Halloween is a time for spooky fun with your children – trick or treats, pumpkin carving and the opportunity to dress up as their favourite creepy character. It can also be a scarily good opportunity to incorporate some maths into their play and they won’t even realise. We’ve compiled some frighteningly fun Halloween maths activities and challenges below – let us know which are your favourites! FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
  1. Halloween counting – encourage younger children to improve their basic counting skills by numbering a page one to twenty and draw the same number of spooky pictures next to each – e.g. one bat, two witches, three broomsticks, etc.
 
  1. Halloween size ordering – cut out various Halloween shapes and ask your little ones to order them in ascending size! They can even make them into a creepy picture after.
 
  1. Chat about spooky facts! Did you know – bats can consume nearly 50 percent of their body weight in food each night? The thread of the orb web spider is extremely elastic and can be stretched 30 –40 per cent before it breaks! Why not look up some more?
 
  1. Make some Halloween cookies or candy – we lovethese easy ideas that will challenge students to think like scientists!
 
  1. Do some Halloween writing – take it in turns to create a short spooky story!
  FOR OLDER CHILDREN Why not see if they can work out these spooky scenarios?  
  1. How many ghosts are in the haunted house?
There are more than the number of days in October. There are less than the product of 7 and 5. The answer is an odd number.  
  1. A pumpkin weighed 6½ kg before it was carved. It now weighs 1½ kg. What fraction of its weight has been removed?
 
  1. Count your toes and hands and feet Multiply those three sums Add the month when ghosts all meet Subtract the date Halloween comes.
 
  1. How many bats?
The number of bats is a square number. The number of bats is more than 4 squared. The number of bats is less than 4 cubed. The number of bats is even.  
  1. Seven mummies in a row Fifteen rows plus another two I think it’s time that you should go Because all those mummies are after you How many mummies are chasing you?
  PARENTS – ANSWERS BELOW!  
  1. 33
  2. 10/2
  3. 20
  4. 36
  5. 119