Halloween is quickly approaching! Fall is our favorite time of year, so naturally Halloween festivities are a big hit in our house! Here is a Halloween mini-unit study for your kiddos to learn what this holiday is all about. I have a free printable for you, too!

The trees are changing. There’s a crispness in the air. The stores are stocked with candy and costumes galore. But, do your kids know where Halloween came from? Or why we carve pumpkin or go trick-or-treating?

Using Books in your Halloween Mini Unit Study

“Why?” is a question that frequents our house, so that left no exception to wanting to know why we celebrate Halloween. I went on a hunt for some books to help your kiddos understand the history behind the holiday and why it has continued into our culture today. The best parts of these books is that they include some fun, hands on activities, too! They’re a Halloween mini-unit study all in themselves, which is perfect for this lazy homeschool mom!

The Tricks and Treats of Halloween

The Tricks and Treats of Halloween is geared toward younger kids (I’d say ages Pre-K through 3rd grade) and can even be read by your reading kiddos. All of the pictures are bright, fun, and engaging. They really help tell the story!

There are four chapters to learn all about the history of Halloween, costumes, trick-or-treat, and more.

Now, for the Halloween mini-unit study part! This book includes some really fun extras. It has the history of holidays from other countries that celebrates those who have passed and good over evil. These can be some really fun rabbit holes to go down! It also has some facts about spiders and bats. More rabbit holes, yay!! You could spend all day just discovering and learning about other cultures, insects, animals…the possibilities are endless.

The Tricks and Treats of Halloween also includes a little quiz that you can give your kiddos after you have read it and learned all about Halloween. Congratulations, your child is now an expert on Halloween! To prove it, this book includes a cute expert on Halloween certificate.

The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun

The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun is a little longer and goes into a little more detail. You can definitely read this to your younger and older kids alike. It is also free on Kindle Unlimited! Woot woot!

**I do want to give just a little warning that some of the history behind trick-or-treating does involve men becoming drunk and causing mischief, and the history of carving pumpkins does involve a tale about a man having a conversation with the devil. So, use your own discretion if this is something you want to be read to your littles. Parts can easily be skipped over for age appropriateness. There’s still lots of good stuff in this book!

The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun also has some really cute pictures, but it is definitely more wordy than the Trick and Treats of Halloween. This can really be turned into a Halloween mini-unit study over several days, as it has eight chapters to go through.

I feel like this book really digs in deep to the culture of the Celts. I had no idea that we got so much of our Halloween traditions from them! This book also goes into details about Dia de los Muertos. So, not only does it go over the history of our own Halloween traditions and where they came from, it goes into the culture and backgrounds of others.

My favorite addition to this book is that it has snacks and craft ideas in the back! So put on your aprons and get your craft bins out. It’s time to get those little hands busy! And there’s plenty to make this into Halloween mini-unit study material.

I challenge you guys to also make your own jack-o-lantern out of one of the traditionally used items as opposed to pumpkins! This is a unique activity that we’re definitely doing to be trying this year!

Free Trick-or-Treat Printable

Let’s face it, even though Halloween is a really fun and enjoyable holiday, it isn’t one based on Christian roots. However, even in a holiday that isn’t focused on Jesus, we can always turn it to show His light! One of my favorite ways to do this is to share His love for others each and every Halloween with this cute scripture printable. Just print it, cut it, and tape it to your candy or goodies that you hand out on Halloween night. Spread a little bit of the love of Jesus to those who knock on your door.

You can receive access to this and all of my other printables by subscribing to my email list. You’ll get all the info you need to gain access to the printables when you receive your welcome email. (Already a subscriber? Head to the Subscriber’s Studio now!)

Add more Halloween fun to your homeschool!

Want to add even more Halloween fun to your homeschool? We have a full unit study with Rabbit Trails through Halloween! Learn even more about the history of the holiday, get hands on by making your own spooky spider web, and find even more ways to shine His light during this season! You can grab Rabbit Trails through Halloween and get started today!

Make sure to share pictures of those rabbit hole activities, those crafts, and those treats you make with your kids with me in my online homeschool community or in the comments below! Happy Halloween!