Halloween is a lovely opportunity to bring a little seasonal magic into our home. Each year, I enjoy putting together a Halloween-inspired shelf with some of our favourite books, decorations and activities.

As with our other seasonal shelves, I take inspiration from Montessori principles while also incorporating open-ended toys, seasonal decorations and things my children have made themselves. I want our home to be an inviting space that encourages them to play, explore and learn.

We reuse many of the same materials each year, adding a few new books or activities as the children’s interests develop. Our Halloween shelf doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive, and some of my favourite additions are the things we’ve made together.

Our favourite Halloween books for children

Over the years, we’ve gradually built up a collection of Halloween books that we bring out each autumn. Some have been favourites since my daughter was very small, while others have joined our collection as the children have grown. Here are the books we’ve particularly enjoyed, from gentle stories for toddlers to slightly spookier tales for older children.

• Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht – This is a lovely book that outlines the main Halloween traditions using rhythmic language. My daughter enjoys it and we have two others from the series, Pick a Pine Tree (Christmas) and Pick the Perfect Egg (Easter).
• Halloween Is…by Gail Gibbons – This book is a gentle guide to the history of Halloween, its symbols and traditions for young children. We have several books by Gibbons in our collection and I think she is a wonderful author for introducing non-fiction topics to younger children. The images are always appealing and the language is clear and educational.
• Ollie’s Lost Kitten by Nicola Killen – This is a gorgeously illustrated little story about a young child discovering a lost kitten when out in the woods. The little cut out pages and occasional use of sparkle keep my daughter engaged. This is the first book we got by the author. We’ve since expanded our collection to include the Christmas, Easter, and birthday books in the same series.
• Funny Bones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg – We are big fans of the authors in this house. My daughter has been listening to the classics Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum since she was about 6 months old. She enjoys the repetition in this book and often recites the first few lines, “In a dark dark town, in a dark dark street”, whilst reading the book to herself.
• Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry – We love the Little Blue Truck series in our home. In this book, the farm animals are dressed in costumes for Halloween. Last year I thought my daughter (then a one-year-old) wouldn’t understand it. However, she knew immediately which animal was hiding on each page and found it very entertaining.
• A Pumpkin for Peter – This is part of a delightful set of board books entitle “A Peter Rabbit Tale” based on the works and illustrations of Beatrix Potter. The story follows Peter Rabbit and his family as they confront the spooky sounds in the woods on the way to pick a pumpkin from Mr Rabbit’s pumpkin patch. It’s a simple story pitched just right for a young child that isn’t yet ready for anything truly scary.
• Trick or Treat – Another one from the Peter Rabbit board book series mentioned above. This time, the story follows Peter and his sisters as they prepare their Halloween costumes. It’s a sweet tale. It focuses on how Peter helps and encourages his siblings. In the end, his kindness is rewarded.
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Creepy Crawly Halloween – This is a delightful and simple lift the flap book. It brings together some of Eric Carle’s famous bugs that appear in his various books. His iconic and distinctive illustrations really appeal to my daughter. She seems to enjoy naming all the creatures as she finds them.
• Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – This is a simple story about a witch who is sharing her broom with various animals she encounters. Every now and then they loses one of her iconic witch paraphernalia requiring a landing to retrieve it. The book has a lovely rhythm that holds my daughter interest throughout. We have most of the board book versions of books by this author/illustrator pairing.
• Jane Foster’s Halloween – This was the first book I bought for our daughter’s halloween collection. It’s a simple collection of the main Halloween symbols presented as a striking image with the relevant word. We have other Foster books in our collection, which have been useful for building up basic vocabulary.
• Walter’s Wonderful Web by Tim Hopgood – This is one of my daughter’s absolute favourites. She learned all of her shapes before she turned two with this book. I love the theme of not giving up that runs throughout the story. A nice message for our children when things don’t go right the first time!
• The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams – This was my daughter’s absolute favourite Halloween book last year, which came as a lovely surprise! It’s a wonderfully repetitive story that encourages children to join in with movements and sounds. My daughter enjoyed it so much that she eventually learnt it off by heart. Despite featuring some mysterious floating objects and a pumpkin head, it isn’t particularly frightening. I’m so glad I came across this one, and I’d thoroughly recommend it.
• There’s a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers – I thought this was such a clever book! The transparent pages reveal ghosts hiding around the house that the little girl in the story can’t see. My daughter really enjoyed discovering them when she was three, and I suspect she’ll appreciate the book even more this year. It’s a wonderfully imaginative and unusual Halloween picture book.

Of course, we don’t put all our autumn books away when Halloween approaches. We still enjoy seasonal favourites such as Pumpkin Soup, alongside our Halloween stories. If you’re looking for more seasonal reading inspiration, I’ve shared our wider collection in Our Montessori-Inspired Autumn Shelf: Books, Activities & Simple Seasonal Ideas.

Simple Halloween crafts and activities

Some of my favourite Halloween decorations are the things my children have made themselves. We don’t need elaborate activities or expensive craft kits to enjoy a little seasonal creativity. This year, our Halloween display includes toilet roll bats, ghost paintings and colourful pumpkin artwork. I love seeing their creations become part of our home.

We also enjoy making simple Halloween artwork together. I particularly love displaying the children’s paintings alongside our seasonal books and decorations. It gives them a sense of ownership over the space and makes our Halloween shelf feel much more personal.

Our Montessori-inspired Halloween activities for toddlers

As my children have grown, our Halloween shelf has changed too. Alongside our favourite seasonal books, I now enjoy displaying decorations, our wooden celebration ring and things the children have made themselves. We reuse many of the same pieces each year, and I love how their artwork makes the display feel personal to our family. It’s a simple way to celebrate the season without needing to buy lots of new things.

When my daughter was younger, I enjoyed putting together a Halloween-inspired activity shelf with a mixture of Montessori-inspired activities, puzzles and seasonal toys. I tried to include opportunities to practise different skills, such as fine motor control, matching and problem-solving, while keeping the activities playful and inviting.

Here’s a closer look at what I included on the shelves.

• Black and white coin drop from Kiwico Panda Crate (This is from the Explore With Me crate which has now been updated)
• Orange beads from the Plan Toys threading set
• DIY lacing pumpkin which I found as a free download on the Teachers Pay Teachers website
• Orange, black and white button sorting activity made from a cheap set of buttons I found on Amazon
• DIY free the ghosts activity using a free printable I found along with some wooden pegs for fine motor practice.
• DIY pumpkin number puzzle using a free printable found online

Bottom row:

• Lovevery Circle of friends puzzle from the Babbler playkit – I think they look like pumpkins and are in a nice autumnal orange colour for the season
• Lovevery Drop and match dot catcher from the helper playkit
• Lovevery lockbox from the Realist playkit

Lovevery referral offer: I’ve enjoyed using Lovevery Play Kits with my children, and several of the toys have worked well in our seasonal activities. Lovevery currently offers new Play Kits subscribers £20 off through its refer-a-friend programme. If you would like my referral link, you’re welcome to email me at empoweredmontessorimama@gmail.com.

Referral disclosure: If you subscribe using my referral, you’ll receive £20 off and I’ll receive £20 credit towards a future Play Kit. There’s no obligation to use my referral, and the offer is subject to Lovevery’s current terms.

Every Halloween shelf we create looks slightly different. Sometimes we reuse activities from previous years, sometimes we discover a new favourite book, and often the simplest ideas are the ones my children return to most. I hope these ideas give you a little inspiration for creating a shelf that works for your own family.

What about you? What are your favourite halloween traditions? What books and toys would you recommend for the occasion?

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   […] Of course, we don’t put all our autumn books away when Halloween approaches. We still enjoy seasonal favourites such…