After Halloween Plans for the Classroom

This year Halloween is on a Thursday, which means we all have to come back in to school for Friday before we can really crash. The day after Halloween can be ROUGH in the classroom. Honestly, it makes perfect sense – the routine has been totally off, most kids were up way later than usual for trick or treating, and we’ve all had more sugar over the last few days than are bodies are used to processing. It’s completely normal for everyone to be super cranky the next day. Knowing this, there are some things that you can do to make the day go a little more smoothly.

In planning for the week of Halloween, I always take great pains to make sure that the day after is as simple and comforting as possible. I make sure that I’m not introducing anything new, and I love to revisit activities that the children are familiar with and absolutely love. This is the perfect day for a little extra time outside, coloring pages, favorite toys (magnet blocks anyone?!), some yoga and meditation, and a fun podcast.

Make it easy for yourself, and for the children by planning for no-prep, low instruction activities. It can also be really helpful to start the day with a large-group conversation about how everyone is doing and why they might be feeling that way. The best part of celebrating Halloween on a Thursday is that you all only have to get through 1 more day before the weekend, you’ve got this!