Halloween at the Studio!

Hi everyone! It’s that time of year again, Halloween is fast approaching and you know your students are planning out their costumes and trick or treating routes already. The question is, what are you doing to make Halloween at the studio special this year?

I know you’ve already got a lot on your plate, BUT holidays are the most important times of the year for creating community. When the kids see you and your staff getting into it, or they experience something new and fun with their dance friends, they build stronger relationships. That can show on stage. They will dance better together, because they will be a tighter team. Think of holidays as team building opportunities for your students.

Also – who doesn’t love candy? Below I have a list of my top 10 favorite things to do at the studio to make Halloween one of the best times of year. If you have any more to add, or you give it a try, comment or tag us in your sweet Halloween Spooktacular @methoddanceprogram

Top 10 Ways to make Halloween special at the studio

1. Dress Up! Asking your teachers and other staff to dress up, even if it’s just a hat, for the week leading up to Halloween will get the kids in the spirit too.
2. Decorate! The dollar store is your best friend, but don’t take it too far – you want the little kids to return to class the next week! My go-to is the giant package of spider webs that literally transform any space into a haunted mansion.
3. Hand out candy or other treats in class. When I had the studio I always did this, but I never really understood how meaningful it was to the kids until now when my own kids come home with something. Seriously, stickers never seemed so sparkly, and even the cheapest sucker was never so sweet. I’m telling you, dance teachers handing out ANYTHING to my 4 year old makes it extra special.
4. Host a haunted house. Enlist your senior students to help plan out and create the haunted house and invite everyone to come by on Halloween to see their work. The students have an absolute blast doing it, and their reward is plenty of candy at the end of the night.
5. Host a pumpkin carving contest. Get the kids to sign up in teams of 3-5 students and give them a few days to plan it out. Go buy a pumpkin for each team and then set up a time for the decorating party. When the pumpkins are carved, leave them around the studio for decoration and let the other students vote on their favorites. It’s a great way to decorate too!
6. Play kid friendly Halloween tunes for classes during the week leading up to Halloween. There are some great tunes like Monster Mash, that the kids love and it gets everyone in the festive mood.
7. Guess the number of candies in a candy jar. Kids get really into it, and it becomes the talk of the dressing room. In the end, the winner gets the candy!
8. Halloween sticker challenge. This can be something that your students are working towards like getting their splits. Every student who wants to participate will get their name on a sticker chart and they get a sticker every time they practice. In the end, whoever gets the most stickers wins, but really, they all win!
9. Give them Halloween routines. They can be simple, and work on the skills they are currently working on. Fun Halloween themed combinations are always a hit.
10. Host a family friendly Halloween party. This is of course a big undertaking, but was always something the kids enjoyed thoroughly. Nobody throws a dance party like a dance teacher! Go get a ton of glow sticks, have everyone dress up, set up some fun party games like pin the stem on the pumpkin. Then, let the kids dance the night away. It’s an all around great time and well worth the effort.

I hope you enjoyed the list, and maybe gleamed some inspiration for your studio festivities this Halloween. Have fun and don’t forget to be totally Spooktacular. For more updates check out our facebook page here.