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Halloween is the perfect time to inject a little extra fun into your therapy sessions while still working toward meaningful therapeutic goals. Themed activities engage children and adults alike and provide creative ways to address fine motor skills, gross motor coordination, sensory processing, speech and language development, and more. For Occupational Therapists (OTs), Physical Therapists (PTs), and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), Halloween-themed activities are an excellent way to motivate clients and foster participation during therapy sessions.

At Therapeutic Resources, we’ve spent nearly 40 years helping therapists make an impact in their communities, whether in schools, clinics, or healthcare facilities. Our mission is to support therapists like you in finding the best positions while providing tools and resources to help make therapy engaging and effective. With Halloween around the corner, here’s a collection of creative, fun, and purposeful activities for your OT, PT, and SLP sessions.

1. Pumpkin Bowling (Gross Motor Skills)
Great for: Physical Therapists (PTs)
Create a fun Halloween-themed bowling game by using small pumpkins as bowling balls and empty bottles decorated as ghost or monster pins. Set up a lane, and have students or clients practice rolling the pumpkin to knock down the pins. This activity encourages balance, coordination, and strength development while incorporating the fun of the Halloween season.

Therapeutic Focus:

• Gross motor coordination
• Strength and control
• Balance and posture

2. Spider Web Fine Motor Maze (Fine Motor Skills)
Great for: Occupational Therapists (OTs)
Create a "spider web" on a table using painter’s tape or string. Use small plastic spiders or Halloween-themed trinkets, and have clients use tweezers to pick up the items and move them through the web without touching the strings. This activity improves fine motor coordination, hand strength, and dexterity—all while having some spooky fun.

Therapeutic Focus:

• Fine motor precision
• Bilateral coordination
• Hand-eye coordination

3. Halloween Sensory Bins (Sensory Processing)
Great for: Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Physical Therapists (PTs)
A Halloween sensory bin filled with thematic items like plastic spiders, squishy pumpkins, cotton spider webs, and colorful beads can help clients with sensory processing challenges. Use the bin for tactile exploration, visual scanning, or hand-strengthening activities. Ask clients to find specific items buried in the bin to further work on motor planning and sequencing.

Therapeutic Focus:

• Tactile exploration
• Sensory regulation
• Motor planning

4. Haunted House Obstacle Course (Gross and Fine Motor Skills)
Great for: Physical Therapists (PTs) and Occupational Therapists (OTs)
Create a haunted house obstacle course that requires clients to navigate through a series of activities like jumping over "tombstones" (foam mats), crawling through a "spider web" (elastic ropes), or balancing on a "tightrope" (balance beam). This activity challenges balance, coordination, and gross motor planning, while the themed design keeps kids entertained and engaged.

Therapeutic Focus:

• Balance and postural control
• Motor planning
• Strength and endurance

5. Ghostly Speech Practice (Speech and Language)
Great for: Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)
Create a set of "ghostly" flashcards with target speech sounds, vocabulary, or language concepts. These cards could feature spooky characters or Halloween-themed words, such as "bat," "ghost," "witch," or "candy." For articulation practice, have students use these cards while working on their target sounds. Students can describe the card or use it in a sentence for language development. To make it extra fun, have them say the word in a spooky voice!

Therapeutic Focus:

• Articulation practice
• Expanding vocabulary
• Sentence construction and expressive language

6. Halloween Story Sequencing (Cognitive Development)
Great for: Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)
Provide your clients with a series of Halloween-themed pictures and ask them to arrange the pictures in a logical sequence to create a story. This activity encourages language development and cognitive skills, such as sequencing and comprehension. Afterward, have them retell the story or answer questions about what happens next.

Therapeutic Focus:

• Sequencing and comprehension
• Storytelling and expressive language
• Cognitive organization

7. Mummy Wrap Relay (Gross Motor Skills)
Great for: Physical Therapists (PTs)
Create a mummy wrap relay where clients are tasked with wrapping up a partner or a doll with toilet paper or crepe paper. This encourages teamwork, balance, and coordination. For added difficulty, you can incorporate gross motor challenges such as walking on a balance beam or navigating through a simple obstacle course before starting the wrap.

Therapeutic Focus:

• Gross motor coordination
• Balance and stability
• Social engagement and teamwork

8. Trick-or-Treating Speech Game (Social Communication)
Great for: Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)
Create a mock trick-or-treating game where students or clients have to use appropriate social greetings and conversational skills. Set up various stations or "houses," and have clients practice introducing themselves, making requests ("Trick or treat!"), and responding to questions ("What are you dressed as?"). This game helps students build confidence in using social communication in a fun, low-pressure setting.

Therapeutic Focus:

• Social communication
• Conversation practice
• Pragmatic language skills

Halloween-themed activities are a great way for OTs, PTs, and SLPs to inject fun and excitement into therapy sessions while working toward critical therapeutic goals. From fine motor skills to social communication, there are endless ways to incorporate spooky themes into your treatment plans. As always, if you're looking for a supportive partner in your therapy career, Therapeutic Resources is here to help with nearly 40 years of experience. Together, we can continue making therapy engaging, meaningful, and impactful for the clients and communities we serve.  Send us your information here, and a placement manager will be in touch within 24 hours.  Talk to you soon!
 

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