Halloween Facts For Kids for Halloween Lesson Plans (Download PDF Printables)

Fun Halloween facts for kids to learn about Halloween! Whether you’re explaining Halloween to toddlers, looking for facts about pumpkins and facts about jack o lanterns, or want to add fun facts about Halloween history to your fall lesson plans for older kids or create a Halloween around the world lesson, you’ll have fun with this Halloween information. Don’t miss the teacher printables to download and print after the Halloween candy fun facts!

Halloween facts for kids

Halloween Facts For Kids

There are many traditions associated with Halloween, from trick-or-treating to carving pumpkins to Halloween candy. Here are some fun facts on Halloween (and funny Halloween facts!) to add to your autumn lessons!

Trivia facts about Halloween…

What are some fun facts about Halloween?

Quick Fun Halloween Facts For Kids:

 
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The Halloween date is always October 31st each year.
There were 73.1 million potential trick-or-treaters under 18 years old in the U.S. in 2020.
Candy Corn candy, initially called Chicken Feed, was invented in the 1880s.
The tradition of carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland.
The first known mention of the jack-o-lantern in America was in 1784.
The first carved pumpkins weren’t pumpkins! Jack o lanterns were initially made of turnips, beets, or potatoes!
The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet wide and weighed 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, and 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
Christmas is the most popular commercial holiday in the United States, followed by Halloween.
The estimated annual revenue of Halloween in the U.S. is about $8 billion.
Americans spend more on Halloween than any other country in the world.
Halloween is America’s third most popular holiday, behind Christmas and Thanksgiving.
In America, the average person consumes 24 pounds of candy yearly.
The world’s largest Halloween parade is in New York City. Over two million people line the streets every year to watch the parade!

READ ON for more fun facts of Halloween below! Also, don’t miss the links for FREE Halloween facts to download and FREE Halloween teaching guide below! KEEP SCROLLING!

What should I teach my kids about Halloween?

Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, is observed annually on October 31.
The holiday dates back to ancient Celtic times.
Celts believed that the night before All Saints’ Day, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred.
They would create huge bonfires and dress up in costumes to help ward off evil spirits.
Halloween is now a popular holiday in many countries worldwide and is celebrated in many different ways. (See below!)
In the United States, people typically celebrate by dressing up in costumes, going to Halloween parties, and carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns.
Trick-or-treating is also a popular Halloween activity, where children go door-to-door in their neighborhood collecting candy or attending costume parties.

MORE HALLOWEEN FUN! CHECK OUT THESE HALLOWEEN KIDS ACTIVITIES:

Preschool Halloween Activities and Free Halloween Cutting Skills Printable Pack

Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Lesson Plans and Activities

Pumpkin Lesson Plans Ideas & FREE Pumpkin Lifecycle Printable (if you’re looking for fun facts about pumpkin / fun October facts!)

Hocus Pocus Crescent Rolls Recipe with Vanishing Buns with Story

History of Halloween and Interesting Halloween Facts for Kids

Halloween History

The tradition of Halloween goes back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which is October 31. On this date, marking the end of harvest, they celebrated Samhain. This was when they believed the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

The returning ghosts caused trouble, including damaging crops.

However, along with trouble, it was believed that the supernatural spirits helped Celtic priests with prophecies that could assist during dark winter periods.

Because of this, a common practice was to build bonfires as a celebration, where people wore animal heads and costumes made with animal skins.

Later, when the Romans conquered the Celts in 43 A.D., they changed the festival’s name to “Pomona’s Day,” after the goddess of fruit and trees.

By the 9th century, Christianity had spread, and in 1000 A.D., the church named November 2nd All Souls’ Day, or a day to honor the dead.

It’s widely believed today that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic paganism, with later influences from the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, kids dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating for Halloween. Although “tricks” are part of the name of Halloween facts and history, very few people play pranks on unsuspecting people these days and are more in it for the “treats.”

For adults, it is a day to decorate homes and offices with jack-o’-lanterns and attend Halloween parties.

Read on for Halloween around the world facts and traditions of Halloween around the world! Great for fun halloween questions to ask students or a Halloween quiz!

Halloween Around The World For Kids (And Holidays Similar To Halloween Around The World)

True facts about Halloween around the globe and little known Halloween facts:

-In Ireland, it was once believed that if you wore your clothes inside out and walked backward on Halloween, you would see a fairy or a witch.

-In Hong Kong, people celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival, similar to Halloween. During the festival, people leave food and gifts out for ghosts.

-Some families hide their knives on Halloween in Germany. That way when the ghosts return they won’t be harmed.

-In Sweden, children dress up as witches and pranksters on Halloween and go around asking for candy. (Much like the U.S.!)

-In Finland, Kekri is a fall harvest festival on November 1st. It is also time for spirits of the dead to visit those on earth.

-In France, people celebrate Toussaint (All Saints Day) on November 1st. Although some French people celebrate Halloween, it is not as big of a deal as it is in Northern America.

-In Brazil, people celebrate Dia das Bruxas or Day of the Witches, on October 31st (the same day as Halloween). On this day, people dress up as witches and have parties.

-In Japan, Halloween saw an explosion in interest after Disney celebrated Halloween in 2000. Most people traditionally celebrate Obon in August, a day to honor dead ancestors who are believed to return to earth to visit relatives still living.

-In China, people celebrate the Moon Festival (also called Mooncake Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival). During the festival, people eat mooncakes and admire the Moon. They also have a Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as Yulan Festival or Teng Chieh, on “the 14th night of the 7th Lunar month in the rotating Chinese calendar.”

-In Australia, Halloween is not a very popular holiday but is growing. Some people celebrate it by having parties and dressing up in costumes.

-In Italy, Halloween is not generally celebrated. However, it is growing in popularity.

-In Greece, people don’t celebrate Halloween. Instead, they have something often referred to as “Greek Halloween.” It is called Apokries (Carnival), takes place in February, and is more like what we know of Mardi Gras as it precedes Lent.

-In Scotland, children play a Halloween party game called “dookin’ for apples,” where they catch an apple floating in the water without using their hands. Instead, they try to bite it or stab it with a fork in their mouth. (This is like an old-school game called bobbing for apples!)

Where did costumes for Halloween originate?

Halloween history facts about wearing costumes for Halloween…

The custom of dressing in costume for Halloween has both ancient origins and roots in the Christian tradition.

Halloween costumes are thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic practice of wearing animal heads and skins to ward off evil spirits.

In the Middle Ages, people believed ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night, and people would dress in costumes and offer the ghosts food and drink.

If the ghosts were happy with the offering, they would give the villagers good luck. However, the villagers believed that the spirits would play naughty tricks on them if they were unhappy with the offerings.

Also, winter was uncertain during this time because the food was sparse, and the days and nights were dark and long.

On Halloween, many believe that ghosts come back to earth. People thought wearing masks and costumes would conceal their identities from the spirits.

In Ireland and Scotland, the custom of “guising” at Halloween in North America was first recorded in 1911. A newspaper in Ontario reported children going guising around the neighborhood.

By the 1930s, costume parties for children and adults were common practice.

Early on, Halloween costumes in the United States are often based on frightening supernatural or horror characters like ghosts, witches, devils, vampires, werewolves, zombies, and skeletons.

However, costumes based on famous cultural figures such as celebrities and film characters became widespread.

Candy Fun Facts

One of the best things about Halloween is candy! Whether you’re a fan of chocolate, candy corn, or anything in between, there’s sure to be a type of candy you enjoy.

Here are some Halloween cool facts about candies, especially if you want to play Halloween candy trivia games!

What are some fun facts about Halloween candy?

Milton S. Hershey introduced the first chocolate candy bar in 1894.
The Snickers bar, named after a horse owned by the Mars family, was introduced in 1930.
M&Ms were introduced in 1941 as a candy that would not melt in the heat.
George Renninger invented candy corn in the 1880s at the Goelitz Candy Company. It was initially named Chicken Feed. Chicken Feed was called candy corn later in the 1940s with the popularity of trick or treating.
The top-selling Halloween candy in the United States is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Also add these to your spooky fun facts, Halloween weird facts, and random facts Halloween…