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Oct 8, 2024 5 min read

5 Halloween Party Themes for Preschoolers

Leah Woodbury By: Leah Woodbury

Halloween party themes for preschoolers must be a balance between fun and not-so-scary to ensure that the little ones enjoy themselves without feeling overwhelmed. Here are five enchanting Halloween party themes tailored specifically for preschoolers with fun activities and delightful (and not so frightful!) decorations.

1. Not-So-Scary Monsters

Preschoolers are often fascinated by the idea of monsters, but the key is to keep them friendly and non-threatening. Decorate the party space with bright, colorful monster cutouts and plush toys. Activities can include:

  • Monster Mask Crafting: Provide materials for children to create their own silly monster masks using paper plates, markers and googly eyes.
  • Monster Dance Party: Play some fun and upbeat music and encourage kids to dance like their favorite monsters. Check out this YouTube playlist for monster-themed songs to play!
  • Monster Munchies: Create a snack station with monster-themed treats like “monster claws” made from sliced apples and almonds.

2. Spooky but Silly

This theme leans into the whimsical side of Halloween, with a hint of spookiness that’s more fun than frightening. Think of playful ghosts, silly witches and friendly skeletons. Ideas for this theme include:

  • Ghostly Games: Set up a pin-the-hat-on-the-witch or ghost-bowling game using toilet paper roll ghosts.
  • Silly Face Pumpkin Decorating: Instead of carving, use stickers and markers for children to create funny faces on mini pumpkins.
  • Storytime with Silly Tales: Read age-appropriate Halloween stories that focus on humor rather than scares. Scholastic created a list of Halloween books specifically for kids who don’t like to be scared, including “The Spooky Wheels on the Bus” and “How Do Dinosaurs Say Trick or Treat?”

3. Pumpkin Patch Adventure

Transform your party area into a delightful pumpkin patch. This theme is perfect for combining outdoor play with Halloween excitement. Key components of this theme are:

  • Pumpkin Hunt: Hide small pumpkins around the play area for kids to find and collect.
  • Pumpkin Painting: Set up a painting station where children can decorate their own pumpkins with non-toxic paints.
  • Pumpkin Pie Tasting: Offer mini pumpkin pies or cookies for a delicious treat that fits the theme.

4. Fairytale Fantasy

This magical theme allows preschoolers to dress up as their favorite fairytale characters and step into a world of enchantment. Decor ideas can include castles, dragons and enchanted forests. Activities could involve:

  • Fairy Tale Dress-Up: Encourage children to come dressed as their favorite storybook characters and host a costume parade.
  • Magic Wand Crafting: Provide materials for kids to make their own magic wands with ribbons and star-shaped cutouts. Check out this blog that shares how to make wands using wood skewers.
  • Storybook Corner: Create a cozy reading nook with a selection of classic fairytale books for quiet time exploration.

5. Enchanted Garden

Turn your party into a mystical garden filled with friendly bugs and magical flowers. This theme is ideal for incorporating nature and creativity. Here’s how to bring it to life:

  • Bug Safari: Organize a bug hunt with plastic bugs hidden around the party space.
  • Flower Pot Painting: Allow kids to paint small flower pots, which they can take home as a keepsake.
  • Garden Tea Party: Set up a pretend tea party with a selection of easy-to-eat snacks.

Carve Out More Time for Fun With a Digital Curriculum!

Making time to plan activities for preschoolers can be difficult, especially if you’re creating your own lesson plans and not using an all-digital curriculum.

Procare Early Learning powered by Learning Beyond Paper is specifically designed to meet the unique developmental needs of children  from infancy through pre-kindergarten.   

It embeds Learning Beyond Paper’s early childhood curriculum, which was designed by educators with decades of combined experience, into Procare. This makes it easier and less time-consuming for busy teachers, caregivers and administrators to provide high-quality early learning experiences. It equips teachers with state-of-the-art online curriculum at their fingertips while dramatically reducing the amount of time spent on lesson planning each week. 

This curriculum can be used in ALL child care center classrooms, with 52 weeks of lesson plans for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and pre-kindergarteners.  Learning areas include STEAM, language and literacy, physical development, cognitive, music and movement as well as interactive reading. Plus, teachers get tips and tools they can use in real time! 

The first version of Learning Beyond Paper offers educators hands-on, play-based activities designed to develop skills in a structured progression.  

In the newest version, these activities got a boost by intentionally integrating them across multiple developmental domains and incrementally increasing their complexity throughout the year! 

Plus, it includes similar activities across various age groups to better support mixed-age classrooms.  

Learning supports have also been enhanced to support diverse learners, including guided lesson support videos for teachers. These videos show the step-by-step implementation of each activity focusing on elevating quality with teacher-child interactions and serve as a virtual mentor and coach for teachers.

Centers that use Procare Early Learning also receive access to professional development and training for their staff! 

Want to know how much time and money your center could save using a digital curriculum? Use our calculator to get a personalized estimate:

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We understand that smaller centers and in-home daycare providers are operating on a tight budget, and that is why we provide all these features for the affordable price of just $25 per month. Let us handle the business of child care so you can get back to caring for your children.

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*Please note that the report you see only factors in cost and time savings for the in-home solution features. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative.​ *Please note that the report you see only factors in cost and time savings for the in-home solution features. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative. *Please note that the classroom management functionality is not available for in-home users. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative.

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For over 30 years, Procare Solutions has helped child care businesses big and small tackle their biggest operational challenges.

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More than 37,000 child care businesses choose Procare because we give them everything they need to focus on what they love—providing amazing experiences to the children in their care.

Our data model is based on our experience working with over 100,000 child care centers, before and after school programs and youth organizations since 1992.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leah Woodbury

Leah Woodbury is the head of content at Procare Solutions. Her job includes writing about topics that matter to child care professionals and finding ways to help them do their important work. She’s a mom of two who loves getting updates about what her preschooler is doing during the day via the Procare child care mobile app!

Leah Woodbury