Halloween is a fun time for kids and kids at heart! Here are a few accessible Halloween activities that the whole family can enjoy.
Halloween Podcasts for Kids
Kidcasts, a podcast list compiled for librarians, provides playlists of podcasts that can shared with children, families, and educators. Their Scary Stories Playlist includes tales like “Kraken,” with a range of creepy monsters, “Meet the Creeps,” where kids who listen to “creepy” stories can turn into monsters, and many more. The podcasts are professionally narrated with good voice acting and very descriptive music and sounds. Find out more from the School Library Journal article, Eight Podcasts for Kids Craving Scary Stories/Kidcasts, to enjoy many scary Halloween stories.
Accessible Halloween Sudoku Puzzles
Halloween is a time for tricks, treats – and puzzles. Sudoku, a fun and popular puzzle, lets kids exercise their “reasoning and critical thinking” skills as they play. The puzzles are generally numbers, but also can be pictures or words. For Halloween, Sudoku puzzles can be accessible for those with vision impairment:
A Halloween Sudoku, described in the Perkins School for the Blind Paths to Technology blog, has been modified to be accessible on an iPad for users who are blind. Pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and candy all have their places in the puzzle. “Sudoku puzzles are a wonderful way to teach students who use screen readers how to navigate grids and tables” with voiceover. For more information and directions for doing this Sudoku in the Pages app on the iPad, read Halloween Sudoku Puzzle: Grids and Tables.
Halloween Craft Ideas
Children – and adults – of all ages celebrate Halloween with costumes, spooky decorations, and other often visual paraphernalia, and “it may be difficult for blind and visually impaired children to feel included in the festivities.” To address that challenge, ibvi (Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired) has put together a list of Halloween craft and costume ideas that are tactile and can be enjoyed by those who are blind or visually impaired. An Autumn wreath art project, for example, involves collecting materials outdoors and then using them to create the wreath. Cotton ball ghosts, tactile pumpkin decorating, and candy apples are among the other activities included. For the full list of ten craft projects, along with instructions, read Halloween Craft Ideas for Kids who are Blind and Visually Impaired.
We'd love to know how your family is celebrating Halloween this year! Follow along with the conversation on our GDB Facebook Page!
