1. Communicate with the teacher (before you start planning).
Halloween is usually the first class party of the year that you'll find yourself planning, so it's important to find out what the teacher's expectations are, including the types of activities and crafts she feels would be a good fit for students and what kind of snacks might work best. Some teachers rely exclusively on their room parents to pull together all classroom events and parties, while others have their own ideas and will ask for help with coordinating specific parts. We have some tips on what to ask the teacher:
2. Choose your snacks and drinks.
More often that not, schools require class treats be pre-packaged or store-bought. Snacks and drinks should dovetail with your school's health and wellness policy, so be sure to review that before requesting items from parents. We've got 30 (yes, 30!) pre-packaged and store-bought snack and drink ideas to get you started, from scary "Boonanas" to Yummy Mummy Go-Gurts:
We even have 13 healthy snack ideas, too:
3. Pick age-appropriate crafts and activities.
It's always smart to plan for 3 or 4 different activity stations in the classroom. That will allow for small groups of kids to cycle through each craft or activity. Keep a timer handy so that when it buzzes, kids know it's time to move onto the next super fun thing you have planned!
Remember to choose activities that are age-appropriate, too. Remember, it doesn't have to be fancy to be fun! Kids will have a blast doing something as simple as bowling with a pumpkin ball and a few googly-eyed paper towel "ghost" pins. We've rounded up some super simple, kid-friendly Halloween games and crafts that are a good fit for classrooms:
4. Line up volunteers to help out during the party.
Depending on how many activities or crafts you've planned, determine how many parent volunteers you'll need to help out. In an ideal scenario, it would be great to have one parent for each craft or activity, plus a parent to coordinate and serve snacks and drinks, and another to take photos and hang decorations. Of course, our expectations can be far from the reality, so as long as you have one or two other parents, plus the teacher, you should be good to go.
Image source: mom.me
5. Make a list of the supplies you'll need.
This includes snacks, drinks, plates, utensils (if needed), cups, decorations, and supplies for crafts and games. Creating a detailed list not only will make it easy to ask parents for what you’ll need but also will make clear any classroom supplies that you might be able to use (for example, crayons, paper, etc.).
We've even got a few hacks to help you save time, materials, and money:
And remember, decorations don't have to be complicated! A few simple bells and whistles (or ahem, eyeballs and fangs) do the trick:
6. Ask parents to donate supplies, snacks and drinks.
Once you have your list of teacher-approved craft supplies and snacks firmed up, you'll want to ask parents to help pitch in. Parents are usually more than eager to help! There a few ways to do this:
Download our printable Halloween class party sign up sheet. Hang it from the classroom door or send home via the backpack express. Don't forget to include your email address so parents can contact you!
Create an online celebration wish list that's mobile-friendly using TeacherLists.com (it's totally free). It even has a handy pledge feature that tracks who is bringing what -- and the list updates automatically with every donation so you don't get too much of one thing and not enough of the other. Create yours for free at TeacherLists.com. Seriously, this is a room parent's dream.
You can also make your own flyer or sign up sheet using our FREE Halloween clip art:
7. Set up a photo booth to share photos of the fun with parents!
Parents love seeing their kids having fun at school -- especially those who couldn't volunteer or join in the fun! Why not take a few extra minutes to set up a photo booth in the classroom? It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive to be fun; simply hang some Halloween colored wrapping paper on the wall for kids to stand in front of, or string a mix of orange and black streamers and spider webs from the ceiling for a spooky backdrop. Just remember to discuss photo sharing policies with your teacher before uploading or sharing photos with parents.
We even have fun Halloween photo booth props you can download:
8. Give kids a little something special to take home.
Yes, we all know they're going to get TONS of candy Halloween night, but it's okay if they go home with a little something special from the class party, too! These coffee filter lollipop ghosts are super cute and easy to make -- they can be made in a pinch using just a few simple materials. Best part? You can make enough for a whole class for less than $5!
9. Thank your parent volunteers for pitching in.
A little thanks goes a long way in the eyes of many parents. It only takes a minute, and more often than not, most parents will want to help out again. If you're not sure what to say, our sample thank you note text is a good start!
