It’s almost Halloween! Which, of course, means hundreds of Halloween-themed apps to play. Since Halloween is sneaking up quickly, I’ve made you this list of some of the best free apps to be found. It took me hours of sorting through free apps to find the best ones. Spend your time making the best costume possible, now that the searching is done. None of these apps have external ads or in-app purchases!
UPDATED to remove apps no longer free and add three great new apps!
** Only the app's developer can control when an app is free/discounted. The prices of apps in this post are verified to be correct at the time of this post. We make no guarantees otherwise.
Please note: Some of these apps have in-app purchases, but they can easily be disabled in the settings of your device. None of the apps included had any external ads at the time of this post.**
**Halloween disclaimer: Some of the apps may be a little scary for sensitive kids, so be sure to preview the apps!**
Halloween Mahjong by 24/7 Games LLC (iPhone/iPad):
This is a Halloween-themed take on the classic tile game. Match tiles to remove and clear the board, but only tiles with an edge exposed can be selected. This is a great visual challenge, since the app requires the user to match tiles including the Chinese characters, not just the pictures. There are even multiple board layouts for free!
Mask Jumble Halloween by By Piikea St. LLC (iPhone/iPad):
This is a fantastic app with a lot of great features. Make a Halloween mask right on top of your face, using the front-facing camera on the iPad or iPhone. The pictures can be saved to the camera roll to be shared. One of the fun parts of the app involves trying to catch a candy corn on the screen by moving your head the right way on the camera--catching it unlocks more masks.
Waka Monster Walks by Wakalaps (iPhone/iPad):
This app is full of silly fun, with a three piece scrolling puzzle that puts together crazy combinations, like a vam-monst-itch (a vampire, monster, witch mash up, of course). Make the combination then take a picture, stored on the device camera roll. It's simple in design, but provides some good inspiration for writing and description, as well as general silly fun!
Color by Numbers — Halloween — FREE! by Kedronic UAB (iPhone/iPad):
A fun version of color-by-number pictures, with Halloween-themed pictures and music. There’s even an option to color-by-math, where the user has to complete a simple addition or subtraction problem to figure out the number. There are only two pictures in the free version, but still a lot of fun for a holiday that soon passes. The full version is a separate app.
Halloween Party — Children's Story Book by GeneraKids (iPhone/iPad):
This is a cute book for younger readers, with lines like “In the kitchen vampires make lots of jelly, cookies and cake.” Each page has an interactive element, too, including some cute musical ghosts. The story can be read in three modes, and it makes "scary" Halloween elements a little safer for young kids, with dancing zombies and smilling ghosts.
Halloween Shape-O! ABC's by Bellamon (iPad ONLY):
This free app has amazing graphics and fun puzzles, with 12 different tangram-style puzzles to complete. Use the shapes to complete a pirate, pumpkin, owl, and more. There are even letters to spell the word. Always appreciated by me is the easy access to mute the music! It's an app that is amazingly free for all content, and definitely worthy of being on the rotation even when Halloween passes.
Parents Magazine Carve-A-Pumpkin by Resolute Digital, LLC (iPhone/iPad):
Pick a pumpkin and decorate with a classic face or with fall leaves, a haunted house, friendly ghosts or a scared cat. The background behind the pumpkin can also be customized. After creating a pumpkin masterpiece, it can be shared on social media or saved as a photo. It's a fun way to send cards to family members.
Spooky Playtime Lite by Bombing Brain Interactive (iPhone/iPad):
It’s not really that spooky, but it does have two free fun games! The catch-a-kitty in the pumpkin patch is like a kind version of whack-a-mole, and the haunted house memory game is a creative take on the classic game. Even with just two games, the free version is a great addition to my quick games for therapy kids.
Spooky Letters Lite by madebyeducators (iPhone/iPad):
This app is great practice for any student learning cursive or who may benefit from learning cursive. The app works on both cursive and pre-cursive letter formation. There are only three letters free in this lite version (A, B, and C), but it includes a picture that starts with each letter along with a dot-to-dot. The letters are sounded out phonetically, too. The full version is available as a separate app, so there is no in-app purchase!
Landon’s Pumpkins — LAZ Reader by Language Technologies, Inc (iPhone/iPad):
This free reader provides a book to read aloud to younger children, or children at about a third-fourth grade reading level to read independently or as part of a shared reading. The Reading A-to-Z app books include vocabulary words to learn. This pumpkin book even includes a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds at the end!
Heather H. does not plan ahead well for Halloween costumes. It's going to be a mad rush this weekend to pull them together for all three kids.
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