive words and engage in conversations about where else you might find these things and how they can be used. You can even make up a repetitive rhyme or song to help your children develop their speech and language skills. Once you start saying and/or singing the song, pause in anticipation for your child to fill in the blank. For example, you could sing “oh _____ (e.g., jack-o-lantern) oh ________ (e.g., jack-o-lantern) you make the house so spooky!” once your child starts to see the pattern, pause before the word “spooky” and have them fill in the blank or see if they can start the song off with a new item they find!
- Witch’s Cauldron: Pick up a plastic cauldron at your local CVS/Target/Walmart or create one from a box/kitchen pot. Fill the cauldron with dry/uncooked pasta/water beads/any other sensory material. Then, locate the random Halloween items/gross things your kids have gathered at school/recent birthday parties/friends’ houses and throw them in!
This is where you can get creative: take turns giving clues about what to find in the cauldron or leave some things out and give clues about what to put in the cauldron. You can work on auditory memory by listing 3-4 items your child should find to create the witch’s brew. Come up with some rhyming spells (“Abracadaba, don’t be mean, turn something orange into something green!”) and work on early literacy skills while “making magic”. If your child is also working on fine motor, add the “Magic Wand” craft onto this activity and you’ve now worked on both skills! - Magic Wand: There are a million ways and materials one can use to make a magic wand, but if the idea is working on fine motor at Halloween time, make sure your version includes: cutting, gluing, tearing/folding, and maybe coloring. Check out one version on Pinterest that uses popsicle sticks (colored, but if you have plan ones, there’s your coloring opportunity), small jewel decals (peeling off sticker backs or picking up to glue on), glue dots, and glitter stars. An easier option for glitter stars is to draw a star outline, have your child cut it out, then tear off tin foil and wrap it around the star. Magic wands never get old and aren’t strictly for Halloween so have fun making multiples and using them at a later date!
- Great Halloween books for the witch and cauldron theme include:
We hope you enjoy the Halloween time language and fine motor activities! More to come next week!