October Half-Term Activities: Fun Autumn Crafts To Keep Kids Busy

October half term is a week of dark afternoons and two days of rain, and the money runs out by Wednesday.

These are the activities that actually fill an afternoon, sorted by what they cost you.

Honest note: we make cards, pin badges, prints and party decorations, not craft kits or toys.

The big one: pumpkin carving

• A pumpkin is a couple of pounds and buys you an entire wet afternoon.
• Small children scoop and draw, older ones carve, and you get a doorstep lantern out of it.
• Toast the seeds afterwards and you've got the snack too.
• A proper set of carving tools is what makes it work for a group of kids - a single kitchen knife means everyone waits and someone gets cut.
• Safety by age - Read the guide

Rainy day crafts

• Leaf printing: paint the veiny side, press onto paper, hang the best ones up.
• Conker spiders with pipe cleaners.
• Salt dough autumn decorations, baked low and slow, then painted.
• Paper bat bunting for the window.
• Homemade cards for anyone with a birthday coming up.
• Junk modelling from the recycling box - a full afternoon for nothing.

Kitchen afternoons

• Toffee apples, or apple crumble from windfalls.
• Pumpkin soup with the insides from the carving.
• Iced biscuits in Halloween shapes.
• Hot chocolate station with marshmallows, cream and sprinkles laid out.
• Bread rolls - slow, messy and weirdly calming for a bored eight-year-old.

Out of the house for free

• A conker hunt or a leaf collection with a tick list.
• Most museums and galleries are free and run half-term trails.
• Libraries run free craft sessions all week - worth booking early, they fill up.
• A puddle walk in wellies, followed by the hot chocolate station.
• Woodland trust and National Trust car parks get busy - go before ten or after two.

Getting to the end of the week

• One thing a day is enough. A whole timetable just makes everyone miserable by Thursday.
• Alternate a busy day with a slow one.
• Let them be bored for an hour before you step in - it's usually where the best playing starts.
• Save one treat for the last day so there's something left to look forward to.
• Halloween party plans - Read the guide

Shop party decorations

How to write it so it lands

• One planned thing a day, not a timetable.
• Alternate a busy day with a slow one.
• Save one treat for the last day.

Where to shop next

• Party supplies
• Bunting and banners
• Halloween cards
• Funny pin badges
• How to host a pumpkin carving party
• Safe pumpkin carving for kids
• How to organise a pumpkin trail
• Halloween doorstep ideas
• Easy pumpkin carving ideas
• Halloween party ideas
• Kids Halloween party ideas
• Halloween party games
• Kids Halloween costumes
• Group and family Halloween costumes
• Halloween card messages
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What can you do with kids in October half term for free?

Conker hunts, leaf printing, library craft sessions, free museum trails, junk modelling from the recycling box and baking with what's already in the cupboard.

What are good rainy day activities for half term?

Pumpkin carving, salt dough decorations, leaf printing, iced biscuits and a hot chocolate station. All indoors, all cheap.

When is October half term in the UK?

Usually the last week of October in England and Wales, and the week before in much of Scotland and Northern Ireland - check your own school's dates, they vary by council.

How do you keep kids busy without spending money?

One planned thing a day, alternating busy and slow. Most of the best half-term afternoons cost the price of a pumpkin or nothing at all.

Do you sell pumpkin carving kits?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Carving tools are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.