Halloween Chinese Activities for Kids: Fun Ways to Learn Mandarin

Halloween is full of pumpkins, costumes, ghosts, candy, and games. It is also a great chance for kids to learn Mandarin Chinese through play.

Whether you are a Chinese teacher, a homeschooling parent, or a parent teaching Chinese at home, you can use Halloween to make Chinese learning more fun.

This guide gives you easy Halloween Chinese activities for kids: vocabulary, games, character writing, coloring, crafts, and simple speaking practice. It also includes a ready-made lesson plan and printable resources, so you can prepare in less time.

Chinese is shown in simplified characters with pinyin and English.

Learn Halloween Vocabulary in Chinese

Start with words children can connect to decorations, costumes, and games. Pictures make new words easier to understand.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
万圣节	Wànshèngjié	Halloween
南瓜	nánguā	pumpkin
南瓜灯	nánguā dēng	Jack-o’-lantern
鬼	guǐ	ghost
怪物	guàiwù	monster
女巫	nǚwū	witch
蝙蝠	biānfú	bat
蜘蛛	zhīzhū	spider
蜘蛛网	zhīzhū wǎng	spider web
黑猫	hēi māo	black cat
骷髅	kūlóu	skeleton
糖果	tángguǒ	candy
面具	miànjù	mask
糖果袋	tángguǒ dài	candy bag

Show a picture, say the word, and ask children to repeat it. Then show the picture again and see if they remember the word without help.

Next, try three short sentences:

• 这是南瓜。(Zhè shì nánguā.) This is a pumpkin.
• 我有糖果。(Wǒ yǒu tángguǒ.) I have candy.
• 我喜欢万圣节。(Wǒ xǐhuan Wànshèngjié.) I like Halloween.

Short sentences help children move from single words to real Chinese.

Play Halloween Chinese Flashcard Games

Flashcards are an easy way to introduce and review Halloween words. They work in classrooms, small groups, and one-to-one lessons.

Game 1: Look, Say, and Find

 

Place several picture cards on a table. Say a Chinese word and ask children to find the matching picture.

For example, say “南瓜灯 (nánguā dēng)!” and children find the Jack-o’-lantern card. Once they know the words, let one child say a word while the others find the card.

Game 2: Halloween Memory Game

Print two matching sets of picture cards. Place them face down and let children take turns turning over two cards.

If the pictures match, the child keeps the pair and says the Chinese word. If not, turn the cards face down again. For an extra challenge, ask children to say the word before they turn over the second card.

Game 3: Montessori Three-Part Card Matching

Montessori three-part cards have a picture card, a word (label) card, and a control card that shows the picture and word together.

Children match each picture to its Chinese word, then check their work with the control card. This lets children practice on their own and connect characters with meanings.

Want ready-made cards? The Halloween pack includes Montessori three-part flashcards and memory game cards.

Practice Writing Halloween Chinese Words

Writing Chinese characters takes practice. Halloween gives children a fun reason to learn a few new ones.

Begin with simple characters:

• 人 (rén): person
• 口 (kǒu): mouth
• 大 (dà): big
• 小 (xiǎo): small

Then try Halloween words such as 鬼 (guǐ, ghost) and 南瓜 (nánguā, pumpkin).

For young beginners, start with tracing and copying instead of writing from memory. Try these:

• Trace and copy: Children trace a character, then copy it on their own.
• Air writing: Children write a big character in the air with one finger while saying it aloud.
• Finger writing: Children trace characters in a tray of sand or salt.
• Look, cover, and write: Children look at a character, cover it, and try to write it from memory.

Chinese characters have a set stroke order. Use a reliable stroke-order guide so children learn the correct way from the start. The Halloween pack includes Chinese Halloween writing worksheets for this kind of practice.

Color and Learn Halloween Chinese Vocabulary

Coloring is more than a quiet activity. It helps children link pictures to Chinese words.

Give each child a Halloween picture with its Chinese name. Ask them to say the word before they color it:

• 南瓜:pumpkin
• 蝙蝠: bat
• 鬼: ghost
• 糖果: candy

You can add color words too:

• 橙色 (chéngsè): orange
• 黑色 (hēisè): black
• 紫色 (zǐsè): purple
• 绿色 (lǜsè): green

Try simple instructions:

把南瓜涂成橙色。
Bǎ nánguā tú chéng chéngsè.
Color the pumpkin orange.

把鬼涂成绿色。
Bǎ guǐ tú chéng lǜsè.
Color the ghost green.

With very young learners, show the action first. Children can point to the right color before they try the full sentence.

The Halloween Chinese Learning Pack includes a color-and-learn vocabulary book. Children color the pages, trace the words, and put the sheets together into their own Halloween vocabulary book. It also includes Halloween coloring pages.

Try Halloween Worksheets and Hands-On Activities

Children learn in different ways. Some like writing, others like drawing, puzzles, or building things. A mix of activities keeps the lesson interesting.

Symmetry drawing

Children finish the missing half of a Halloween picture. When they are done, ask them to name the picture in Chinese.

Halloween maze

Children guide a character through a maze to the candy. Review words like 糖果 (tángguǒ, candy) and 门 (mén, door).

Color the candies and color by number

Children follow a color key to finish a Halloween picture. This is a good way to review color words and numbers.

Jack-o’-lantern emotions

Children draw different faces on pumpkins. Introduce these words:

• 开心 (kāixīn): happy
• 生气 (shēngqì): angry
• 害怕 (hàipà): scared
• 难过 (nánguò): sad

Ask: “你开心吗？” (Nǐ kāixīn ma?) Are you happy?
Children can answer “开心！” (Kāixīn!) or “我很开心。” (Wǒ hěn kāixīn.) I am happy.

Build a skeleton

Children cut out and put together a paper skeleton. Teach simple body words: 头 (tóu, head), 手 (shǒu, hand), 脚 (jiǎo, foot). This also builds fine motor skills. For younger children, cut out the pieces in advance and supervise any cutting.

Spooky chopstick pick-up

Put small Halloween items, such as toy spiders or pom-poms, in a bowl. Children use chopsticks or tongs to move them to another bowl. Each time, they say the Chinese word for what they picked up, like 蜘蛛 (zhīzhū). Use training chopsticks for beginners, and keep small items away from children under three.

Make a Halloween Chinese Bookmark

A bookmark is a small craft children can use after the lesson.

Give each child a bookmark to color. Ask them to copy a Halloween word and add a drawing. Good choices:

• 万圣节快乐！(Wànshèngjié kuàilè!) Happy Halloween!
• 南瓜 (nánguā): pumpkin
• 糖果 (tángguǒ): candy

Children who can write more can add a sentence like “我喜欢南瓜。” (Wǒ xǐhuan nánguā.) I like pumpkins.

Say “Trick or Treat” in Chinese

A common way to say “trick or treat” in Chinese is:

不给糖就捣蛋！ Pinyin: Bù gěi táng jiù dǎodàn! Meaning: Give me candy, or I’ll play a trick! (Trick or treat!)

Children can practice saying it together and learn when it is used. Try a simple role-play:

• Child: 不给糖就捣蛋！(Bù gěi táng jiù dǎodàn!)
• Adult: 给你糖果！(Gěi nǐ tángguǒ!) Here is some candy!
• Child: 谢谢！(Xièxie!) Thank you!

You can use pretend candy, picture cards, or paper treats. You do not need real candy in the lesson.

Beginners can focus on listening, repeating, and understanding the meaning. Older or more confident learners can act out the dialogue in pairs.

Watch a Halloween Video in Chinese

Videos add listening practice. Choose a short video with clear speech and familiar words.

Before watching, teach four or five key words and ask children to listen for them. After the video, ask:

• 你看到了什么？(Nǐ kàndào le shénme?) What did you see?
• 你看到了南瓜吗？(Nǐ kàndào le nánguā ma?) Did you see a pumpkin?
• 你喜欢万圣节吗？(Nǐ xǐhuan Wànshèngjié ma?) Do you like Halloween?

Children can answer with a word, a short phrase, or a full sentence. If the video is hard to follow, slow the playback speed or watch one short part more than once.

Decorate Your Chinese Classroom for Halloween

Decorations help set the mood, and they can teach, too. Put up Chinese Halloween words where children can see them every day.

The Halloween Decoration for a Chinese Classroom printable includes:

• A 万圣节快乐 (Happy Halloween) bunting
• A Halloween character bunting with Frankenstein’s monster, a vampire, a devil, a zombie, a mummy, a skeleton, and a pumpkin
• A character bunting with Chinese words, so children see the characters next to the pictures (printing it on black or dark paper works well)
• Dangly cutouts of cats, spiders, bats, ghosts, and pumpkins

Print, cut out, and string them up in your classroom, homeschool corner, or home. You can laminate them if you want to hang them outside.

Teach Halloween with Cultural Awareness

Halloween is widely celebrated in places such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, although customs differ from place to place.

In China, Halloween is not a traditional festival like Lunar New Year or the Mid-Autumn Festival, although some cities and schools hold Halloween events.

China does have its own festivals for remembering ancestors, such as the Ghost Festival (中元节, Zhōngyuánjié) and Qingming (清明节, Qīngmíngjié). They are respectful occasions, not costume parties, so they are very different from Halloween.

This makes Halloween a good topic for talking about how cultures differ. Ask children:

• Do people celebrate Halloween where you live?
• What costumes do children wear?
• Do children go trick-or-treating?
• What other festivals does your family celebrate?

You can also compare Halloween with 中秋节 (Zhōngqiūjié, Mid-Autumn Festival) or 春节 (Chūnjié, Lunar New Year). Keep the talk simple and open, and do not assume every family celebrates the same festivals.

A Simple 45-Minute Halloween Chinese Lesson Plan

Need a quick plan for your classroom or homeschool? Try this one.

Time	Activity	Learning goal
5 minutes	Teach four to six Halloween words	Listen and repeat
10 minutes	Flashcard matching game	Recognize words
10 minutes	Character tracing	Practice writing
15 minutes	Coloring or a themed worksheet	Review words through a hands-on task
5 minutes	Review words and say “不给糖就捣蛋！”	Recall and speak

For younger children, shorten the writing and leave more time for coloring and movement. For older learners, add sentence writing or a short role-play. You do not need to do everything in one lesson. Pick what fits your students’ ages, levels, and interests.

Save Prep Time with the Halloween Chinese Learning Pack

Preparing a themed lesson can take longer than teaching it. You have to find flashcards, make worksheets, and plan activities for different learners.

The Halloween Chinese Learning Pack for Kids brings together a selection of printable activities from this guide, so you can choose the ones that best fit your learners. It includes:

• Montessori three-part Halloween Chinese flashcards
• Halloween Chinese writing worksheets
• A color-and-learn Halloween vocabulary book
• Worksheets: symmetry drawing, maze, color the candies, color the haunted house by number, Jack-o’-lantern emotions, and build a skeleton
• A Halloween bookmark
• Memory game cards
• Halloween coloring pages

Who is this pack for?

It is for Chinese teachers, homeschooling parents, and other educators who want to teach Halloween words through hands-on activities. It is a good fit if you want to:

• Teach a Halloween unit without making every worksheet yourself
• Give children different ways to practice the same words
• Combine reading, writing, coloring, and games in one theme
• Download and start using it right away

Both products are digital downloads, so you can print the activities you need at home or in the classroom.

Want to set the scene too? Add the Halloween Decoration for a Chinese Classroom printable.

View the Halloween Chinese Learning Pack for Kids

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say Halloween in Chinese?

Halloween is 万圣节 (Wànshèngjié) in Mandarin Chinese. To say “Happy Halloween,” say 万圣节快乐！(Wànshèngjié kuàilè!).

How do you say trick or treat in Chinese?

A common way to say it is 不给糖就捣蛋！(Bù gěi táng jiù dǎodàn!). It means “Give me candy, or I’ll play a trick!”

What are some easy Halloween words for kids to learn in Chinese?

Start with 南瓜 (nánguā, pumpkin), 糖果 (tángguǒ, candy), 鬼 (guǐ, ghost), 蜘蛛 (zhīzhū, spider), and 女巫 (nǚwū, witch). Use pictures and games to help children remember them.

How can I teach Halloween Chinese vocabulary to beginners?

Teach a few words at a time. Use pictures, say the words aloud, play matching games, and let children color or trace the characters. Add short sentences when they are ready.

What Halloween activities work well in a Chinese classroom?

Flashcard games, memory games, character tracing, coloring pages, mazes, simple crafts, and role-play all work well. Choose activities that fit your students’ ages and levels.

Is Halloween celebrated in China?

Halloween is not a traditional Chinese festival, but some Chinese cities and schools hold Halloween events. China has its own festivals for remembering ancestors, such as the Ghost Festival (中元节) and Qingming (清明节), which are respectful rather than playful.

Where can I find printable Halloween Chinese worksheets?

The Halloween Chinese Learning Pack for Kids includes flashcards, writing worksheets, coloring activities, games, and themed activity sheets you can print.

Where can I find Halloween decorations for a Chinese classroom?

The Halloween Decoration for a Chinese Classroom printable includes a 万圣节快乐 bunting, character buntings (one with Chinese words), and dangly cutouts.

More Chinese Learning Resources

• Autumn in Chinese: Vocabulary, Activities and Resources
• Color and Learn Chinese Vocabulary
• Basic Chinese Pictographic Characters
• Pumpkin Chinese Learning Pack for Kids
• Browse Special Event Chinese Learning Resources

Have fun learning Chinese this Halloween! Start with a few words, add a game or a craft, and let children enjoy using Mandarin in a theme they already love.

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