Students will love this Halloween sensory activity. So, be sure to add it to your list of Halloween activities for preschoolers!
Today is the last “installment” in our Halloween Invitation to Play series! I’ve been having fun sharing invitations along with Play Trains!, Twodaloo, Fantastic Fun and Learning, Nothing if Not Intentional, and Buggy and Buddy. Today’s invitation centers on Halloween sensory play and pretend play, with what the preschool kids dubbed “the haunted pumpkin patch!”
Related: Halloween Activities for Preschoolers
Explore a haunted pumpkin patch with this Halloween sensory activity
Please note that I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Materials
Play sand
Orange glass craft gems
Small, black river rocks
Plastic bat and spider rings
You’ll notice that some of the materials were used in other invitations to play. Some might think kids would be bored because of this, but that wasn’t the case at all! The children created a whole new play experience despite the similarities in materials. Reusing materials is very budget-friendly, too!
How We Played
I placed some play sand into our Discovery Center bins, then added small containers of Halloween-themed materials. The kiddos wanted to check out what was going on, of course! They dug their hands into the gems and rocks, then set about creating a pretend world.
Immediately, a few of the girls set the orange glass gems throughout the sand. They proclaimed it was a pumpkin patch, then decided it was haunted. The black stones marked where “the haunting things” were, while the plastic rings “protected the pumpkins”. A few of the boys wandered over and got in on the action right away. There was a lot of discussion about how best to protect the pumpkins that first day!
The rest of the week, the children continued using the gems, rocks, and rings to tell tons of stories about their “haunted pumpkin patch”. They also sorted all of the items over and over, after dumping them into the sand over and over. Some of the kiddos pretended to make pumpkin pie and bat soup, as well. The kids even created a spider hide and seek game — hiding the rings in the sand, then calling friends over to find the rings. Needless to say, they had a fun-filled week with this simple invitation to play.
Some Skills We Touched On
There was ton of sensory play, obviously. The sand provided a textural difference when compared to the smoothness of the gems and stones. The children practiced an amazing amount of language skills — telling stories, having conversations, describing their play, etc. Math was involved, as kiddos counted and sorted the Halloween items, too.
Previous Fun-A-Day Posts in this Series
Frankenstein Monster Pumpkin: Halloween Fine Motor Play
Invitation to Play – Halloween Sticky Table Art
For more Halloween invitations to play, be sure to check out my partners in this series:
Toddler Activity: Mini Pumpkins and Felt by Buggy and Buddy
Black & White Halloween Sensory Bins by Fantastic Fun and Learning
Play Invitations to Match Your Halloween Costumes by Nothing if Not Intentional
Halloween Carnival Pom Pom Tree Play by Play Trains!
Sticky Witch Hat Toddler Craft by Twodaloo
What’s your favorite Halloween sensory activity for the kiddos?
Shared at Mom’s Library
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