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Halloween is a magical time for storytelling, imagination, and creative play. Using drama to celebrate the season allows children to explore themes like fear, bravery, teamwork, and transformation in a safe and fun way. Below are three engaging drama activities from Drama Start: Halloween Edition that are ideal for early years settings.
Witch’s Cauldron (Drama Game)
Age: 3+
Minimum number of participants: 2
Resources needed: A large pot or a drawn cauldron on the floor
Other Benefits: Language development, memory, creative thinking
Instructions:
Sit in a circle around the “cauldron.” Explain that you’re going to make a magic potion. Each child adds an imaginary ingredient and acts it out while saying,
“I put [ingredient] into the cauldron.”
Examples: “I put spider legs, slimy snails, laughing leaves, or invisible feathers…”
After each new addition, the group stirs the potion with a big “bubble, bubble, bubble!” and a dramatic “BOOM!”
Extension:
Challenge children to remember and repeat the ingredients in order. Add a soundscape with claps, stomps, or musical instruments to heighten the sensory play.
Reflection Questions:
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What was your favourite ingredient?
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What kind of spell do you think our potion would cast?
The Spooky Forest (Movement Story)
Age: 3+
Minimum number of participants: Whole group
Resources needed: None
Other Benefits: Gross motor skills, emotional regulation, sequencing
Instructions:
Guide the children through an imaginary walk in a spooky forest, narrating as you go. They act out each step.
“We tiptoe through the trees… We jump over a log… We duck under a cobweb… We hear a wolf – Awooo! – and freeze!”
“Suddenly… we see a haunted house!”
“We creep inside… open the creaky door… and BOO! It’s just a friendly ghost.”
Use your voice, movement, and facial expression to encourage full-body engagement.
Variation:
Invite children to contribute ideas for what happens next in the forest. Let them take turns leading the group.
Reflection Questions:
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Were you scared or excited in the forest?
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What would you do if you saw a ghost?
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What did your body do when you felt nervous?
Monster Freeze Dance
Age: 3+
Minimum number of participants: 2+
Resources needed: Music (e.g. spooky playlist)
Other Benefits: Listening skills, self-control, rhythm
Instructions:
Play Halloween-themed music and invite children to dance like different Halloween characters (e.g., zombies, witches, skeletons, spiders). When the music stops, they must freeze in a monster pose.
Each round, call out a new character or emotion:
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“Dance like a tired mummy!”
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“Be a sneaky vampire!”
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“Move like an excited skeleton!”
Extension:
Let children suggest new spooky characters or emotions. Add props (scarves, hats) if available.
Reflection Questions:
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What was your favourite monster to dance as?
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How did you make your body look frozen?
These drama games are simple to set up, require minimal resources, and support key educational goals like cooperation, imagination, communication, and emotional expression. Most importantly, they let children celebrate Halloween in a joyful and inclusive way.
For more Halloween-themed drama games, action poems, movement stories, and short plays, explore my full book Drama Start: Halloween Edition. It’s packed with easy-to-follow activities that work beautifully in early years classrooms and after-school settings.
