Fun {and Educational} Candy Corn Activities for Kids
I earn a commission from products purchased through links in this post.
October 30th is National Candy Corn Day. These candy corn activities are a fun way to celebrate this silly holiday. I love silly holidays. Life can be so serious; why not add in some whimsy whenever possible?
It seemed like my kids learned through their stomachs when they were younger, so lessons involving food were a great way to keep them interested. I’m not really a fan of candy corn (it isn’t my favorite Halloween candy), but I am a fan of incorporating fun ideas into lessons as much as possible.
5 Candy Corn Activities
Make a Candy Corn Garland
When my kids were little, they each made a candy corn garland. I saved them and add this candy corn craft to my October decor every year. I have had them for a long time, but they fold up easily for storage.
All you need is:
- Plain white paper plates
- Yellow paint
- Orange paint
- Scissors
- Ribbon
Paint circular bands on the paper plates. One-third of the paper plate will be yellow. One-third will be orange. One-third will be left white. Now you have the colors of candy corn. It doesn’t really matter what order you put your bands in. I have seen candy corn with the colors in all different positions, so do whatever you like.
Let the paint dry fully.
Once the paint is dry, cut the paper plates into candy corn shapes (triangles). I like either 6 or 8 equal pieces.
Put two small slits, the width of the ribbon, in the triangle at the widest part. Thread the ribbon through the slits.
Now you have a candy corn garland!
This is one of my favorite candy corn activities because it is a craft activity that is easy to store.
Use Candy Corn as a Math Manipulative
Sometimes candy makes the best math manipulative. My kids were always highly interested in any activity that featured candy. First, they did the activity, then they ate the candy.
You can use real candy corn or candy corn cut out of construction paper.
A candy corn bag can be used for:
- Patterning (using different varieties of candy corn or by turning the direction of the candy corn point)
- Counting
- Adding
- Subtracting
- Multiplication arrays
- Division groups
- Measuring using a nonstandard unit
These candy corn math activities look fun!
These candy corn math activities would be great in small groups or as part of a candy corn math center.
Write an Acrostic Poem
Some kids are intimidated by the idea of writing poetry. An acrostic poem might change their minds! To write an acrostic poem, simply spell out the word length-wise and use the letter to begin a word or phrase.
For example, for the word candy corn, the C would be on the left-hand side of a paper, A would be under it, followed by N, then D, then Y, etc.
Want to try a different type of poem? Try a candy corn-themed haiku!
Make a Candy Corn Parfait
Candy corn parfaits are delicious and surprisingly healthy for something with ‘candy’ in the name.
To make a candy corn parfait, you will need:
- Chopped pineapple
- Mandarin oranges (I usually use canned, but fresh clementine segments will work too)
- Whipped cream
Simply create a layer of pineapple, add a layer of oranges, and top with whipped cream. I always serve this at our Halloween tea with poetry.
Read a Candy Corn Book
There are actually very few books that feature candy corn. I think reading a themed book is one of my favorite candy corn activities. It is so easy to add reading into homeschool!
The Candy Corn Contest by Patricia Reilly Giff
Last update on 2026-09-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This chapter book is a fun choice for kids around Halloween or Thanksgiving. In the book, a class is having a candy corn contest leading up to Thanksgiving. Each child wants to correctly guess the number of candy corn candies in the jar. It would be fun to have a candy contest of your own while reading this book.
Themed books are excellent for a children’s book club. Kids are naturally excited around holidays, so we might as well lean into that. Actually, the above candy corn activities would be great for The Candy Corn Contest book club!
How will you celebrate National Candy Corn Day?
I hope these candy corn activities for kids were helpful. Using candy in lessons is a special treat, but can be a lot of fun.
Keep reading . . .
- The History of Candy
- How to Make an Animal Cell Cake
- Make an Edible Rice Krispies Map
- October Homeschool Activities
- Halloween Tea with Poetry
- Educational Holidays for Kids
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.