Spooky Shape Craft

Overview

This 50-minute session engages Year 1 students in a Halloween-themed craft activity that develops their creative skills and understanding of basic shapes and colours. The lesson is carefully designed to meet the National Curriculum for England’s Art and Design programmes of study for Key Stage 1, particularly focusing on using a range of materials creatively to design and make products and responding to ideas and starting points.

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National Curriculum Links

Art and Design: Key Stage 1 (Years 1-2)

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
  • Use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
  • Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, shape, and form
  • Learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

• Understand and identify basic shapes (circle, triangle, square) used in craft making
• Use cutting, gluing, and colouring techniques to create a Halloween-themed craft (e.g., a pumpkin or a ghost)
• Explore colour and texture by selecting appropriate materials and tools
• Demonstrate concentration and careful handling of tools and materials
• Begin to talk about their own creations and express their preferences and ideas verbally

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Resources Needed

• Coloured card and paper (orange, black, white, green)
• Safety scissors (child-friendly)
• Glue sticks
• Black pens or pencils
• Googly eyes (optional, for added effect)
• Pre-cut simple shapes (circles, triangles, squares) for scaffolding
• Examples of Halloween symbols (pumpkins, ghosts, bats) displayed
• Aprons or protective clothing

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Begin with a short, interactive discussion asking pupils what Halloween means to them and identifying common symbols. Show visual examples of pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and witches.
• Link to shapes: Introduce or recap basic shapes (circles, triangles, squares) focusing on their presence in Halloween symbols (e.g., pumpkin body = circle, ghost eyes = circles).
• Discuss safe use of scissors and glue.

2. Demonstration (5 minutes)

• Model the craft process: creating a simple Halloween face on a pumpkin using pre-cut shapes.
• Show how to arrange the shapes and glue them carefully.

3. Main Activity – Creating the Halloween Craft (25 minutes)

• Pupils create their own pumpkin or ghost craft using provided materials.
• Encourage them to think about colours and textures (for example, using green paper for the pumpkin stem).
• Support pupils individually, helping those who need assistance with cutting or gluing.
• Facilitate creativity by allowing some pupils to add googly eyes or draw faces.

4. Sharing and Reflection (7 minutes)

• Organise a “gallery walk” where pupils display their crafts on their desks.
• Invite children to share what shapes they used and why they chose certain colours or decorations.
• Ask simple reflective questions: “What did you enjoy most?”, “What was tricky?”, “How would you do it differently next time?”

5. Plenary and Clean-up (3 minutes)

• Summarise learning points, reinforce shape and colour vocabulary
• Assist pupils in tidying materials and washing hands

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Assessment and Differentiation

Formative Assessment:

• Observe pupils’ ability to recognise and use shapes confidently in their craft
• Note creative decision-making about colours and materials
• Listen to pupils’ verbal reflections for understanding and vocabulary use

Differentiation:

• Provide larger pre-cut shapes or stencil outlines for pupils who find cutting difficult
• Challenge more able pupils to add an extra detail (e.g., a bat-shaped cutout) or draw patterns onto their pumpkin/ghost
• Offer extra verbal prompts and modelling for EAL or SEN pupils

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Extension Ideas for Further Engagement

• Use this activity as a springboard to explore pattern making with Halloween colours in a subsequent lesson
• Introduce a story or poem about Halloween to integrate literacy with the art activity
• Encourage pupils to create a simple collaborative classroom display using their crafts

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Teacher’s Notes

• Maintain a calm, supportive environment, emphasising safe handling of tools
• Ensure all materials are readily available and replenished as needed
• Use positive reinforcement to praise effort and creativity regardless of the ‘end result’ skill level
• This lesson provides a cross-curricular opportunity to embed speaking and listening skills alongside art

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This lesson plan aligns with the National Curriculum’s focus on practical creativity, foundational shape and colour concepts, and early evaluative skills, packaged into a festive and engaging theme perfect for Year 1 pupils.