Halloween Craft for Language & Following Directions
By: Ashley Godwin, CCC-SLP
Looking for a fun and engaging way to boost your child’s language skills? Crafts are where it’s at! These creative activities aren’t just about glitter and glue, they’re powerful learning tools. While your little one is busy cutting, coloring, or sticking things together, you have the perfect opportunity to model and expand vocabulary in a natural, relaxed setting. You can talk about colors, shapes, and actions, right as they’re happening! Crafts also help kids practice comprehension in real time as they follow directions and make decisions. Plus, when you offer choices (“Do you want the red paper or the blue one?”), you’re encouraging expressive language without it feeling like a lesson. Best of all, it’s hands-on, playful, and fun!
Halloween is the perfect time to sneak in some spooky fun while working on important skills like listening, vocabulary, sequencing, and following directions. This simple Halloween craft can be adapted for preschoolers through elementary-age children, and it’s a great way to combine seasonal excitement with meaningful practice.
Make a Paper Plate Pumpkin
What you need:
- 1 paper plate
- Orange paint or crayons
- Green construction paper (for leaves/stem)
- Black construction paper (for eyes, nose, mouth)
- Glue stick
- Child-safe scissors
Step-by-Step Directions (and Language Opportunities)
- Color the plate orange.
- Target words: orange, round, circle, pumpkin.
- Following directions tip: Start with a 1-step direction (e.g., “Color the plate orange”) and build to 2-step directions (“Color the plate orange and put the crayon down”).
- Cut out a green stem and leaf.
- Target words: stem, leaf, green, top, cut, glue.
- Expand directions: “Cut a rectangle for the stem. Then cut a leaf.”
- Glue the stem and leaf on top of the pumpkin.
- Target words: top, above, glue.
- Directional concept: Practice spatial words (“Glue the stem at the top of the plate.”).
- Cut out black shapes for the face.
- Target words: triangle, square, circle, eyes, nose, mouth.
- Great chance to work on shape vocabulary and descriptive words.
- Glue the shapes to make a jack-o’-lantern face.
- Encourage creativity! Ask: “Should the eyes be big or small?” “Where should the mouth go—top or bottom?”
- This promotes both expressive language and understanding directions.
Language Goals You Can Target
- Following directions: Practice 1-step, 2-step, and even 3-step directions.
- Sequencing: Retell the craft steps in order.
- Vocabulary: Colors, shapes, Halloween words.
- Concepts: Spatial terms (top, bottom, middle, next to).
- Describing: Encourage kids to describe their pumpkin using words like happy, scary, silly.
Extension Ideas
- Storytelling: After making the pumpkin, have the child tell a short story about it (“This pumpkin lives in…”).
- Compare/contrast: If you make multiple pumpkins, talk about how they are the same or different.
Crafts are a simple, effective, and fun way to support your child’s language development at home. For more practical ideas, or if you have questions about your child’s speech and language skills, schedule a free consultation with one of our friendly pediatric speech therapists. We’re here to help every step of the way!
