|

8 Classroom Themes for October

Today I’m sharing my favorite 8 classroom themes for October that I use in my autism classroom. I tend to rotate through these over the years and I love being able to just pull out resources from the year before to save me re-prepping and re-creating everything again!

Underneath each of the themes below, I’ve linked some of my favorite resources for you to make your planning easier too!

1. Fall/Autumn

I think October is my favorite month for focusing on Autumn/Fall because that’s when we really see the changes of the season where I live. I love going for leaf hunts and having students identify the changes that we see around us.

Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

2. Harvest

I love a ‘Harvest’ theme because it provides so many opportunities for our students to take part in sensory experiences. From exploring textures and colors of fruit and vegetables.. To learning about the science behind the growth and harvesting of crops. Plus it’s the perfect excuse for a trip to the farm! I love that this theme naturally ties into gratitude and thankfulness in the classroom too. I like to collect food from parents/families and we use it as a time to put together food donations for the local food banks – which are more in demand now than ever before!

Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

3. Halloween

I know not everyone celebrates holidays in their classroom.. But Halloween is always popular here and it’s a theme my students – and their families – love too! It’s a fun way to teach my students about different concepts like changing seasons, holidays and different cultural traditions.

There are so many fun ways with this theme to work on language, social interactive, creativity, inclusivity and diversity. Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

4. Pumpkins

I may be biased with this one because nothing excites me more than taking my students on a field trip to the pumpkin patch! Pumpkins are a great theme to teach about because they work for all ages and abilities! With things like learning about their life cycle, measuring and weighing the different pumpkins we picked at the patch and even exploring their history and the cultural significance of pumpkin carving!

We also like to use them to teach students about healthy eating habits – and we talk about all the different ways we can use pumpkin for food – and even drinks!

Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

5. Fire Safety

I love this theme and it’s one that is very important to me. It’s also a great time of year to have guests from local fire stations come in and do some activities or take a trip to the fire station. It gives me an opportunity to teach my students about being safe. And I can really spend time on helping all of my students understand fire, fire safety and what to do if they see a fire. I know families especially appreciate when we do this theme.

Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

6. Spiders

This is a theme I have to warm myself up to each year – because I am terrified of spiders!! But it’s a great opportunity to teach students all about spiders and how important they are and their role in nature. It’s also a great theme to do if you don’t want to do anything directly ‘Halloween.’

We talk about the different types of spiders, their habitats and we work on a bunch of research and creative projects. My students really enjoy this theme and I do see the difference it makes in their attitudes towards spiders too. (It definitely helps with mine!)

Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

7. Bats

Generally, anything to do with animals my students love. And bats are always a fun one to do in October. Especially if you don’t want to focus on anything overly ‘Halloween.’ Bats still fit the bill really nicely. I spend time teaching about the different types of bats, their habitat and even they role in our ecosystem.

We love to make different bat themed sensory activities, crafts and reading lots of books about bats.

Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

8. Monsters

I LOVE a monster theme. This one we have done recently and honestly my students couldn’t get enough of it! It’s such a fun theme and you can do so much with it. We even got to work on our social skills, emotions and self-regulation!

I found that this theme is actually a great way to use monsters to teach about empathy, fear and dealing with anxiety. Plus there’s just so many fun activities to do with monsters. We all got to make our own monster story and that was a huge hit!

Here are some of our favorite activities that you may like;

Thematic Teaching Tips

Why themes work so well in SPED/autism classrooms: Thematic learning supports cross-subject connections – integrating sensory, literacy, math, and social-emotional learning around a central concept. This builds predictability and routine, both powerful for neurodivergent learners Wikipedia.

Here are some practical strategies:

  • Visual schedules: Introduce theme units with a visual outline of weekly activities – use icons like bats, pumpkins, or monsters to signal transitions.
  • Station rotations: Each theme can include 3–4 short stations (sensory bin, task box, craft table, story corner), making transitions smooth and structured.
  • Use repetition: Cycle back to favourite activities across themes, e.g., play dough counting resurfacing as spider legs, bat wings, or pumpkin seeds.
  • Embed social prompts: Use “tootling” (positive peer reporting) to reinforce collaboration and noticing kindness among students during theme playtime.

October Theme Day Ideas

Theme days are a fantastic way to wrap up the week and give students a chance to revisit what they’ve learned through fun, sensory-rich experiences. They can be as simple or as structured as you like – from dressing up to themed activities, snacks, or crafts.

Here are some easy ideas to match each of your October themes:

Autumn/Fall Day

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Go on a nature walk and collect leaves or conkers
  • Do a leaf rubbing art activity using crayons and paper
  • Try an apple tasting station with different apple types
  • Make autumn crowns using leaves, tissue paper, or real foliage

Harvest Day

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Set up a “farmers market” role play with pretend fruits and vegetables
  • Taste-test different seasonal produce (with visuals for choice-making)
  • Play veggie sorting or matching games
  • Use real corn, gourds, or dried beans in a sensory bin

Halloween Day

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Optional dress-up (with a low-sensory option for students who prefer it)
  • Play Halloween bingo or a trick-or-treat movement game
  • Make a “spooky” snack together like jelly with gummy worms or decorated cookies
  • Use monster or pumpkin-themed crafts as take-home keepsakes

Pumpkin Day

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Carve or decorate a pumpkin as a class
  • Use pumpkin-scented play dough for fine motor play
  • Scoop pumpkin “guts” in a tray for sensory exploration
  • Count pumpkin seeds or weigh pumpkins for hands-on math
  • For early years and pre‑K settings, these pumpkin activities for preschool offer engaging, developmentally-appropriate ideas that blend sensory play, literacy, and numeracy using pumpkins

Firefighter Day (Fire Safety)

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Create a simple fire station role play area
  • Invite in a local firefighter (or show a short video tour)
  • Do a fire safety sorting activity (safe vs. unsafe)
  • Practice “stop, drop, and roll” as a fun movement break

Spider Day

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Make spider hats or handprint spider crafts
  • Use tweezers to transfer mini spiders for fine motor work
  • Sing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” with visuals or sensory props
  • Do a spider walk obstacle course for gross motor fun

Bat Day

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Explore a bat cave sensory bin (black beans, toy bats, glow sticks)
  • Make bat wings from black paper and fly around the room
  • Read a bat-themed book and retell it with stick puppets
  • Do simple bat-themed math games (counting wings, matching shadows)

Monster Day

Get all the resources you’ll need over on my TpT here.

  • Decorate monster masks or make play dough monsters
  • Set up a “build a monster” station with craft bits and googly eyes
  • Use monster emotion cards to talk about feelings
  • Finish with a monster dance party to shake off the excitement!

Tip: If you’re short on time, you don’t need to run a full “theme day” – just pick one or two themed activities and call it your celebration. Students will love the routine and sense of closure, even if it’s small.

Want to go a step further? Print a weekly certificate or photo keepsake from each theme day to send home – families love seeing what their children have been doing, and it builds positive school-home connections.

If you found this blog post helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues on social media, it helps more teachers find support, and it means the world to me and my little family too.

And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out my Free Resource Library for tons of classroom tools, visuals, and printables to make your teaching life easier (and a whole lot more fun!).

P.S. Have you signed up for my VIP membership yet? If not, head on over and sign up now. You’ll get access to hundreds and hundreds of resources, templates, crafts and more being uploaded every month!

Nikki

Similar Posts

One Comment

  1. Pingback: Facts About Bats Flip Book - Teaching Autism

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *