Lovely Halloween

Halloween boosts excitement in childcare! A collection of ideas to liven things up with fingerplay activities

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Halloween season is something both kids and adults look forward to! Why not enjoy Halloween together with the children at nursery school or kindergarten? If you give your usual fingerplay and rock-paper-scissors a slightly spooky, fun Halloween twist, you can create special memories.

With fingerplay themed around ghosts, pumpkins, and witches, let the children’s imaginations flourish while you enjoy the seasonal festivities.

Here, we introduce recommended fingerplay activities perfect for celebrating Halloween.

Halloween makes childcare lively! A collection of hand-play activity ideas (21–30)

Go Away!

[Halloween] Go Away! | Get Outta Here! Japanese Version from Super Simple | Nursery Rhyme | Children’s Song

Go Away!

Let me introduce a Halloween-themed fingerplay song called “Go Away!” Since it mixes English and Japanese, it seems like a great way to spark children’s interest in Halloween culture.

In addition to cute gestures that match the lyrics, there’s also a call-and-response part where you shout “Go Away!” Sing it together with teachers or parents, and use your lively voices to chase away monsters and ghosts with this fun song! It’s scary, so don’t come out anymore.

Go away, little ghost! Go Away!

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A ghost goes knock knock

Rock-Paper-Scissors Game “The Ghost Goes Knock-Knock” Halloween With Lyrics

A ghost goes knock knock

In this hand game featuring various animals, a ghost shows up at the end.

Use your hands to act out the traits of the animals knocking on the door.

In the final ghost part, you can also play rock-paper-scissors, so try it in pairs.

At a party, you could have the teacher play rock-paper-scissors as the representative, and give a snack to the winners to liven things up.

You can also customize the animal portion—why not make it Halloween-themed by bringing in a witch or Dracula? It would be fun for everyone to come up with original poses together!

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Transforming Ghost

Halloween Fingerplay: Handy for Childcare! Hand Games to Enjoy with Kids

Transforming Ghost

Speaking of Halloween, ghosts come to mind, right? Here’s a fingerplay where ghosts are the stars: “Transforming Ghost.” Once you’re ready to become a ghost, let’s go! Music, start! A cute ghost who’s great at transforming will change into all sorts of things.

Try transforming together while imitating the teacher or parent! A black cat, a pumpkin—even a wolf!? Once you get the hang of it, it could be fun to come up with original poses and show them off to each other.

Make sure to play in a spacious room so the children don’t bump into one another!

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magic wand

Halloween hand play “Magic Wand” with lyrics

magic wand

Many children who watch fairy tales and anime have dreamed at least once, “I wish I could use magic.” In this fingerplay called “Magic Wand,” you pretend your right hand is a magic wand and your left hand is a little dwarf.

As you sing, you cast spells on the dwarf to make their height shrink and grow.

The magic can be anything you like, so customizing it could be fun too.

Increasing or decreasing the number of dwarfs also makes for good finger exercises.

It’s also recommended to make an extendable wand out of newspaper and play with that.

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What Shall We Make with Rock, Paper, Scissors? (Halloween Ver.)

We did the fingerplay song “Goo, Choki, Paa de Halo Halloween” [Nursery Rhymes & Finger Plays] HELLOWEEN.

What Shall We Make with Rock, Paper, Scissors? (Halloween Ver.)

Here’s a Halloween version of the popular hand game in childcare settings, “What can we make with rock, scissors, paper?” In this game, you make either a fist (rock), a V-shape (scissors), or an open hand (paper) with both hands and combine them to represent different things—it’s a great way to spark imagination.

Usually, kids make favorites like animals, insects, and vehicles.

But since this is the Halloween edition, it transforms into a game where you can create pumpkins, vampires, and skeletons.

Enjoy Halloween with your usual hand game!

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Dance: ‘Rock-Paper-Scissors with Pumpkins’

I tried dancing: Rock–Paper–Scissors with a Pumpkin!

Dance: 'Rock-Paper-Scissors with Pumpkins'

This is the dance to “Goo Choki Paa de Pumpkin,” which was featured on the TV show Shimajiro no Wao.

It’s a two-for-one dance where kids can learn rock-paper-scissors while singing and dancing.

Many Halloween-themed songs have a somewhat dark and scary vibe, but this one feels happy and fun, doesn’t it? Let’s all dance it together as the finale of your Halloween party! Even infants can enjoy it just by hopping or clapping along.

Let’s get everyone excited with adorable costumes, too.

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Halloween robot

[Hand Play] Halloween Robot ♪ [Baku-san]♪ Halloween robot—whirr, whirr—A ghost is making it move—It’s going to play a trick on you—♪

Halloween robot

Robots are coming for Halloween! This time, we’re introducing a fun Halloween robot hand-play activity.

Imagine your body getting pranked by a ghost and turning into a robot! When you try moving different parts of your body like a robot, you’ll find yourself smiling.

It could be fun for teachers or parents and kids to take turns calling out which body part to move next! By moving hands, feet, and heads to match the robot’s motions, children’s imaginations will grow.

Let’s cherish time to enjoy moving our bodies while feeling the Halloween vibe! With a ghost’s prank, the robot dance gets even more exciting.

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