10 Fun and Easy Halloween Games: Challenge at the Target Dollar Spot
Target dollar finds are great for fun and easy Halloween themed therapy games that work on student IEP goals! It’s even better when you can freshen up and re-use something you already own by combining the old and new materials. Can you meet the challenge and come up with 10 different speech/language therapy activities using your own Target Dollar Spot finds?
NEW: Number Clings from the Target Dollar Store
OLD: A Halloween Countdown Box from a Starbucks sales bin
1. Articulation -Window Sticky Game.
- Roll a die and say a word/phrase/sentence with the target sounds that many times correctly.
- Then open the box with the same number.
- Take the cling number and throw it at the window, trying to get it to stick.
- The student with the most number clings stuck to the window wins.
2. Articulation – Clean Up the Sticky Window Game.
- Roll a die to see which number cling you will get to take off the window.
- Try to say a short story with the same number of target sound words used correctly to take off that number and put it back in the box.
- The student who collected the most cling numbers wins.
3. Vocabulary Word Knowledge.
- Put vocabulary words on slips of paper, putting one in each box.
- Roll a die to see which box to open and take out the word.
- Tell that number of details about the vocabulary word: definitions, a sentence, synonyms, antonyms, part of speech, things associated with it, function, etc.
- If you can give the correct number of pieces of information, throw the same number at the window.
- If it falls off, it goes back on the sheet for someone else to use.
4. Making Inferences.
- Put pictures/words for the inference items on the front of the boxes.
- Place the number clings inside the boxes, but don’t worry about matching the numbers.
- Read the inference cards from the Halloween Costume Guessing Game, the Halloween Inference Game, or use your own inferences.
- The first student to make the correct inference about what is being described gets to open the box with the matching picture/word and take out the number cling to throw.
- Count that many students around the group to see who has the next turn.
- Play until time is up or the cards are done.
5. Answer WH Questions.
- Place the number clings in a box with the matching number.
- The students roll the die to find out how many questions need to be answered. The student gets to open the box if all of the answers were correct.
- If not, the next student takes a turn.
- The number clings wait on the table in front of the students who earned them until all of the boxes have been opened.
- After ready, set, go, it is a race to see who is the first student who can get all of their numbers to cling to the window first.
6. Correct Sentences.
- Fill the boxes with Halloween words/pictures for actions and objects.
- Students take turns walking to the window to take off a number cling and open the matching box.
- The student has to tell a sentence or short story using the words/pictures from the box, including the target structure that is being worked on. (singular/plural, verb tense, pronoun, etc.) to keep the box.
- If incorrect, the words/pictures and box go back into the haunted house, the cling goes back on the wall and the next student takes a turn.
- Students try to get the most boxes in front of them to win the game.
7. Narratives-Tell a Short Story.
- Place a Halloween character and the matching number cling inside the box.
- Students roll a die to determine which box to open and tell a story with a beginning, middle and end or all of the basic story grammar parts using the character from the box.
- Then the student can throw the number cling at the window.
- They get a score by adding the number of story parts plus the number on their cling.
- See who has the greatest score after each student has had a turn.
8. Following directions: next to, beside, over, under, above, right side, left side.
- Place one number cling randomly in each box and cover the box with a Halloween picture.
- Give the student directions to find the correct box.
- If the students followed your directions and named the correct item, they get the number cling inside the box to throw at the window.
9. Describing Halloween Items.
- Place a Halloween word/picture in each of the boxes.
- Students take turns choosing which box to open and take out the word/picture without showing anyone.
- They give as many clues as needed, describing the Halloween item with using the label, until someone can guess what it is.
- Then they throw one of the number clings at the window. If it falls off, you keep it.
- When all of the boxes are done, see if the students’ total score of all of the clings on the window beats your score (clings which fell off.)
10. Asking WH questions.
- Place a Halloween word/picture in each of the boxes.
- Students take turns choosing which box to open and take out the word/picture without showing anyone.
- They ask questions whose answer will be that Halloween item until one of the other students in the group answers correctly.
- If more than one question is needed, the student has to use a different WH question word each time until someone can answer. Then they get to throw a number cling.
- The number clings are thrown in order and the game ends when all have been thrown.
You May Be Asking….
1. What if moving around like this is too chaotic?
Although students often have been sitting still for too long and some will work better when given a chance to move around, if your students need to be seated, try these ideas:
- Have them collect the static cling numbers first, then take turns after the work is done to throw them at the window.
- Have just one student at a time get up to throw.
- Place a container in the center of the table to throw the clings into so they can stay seated.
- Collect small Halloween plastic pieces to fidget with instead of clings that they can rip apart.
- Earn tokens on a Halloween themed board to get some free time when work is done.
2. What if I don’t have a countdown box like that?
- Cut openings in the top of a shoebox lid glued onto thick paper.
- Use small containers in place of the box.
- Use a variety of Halloween containers instead.
- Use the cute freebie boxes that are available at ‘It Looks Like Language to Me’ or in the ‘It’s Looking Like Language’ monthly email. (Just sign up on the pop-up!). Click the image below!
3. What if I don’t have number clings?
- Use Halloween window clings.
- Use soft magnetic pieces on a magnet board.
- Use small Halloween objects to toss in a Halloween candy container.
Did this post get your creative juices flowing? What ideas did you come up with?