October is one of my favorite months to teach in because of all the fun Halloween activities. It’s easy to incorporate Halloween activities into reading and writing because of all the fun Halloween picture books, but what about math? That is why I’m sharing 5 math activities for Halloween that 1st and 2nd graders love. And I have to say, teachers love these math activities for Halloween because they keep students engaged even when their students have those “halloween crazies.”

So let’s jump into the 5 math activities for Halloween that 1st and 2nd grade students love.

Math Activities for Halloween

Halloween Math Craft

Math crafts are one of my students’ favorite activities. This spider math craft has students solve math equations on the legs of the spider. Then they accordion fold the legs and glue them on the body. Students think these are so fun to take home, but I also like to hang them up on a bulletin board to help decorate for Halloween.

I also love to do math crafts because it allows me to pull students who may need a little extra help with math facts. I’ll help them use a ten frame for the make ten strategy or walk them through how to use a number line to solve the equations. Learn more about how to help struggling students with math facts in this blog post here.

Find this Halloween math craft here.

 

Halloween I Spy Math Facts Worksheets

My students love these worksheets because these worksheets are actually fun! Hidden inside Halloween clip art are a bunch of math facts. Students search through and try to find specific math facts. For example, one worksheet has students find all the facts that make ten. Students search though and highlight all the equations that make ten. For equations that do not equal ten, students record them on a recording sheet with the answer. So they get in a ton of math fact practice.

If there is time, I let students color the pictures! These make a great math center activity because if students finish early they can color. Plus I love how I can just print them out and they are ready for students.

Find these Halloween Math Fact Worksheets here.

Halloween Don’t Eat Pete Game

I love to pull out this math game in special centers I put on before our Halloween party. Students are wound up from the day with the class party going on and dressing up for the day. So this game helps engage learners, but also keeps things academic for the day.

Don’t Eat Pete is a fun, yet simple game for students. There is no prep! Just print out the playing board and it is ready for students.

In this game, students take turns choosing a square to be “Pete.” One student steps away while the rest of the group chooses.

Then they come back and pick candy off of each square while saying the answer to the math facts. When they go to pick up “Pete,” the group shouts, “Don’t Eat Pete!” Then they start again with another player. 

Make it more fun for students by using candy corn for this math halloween game. But you could also use bingo markers if you don’t want your students to have candy.

This game is even easy to differentiate. There are 10 different versions from addition and subtraction facts sums 1-5 to sums 1-20.

Find this Halloween math game here.

Halloween Math Facts Boom Cards

This next math activity for Halloween works great with technology or distance learning. They are Halloween themed Boom Cards. Students practice math facts in an engaging way with these digital task cards. The spider clipart helps make practicing math fact problems feel festive to students.

Boom Cards are great because they are self correcting. That means students get immediate feedback and teachers don’t have to take up all their prep time grading.

Find this set of Halloween digital task cards here.

 

Color By Number Halloween Math Worksheets

This last math activity for Halloween is color by number Halloween math worksheets. Students solve the math equations and then use the key to know what to color each pumpkin.

These are super easy to throw into a math center. Just print them out and they are ready for students.

There are also many different versions so you can easily differentiate. There are even versions with 2-digit addition and subtraction.

Find these color by number Halloween math worksheets here.

 

I hope you have been able to get plenty of ideas on how to engage your students in the crazy month of October with these math activities for Halloween.

I have found that when it comes to giving students the practice they need with math, they need fun games and activities. Learn more about the math fact games we play in my classroom here in this blog post: The Best 9 Games for Practicing Math Facts

When it comes to getting students to do math fact practice, I not only like to make it fun, but I like to make it meaningful for students. That means not just forcing my students to do timed test drills every day. Check out how I do this in my free workbook for 1st and 2nd grade teachers: The 7 Steps to Ensure Math Fact Fluency