Halloween Alternative Crafts and Activities for Kids

Crafts and Learning Activities relating to Halloween and Fall

Copyright Notice - While many of the crafts on this site are free, they are still copyrighted. They are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, except for local church, school, or home use only. The copyright notice must be included on all copies. To request permission to copy this material for any other use contact me by e-mail.

  Sweet Treat for the Soul Craft - These little candy corns can be tied to candy treats and given out to trick-or-treaters as a witnessing tool. Children color the front and write a Bible verse on the back. Adults can help them pick out verses that are "sweet treats" for the soul. The front of the candy corn says, "You picked a sweet treat from my bowl and here is a sweet treat for your soul."

What you will need: Card stock (heavy paper), a hole punch, ribbon, a yellow and an orange Highlighter Marker.

What to do:

1. Print out the pattern or draw your own candy corn treats. (Pattern available to members only. Go to the Candy Corn Page for a pattern.)

2. Decide which Bible verses you would like to use and then write them on the back of the candy corn.

3. Color the front of the candy corn with orange and yellow Highligher Markers and write at the bottom, "You picked a sweet treat from my bowl and here is a sweet treat for your soul." and then cut them out.

4. Punch a hole at the top and tie them to a candy treat so they are ready to give out on Halloween night.

Give your Trick or Treaters Sweet Treats for Their Souls

Memory Crosses are a great way to share the gospel this Halloween. Children enjoy folding and unfolding them while more of God's sweet words are revealed with each fold. They're hard to put down because they are so intriguing.

Go to Memory Cross to order yours today!
 

Here's a fall harvest story you'll want to share with your kids! In this  colorfully illustrated parable, Higgs weaves a beautiful tale of how a farmer (Jesus) reaches down, picks out a special pumpkin from his garden, and scoops  out all the messy ''goo'' to make room for his light to shine from inside. 32  pages, hardcover from Nelson. For more information and ordering go to Christainbook.com

Shine for Jesus! Mini Craft Booklet - This craft goes along with the book "The Pumpkin Patch Parable" by Liz Curtis Higgs. When you open the cover the inside says, "Jesus takes the yukkie stuff away so our light shines all night and day!" When you open the poem page and close the cover, the yukkie stuff disappears and the pumpkin shines.

What you will need: Legal size paper 8 1/2" x 14", pumpkin seeds, orange and yellow yarn, glue, green fun foam or green construction paper, and crayons.

What to do:

1. Print out the booklet pattern onto legal size paper. large pattern or small pattern
2. Cut along the outside edge of the booklet and cut out the eyes, nose, and mouth.
3. Have your children color the picture of the pumpkin and cut a stem from green fun foam or construction paper. Glue a yellow piece of paper on the middle square or the pattern.
4. Glue pumpkin seeds and the yarn where it says to glue yukkie stuff. Fold poem and yukkie stuff in to cover the yellow page and the pumpkin over the yukkie stuff page.

Comments and ideas from subscribers:

I bought some "mini pumpkin" gourds at the grocery store for the kids to decorate with happy faces (permanent markers work best, but I watched that they don't mark each other). I printed small versions of the "pumpkin" story. I punched holes in the stories to slip a ribbon through. I hot-glued the ribbon to the tops of the pumpkins. The kids loved doing this. Then, the kids gave these pumpkins to their favorite "pumpkins" to share the love, Sandy

I did this lesson in my Wednesday night class, it was preschoolers. I printed the material, but before we did the craft I brought in a real pumpkin and just cut the top off so they could reach their hands inside to see what the real yukkie stuff was like, as I told the story. They thought it was great. Then I read the story from the book, The Parable of the Pumpkin, that I bought at the Christian Book store, and then made the craft. I bought real pumpkin seeds at the grocery store. I really like all the holiday lessons and crafts you always have, I hope you have some Thanksgiving and Christmas ones for the coming months! Thank you, Barbara from Ohio

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The Pumpkin Prayer

Dear God,

As I carve my pumpkin, help me say this prayer:

Open my mind so I can learn about You; (Cut the top of the pumpkin)

Take away all my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do; (Clean out the inside)

Open my eyes so Your Love I will see; (Cut eyes shaped like hearts)

I'm sorry for turning up my nose to all You've given me; (Cut a nose in the shape of the cross)

Open my ears so Your Word I will hear; (Cut ears shaped like the Bible)

Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near; (Cut mouth in the shape of a fish)

Let Your Light shine in all I say and do! Amen. (Place a candle and light)

Sent in by Nance from Reno

Comments from subscribers:

I wanted to let you know though, that Sunday I taught the lesson "Go Fish". Then I used the "Pumpkin Prayer" and carved the pumpkin as I read it. It was a powerful lesson. I had four children from pre-school age to 2nd grade. They were so attentive. After I was done, I took the top of the pumpkin and sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg on the top and placed it back on the pumpkin to give a sweet smell and told the children that is what we smell like to God when we have His light shining inside of us. I let them smell the spices and the "guts" of the pumpkin and asked them which one did they want to smell like. I tied the pumpkin prayer into the "Go Fish" lesson. I thought it ended it perfectly. The snack was the blue jell-o fish cups. Next week, we are going to review the lesson and play "Red Fish, Green Fish" outside and make the fish craft and eat the roasted pumpkin seeds that I am going to bake for them. I am thinking about planting a small pumpkin patch. Lisa

A Christian Pumpkin - Poem - Go To http://www.pagerealm.com/angels/challoween.html