Room on the Broom and Spooky Fun: Our Halloween Week at Daycare!

Nov 1, 2024

3 min read

Halloween week at daycare was an absolute blast! We enjoyed some spooky fun, creative activities, and lots of laughter. Here’s a look back at all the exciting things we did:

Books We Read 📚

Our storytime was packed with Halloween-themed books that the kids loved. Here were some of our favorites:

• Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson: My personal favorite, and a big hit with the kids! We read this magical story and had a story retelling activity during circle time. The kids loved acting out parts and helping tell the story with props.

• 10 Little Pumpkins: A fun counting book with lots of pumpkin giggles.

• 10 Flying Brooms: Another counting book with witches and brooms zooming through the pages!

• 10 Busy Brooms: Perfect for learning numbers and getting into the Halloween spirit!

• 10 Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell: This story follows ten little ghosts living in a haunted house, but a mischievous witch wants them gone. One by one, she frightens each ghost away with her tricks until the ghosts decide to turn the tables on her. With engaging rhymes and charming illustrations, this book helps kids practice counting backwards from ten while enjoying a playful Halloween adventure.

These books brought so much magic to Halloween week and helped spark ideas for the activities we had planned.

Halloween Week Activities 🎃

The kids had a great time with these hands-on, Halloween activities.

Fine Motor activities.

A Witch’s Brew Potion-Making Sensory Tray:

Using baking soda and colored vinegar, the kids created their own potions in pumpkin cauldrons! They loved watching the fizzy reaction—it was like a bubbling witch’s brew right in front of them! They all struggled in the beginning to get the vinegar into the pipettes, but caught on quickly. This activity helps with the pincer grasp. A fine motor skill where the thumb and index finger pinch together to hold and manipulate small objects. This skill is crucial for many daily tasks including Self-feeding, Handwriting, Dressing Skills, Independence and Coordination.

In early childhood, activities like picking up small objects, playing with toys, and sensory play with items like pipettes, beads, pasta, or playdough help strengthen the pincer grasp, setting the stage for more complex tasks as they grow. This is why you will see so many of our planned activities centered around fine motor and the pincer grasp.

Candy Corn Potion Sensory Tray:

Using pipettes to add colored vinegar to baking soda surrounded by candy corn, the kids enjoyed a fun, hands-on way to strengthen their fine motor skills. This festive, seasonal activity kept learning exciting and playful—perfect for Halloween! The fizzing reaction engaged their senses, providing both visual and tactile stimulation, while introducing the concept of cause and effect and sparking creativity. The kids absolutely loved this one!

Room on the Broom’ Activity:

Using pipe cleaner brooms and noodles, we created a fun fine motor game inspired by “Room on the Broom.” This activity really helped the kids practice their pincer grasp and hand eye coordination.

Spider Web:

This activity helped kids practice their fine motor skills as they weaved through a “web.” It was both fun and challenging!

Art

Bubbling Cauldrons:

This might have been the kids’ favorite activity of the week! Using paint mixed with dish soap, They made bubbles on paper to make their own cauldron artwork. The look of amazement on their faces as the bubbles grew and popped on the paper was priceless.

Star Wand:

We made star wands inspired by “Room on the Broom.” The kids decorated their wands with shiny Haloween themed sequins—they were so proud to wave their magical creations!

Color Matching Spider Game:

We used pom-poms to match colors in this spider-themed game, making it a playful way to practice color recognition.

Witch’s Brew, and Counting Bats:

As we continue to practice counting up to 5, we switched it up to keep things a little more engaging with these fun fun Halloween-

themed games

The witches brew where kids counted “ingredients” into the cauldron. Later in the week the kids were allowed to free play with this, creating whatever combination of potion making ingredients their heart desired.

Counting Bats, a simple and fun activity counting out little bat manipulatives.

This Halloween week was full of creativity, exploration, and festive fun. Each activity was designed to keep the kids engaged, practicing new skills, and enjoying the magic of Halloween. We had a fantastic time, and the kids left with memories (and crafts!) they’ll cherish.