This popular blog post was originally posted in October of 2020. We hope it gives you new ideas for your climbing wall!

Halloween Climbing Activities

Your climbers will be excited to try these Halloween climbing games and activities that bring some haunting good fun to the climbing wall.

Girl on climbing wall tossing a beanbag onto a target

Jack-o’-Lantern Bean Bag Toss

A festive fall challenge in which climbers toss bean bags into jack-o’-lanterns.

Grade Level: K and up

Materials:

Bean bags (several per climbing wall panel)
Plastic or fabric jack-o’-lanterns (one per climbing wall panel)

Advance Set Up: Place bean bags on the hand holds on the climbing wall. There should be several per panel. Place one jack-o’-lantern in front of each climbing panel, but far enough away to prevent someone falling on it and also to create enough challenge. Age and abilities of climbers will also factor into the placement of jack-o’-lanterns.

Activity:

Have participants begin climbing, with one person on each panel. Remaining participants form a line and begin climbing when the first person has reached the second panel. As participants climb, they remove one bean bag per climbing panel and toss into jack-o’-lantern. When they reach the final panel, they climb down, step off mats and rejoin climbers and continue the activity.

National Standards: 1,2,3,4 & 5

Grade-Level Outcomes:

Non-locomotor (S1.E7, S1.E8, S1.E10)
Manipulative (S1.E13,S1.E26)
Movement concepts (S2.E1, S2.E2)
Engages in physical activity (S3.E2, S3.M3, S3.M4, S3.M5)
Personal responsibility (S4.E1, S4.E2, S4.M1, S4.M2)
Rules & etiquette (S4.E5, S4.M5, S4.M6)
Safety (S4.E6, S4.M7)
Challenge (S5.E2, S5.M3)

Spooky Halloween image

Midnight Climb

A creepy climb where participants traverse the climbing wall in the dark.

Grade Level: 4 and up

Materials:

Head lamps, one per climber
Glow-in-the-dark decorations, optional

Advance Set Up: Hang decorations (optional). Source headlamps. Distribute headlamps and instruct participants in how to use them. Ask participants to climb with extra care given the change in lighting. Remind them to maintain at least an arm’s length of space between other climbers and to stop or slow down if the climber in front of them stops or slows down. They should also use extra care while walking in the gym and when getting on/coming off the safety mats to avoid tripping.

Activity:

Start climbers one at a time from the first panel. Remaining participants form a line and begin climbing when the first person has reached the second panel. The challenge is to make it across the entire Traverse Wall without stepping down. Upon completion, have climbers repeat the climb.

National Standards: 1,2,3,4 & 5

Grade-Level Outcomes:

Non-locomotor (S1.E7, S1.E8, S1.E10)
Movement concepts (S2.E1, S2.E2)
Engages in physical activity (S3.E2, S3.M3, S3.M4, S3.M5)
Personal responsibility (S4.E1, S4.E2, S4.M1, S4.M2)
Rules & etiquette (S4.E5, S4.M5, S4.M6)
Safety (S4.E6, S4.M7)
Challenge (S5.E2, S5.M3)

Boy rock climbing on a Traverse Wall dressed in a Halloween costume

Spooky Scavenger Hunt

What spooky things are hiding on the climbing wall? Climbers are challenged to find out!

Grade Level: K and up

Materials:

A variety of spooky items such as plastic spiders, rats, snakes, ghosts, etc.
Halloween decorations, optional
Climbers in costumes (that allow them to climb safely), optional

Advance Set Up: Place spooky items on the hand holds on the climbing wall. There should be several per panel, high and low. Hang Halloween decorations, optional. Have climbers come in costume, optional.

Activity:

Before they climb, let climbers know that there are spooky things hiding on the climbing wall. Challenge them to find as many as possible. Have them look, but not touch or remove them. For older children, you can challenge them to find a specific number of things. For example, “Try to find the 10 hiding spiders and 6 hiding ghosts.” Or you can have them keep a mental tally of how many things they find.

National Standards: 1,2,3,4 & 5

Grade-Level Outcomes: