10 active Halloween games to get children moving this half term

Halloween and October half term are a great excuse for some spooky fun, especially when children have plenty of energy to burn.

You do not need loads of equipment or a complicated set up either. A few household items, some imagination and enough space to move can be all it takes to turn an ordinary afternoon into a Halloween challenge.

These ten games have been created to get children moving in different ways, from running and jumping to balancing, throwing and working together. Most can be adapted for different ages and played indoors or outside.

1. Pumpkin rescue mission

Scatter a collection of paper pumpkins, orange beanbags or other soft orange objects around the room or garden. The challenge is to rescue them and return them to the pumpkin patch before time runs out.

There is one catch. Each pumpkin has to be collected using a different movement. Children might hop to one, tiptoe to another, crawl to the next or travel sideways across the space.

For a group, see if everyone can work together to rescue every pumpkin rather than turning it into a race. Younger children can stick to two or three simple movements, while older children might enjoy choosing a new movement each time they set off.

2. Bat signal dash

Choose four spots around the playing area and give each one a Halloween symbol, such as a bat, pumpkin, ghost and moon.

One person becomes the signal caller and holds up or calls out one of the symbols. Everyone has to move quickly to the matching spot before the next signal appears.

Change the way they travel as the game develops. They might sprint to the bat, jump to the pumpkin, creep to the ghost or take giant steps towards the moon.

Older children can make it trickier by adding two signals at once or changing which movement belongs to each symbol.

3. Witch’s delivery route

The witch has a cauldron to fill, but all the ingredients have been left around the room.

Place soft objects such as beanbags, rolled up socks or small balls at different points. Children collect one ingredient at a time and deliver it to the cauldron.

The route can include different challenges along the way, such as stepping across cushions, balancing along a line, ducking underneath something or turning in a full circle before making the delivery.

Rather than racing, children can see whether they can complete every delivery without dropping an ingredient.

4. Monster footprint trail

Create a trail of paper footprints across the floor and give different colours their own action.

A green footprint might mean two jumps. Purple could mean a big monster stomp. Orange might mean balancing on one foot, while black means crouching down before moving on.

Children follow the trail from start to finish, completing the movement attached to every footprint.

Once they know the course, let them rearrange the footprints and create a completely new challenge for someone else.

5. Ghost gate challenge

Set up three or four ghost gates around the playing area using cones, cushions or pieces of paper.

Give each gate its own movement. One might mean side steps, another two jumps and another a short balance hold.

The signal caller shouts which ghost gate is open and children have to move to the right one before it closes. Keep changing the open gate and movement to make the game quicker as everyone gets the hang of it.

For older children, call out two gates in sequence and see if they can remember the order.

6. Cauldron toss and chase

Place a bucket, basket or box a short distance away and turn it into the cauldron.

Give children several soft objects to throw into it. Each successful throw unlocks a movement challenge before they can collect the object and try again.

They might run around a marker, complete three frog jumps or move backwards to the throwing line.

Move the cauldron further away or change the throwing position as the game goes on to create a new challenge.

7. Haunted house escape

Turn different parts of the room or garden into rooms in a pretend haunted house.

One area might require children to tiptoe past a sleeping monster. Another could have a line to balance along, while the next room might involve jumping over three imaginary pumpkins before reaching the final door.

Children travel through the haunted house by completing each challenge in order.

For a bigger game, let them design one of the rooms themselves and decide what everyone has to do to escape.

8. Spider step grid

Create a simple grid on the floor using paper squares, chalk or low tack tape that is suitable for the surface.

Call out instructions such as “two spaces forward”, “one space sideways” or “jump to the corner”. Children move across the spider’s web without stepping outside the grid.

Halloween symbols can make things more interesting. Landing on a spider might mean a low crawl, while a bat square could mean three arm flaps before moving again.

Older children can take turns giving the instructions and creating more complicated routes through the web.

9. Skeleton builder challenge

Draw or print simple skeleton parts such as a skull, ribs, arms, hands, legs and feet, then scatter them around the playing area.

Children collect one piece at a time and bring it back to the building zone, with a different movement used for each trip.

Once every piece has been collected, everyone works together to assemble the skeleton on the floor.

For younger children, use a smaller number of large pieces. Older children can add more body parts or complete a movement challenge before each piece can be added.

10. Midnight creature quest

Finish with a game that brings several different movements together.

Choose four Halloween creatures and give each one a challenge. A bat might mean ten quick arm flaps, a werewolf could mean four long jumps, a spider could mean a short crawl and a ghost might mean a slow balance walk.

Hide pictures of the creatures around the room or garden. Each time children find one, everyone completes that creature’s movement before the search continues.

The goal is to find every creature and complete the whole quest together. Older children might also enjoy trying to remember all the movements and completing the full sequence again at the end.

Make the games your own

You do not need to work through all ten games in one afternoon. Choose the ones that suit your space, the ages taking part and how much energy everyone has.

Some children may enjoy repeating the same challenge several times, while others will immediately start changing the rules and inventing their own Halloween movements. That is all part of the fun.

The main thing is that they are moving, playing and having fun.

Looking for an active October half term?

If your child loves games, sport and being active, Aspire Active Camps gives them plenty of opportunities to keep moving during the school holidays.

Our Multi Sports Academy combines different sports, games and activities in a fun, structured environment where children can try new things, spend time with others and enjoy being active.

Aspire Active Camps run across Sutton Coldfield, Bromsgrove, Hagley, Codsall and Wombourne.

Find your nearest Aspire Active Camp