About the Halloween What's Missing? Game
Pumpkins, ghosts, bats and witches — our Halloween memory game is a treat for October (or anytime you fancy a spooky five minutes).
What's in the Halloween deck
The full deck, so you know what to watch for — 12 pictures: 🎃 Pumpkin👻 Ghost🦇 Bat🕷️ Spider🕸️ Web🧙 Witch🧛 Vampire🧟 Zombie🍬 Sweets🍭 Lollipop🌙 Moon💀 Skull
Study tip: link the first three — pumpkin, ghost and bat — into one ridiculous mental picture. Absurd images stick; lists don't. When a picture vanishes, replay the scene and ask what doesn't fit any more.
How to memorise a festive board
Hook each tile to the tradition it belongs to. Decorations, food, gifts and weather each form natural clusters — and holiday decks are unusually cooperative about it, because the same four clusters repeat across nearly every festival. When a bauble vanishes, you look in "decorations", not "anywhere".
Use the calendar as your story. Most festive decks roughly follow the year: items you would see in the run-up, items for the day itself, items for the leftovers. Walking the board once in date order turns recall into a countdown you already know by heart.
How to Play
- Press Start and memorise every picture on the board.
- After a few seconds the board hides and one picture is removed.
- Pick the missing picture from the answer choices.
- Each correct answer adds a bigger board. Three misses ends the game.
Fun Facts About Halloween
- Halloween began as the Celtic festival of Samhain over 2,000 years ago.
- The first jack-o'-lanterns were actually carved from turnips.
- In Mexico, Día de los Muertos is celebrated around the same time.
- Trick-or-treating likely comes from medieval "souling" traditions.
Holiday deck questions
When should I bring these out for a family gathering?
The sweet spot is the lull — after the meal, before the next thing. One or two rounds on a tablet at the table keeps everyone in the room. The easy board lets grandparents and the youngest play the same game.
The deck feels familiar — is it the same as the other holiday themes?
There is deliberate overlap between seasonal themes, but each deck is its own set of pictures. If you can already beat the Christmas board, try winter or birthday for a fresh challenge.