Monsters do not always have to be scary. Some are furry, some are silly and some simply need a little help finding their way to a cookie!
These free printable Monster Activity Mats are packed with puzzles, drawing challenges, colouring activities and early learning fun. They are a brilliant way to keep children entertained while encouraging creativity, observation and problem-solving.
Perfect for Halloween, a monster-themed party, classroom activities or a rainy afternoon at home, these activity sheets require virtually no preparation. Simply print them, put out some pencils and let the monster fun begin.
The Monster Challenge Activity Mats
Our printable pack contains two different Monster Challenge activity mats, along with an answer sheet for each one.
The activities include a fun mixture of drawing, colouring, counting, literacy and puzzles. Children can work through the whole mat or choose the challenges that appeal to them most.
The sheets can also double as monster-themed placemats. Pop one at each place during a Halloween party or monster-themed meal to keep little hands occupied while everyone waits for their food.
What Is Included in the Monster Activity Pack?
The four-page printable PDF contains:
- Two black-and-white Monster Challenge activity mats
- Two corresponding answer sheets
- Creative drawing and colouring prompts
- Monster-themed literacy activities
- Counting and graphing practice
- Visual puzzles
- Mazes and games
The bold black-and-white designs are easy to print and give children lots of opportunities to add their own colourful details.
Activities on the First Monster Mat
The first activity mat is filled with creative challenges, early literacy and counting fun.
Decorate Your Own Monster
Children begin with a large blank monster body that they can transform in any way they choose.
Will their monster have three eyes, rainbow fur, enormous feet or tiny wings? Add spots, stripes, teeth, arms, horns and any other wonderfully weird features that come to mind.
You could extend this activity by asking children to name their monster and describe where it lives, what it eats and whether it is friendly or fierce.
Match the Monster Emotions
Four expressive monster faces invite children to identify and write the emotions shown.
The answers are angry, happy, sad and silly, but this activity can also open up a useful conversation about feelings. Ask children what makes them experience each emotion and how they can tell what somebody else might be feeling.
Monster Noughts and Crosses
There are three mini noughts-and-crosses grids on the sheet, making this a fun activity to complete with a friend, sibling or grown-up.
Monster Word Search
Children can search for eight monster-themed words:
- Monster
- Fun
- Roar
- Eyes
- Teeth
- Hug
- Slime
- Fur
This is a simple way to practise letter recognition, concentration and scanning skills.
Counting and Colouring
Can your child colour exactly six eyes, eight horns and four pairs of monster arms?
This challenge combines counting with careful colouring and is a fun way to reinforce number recognition and one-to-one correspondence.
Help the Monster Find the Cookie
A hungry little monster is trying to reach its snack. Children must follow the correct path through the twisty maze to help it find the cookie.
Activities on the Second Monster Mat
The second sheet features observation, drawing, symmetry and early maths activities.
Complete the Monster Symmetry
Half of a monster has disappeared!
Children can use the visible half as a guide and draw the missing side. This activity encourages careful observation and introduces the idea of symmetry in a creative, accessible way.
Do not worry if the finished monster is not perfectly symmetrical. Wonky monsters have far more personality!
Colour the Monsters
The large monster characters in the centre of the sheet are ready to be coloured. Children can use traditional Halloween shades or invent an entirely new monster colour palette.
Try bright felt-tip pens, colouring pencils or crayons. Spots, stripes and patterns can make each creature look even more unusual.
Spot the Difference
The two monsters may look identical at first, but there are several differences hiding between them.
Encourage children to look carefully at the monster’s face, body and cup. They can circle each difference as they find it and then check their answers using the included answer sheet.
Create a Monster Graph
Count each type of monster scattered around the page and record the total on the graph.
This introduces children to collecting information and displaying it visually. They can compare the columns to discover which monster appears most often and which appears least often.
Draw the Monster’s Food
What does a monster eat for dinner?
Children can fill the giant plate with their own imaginary monster meal. It might contain eyeball soup, slimy spaghetti, wriggly worms or something surprisingly ordinary like beans on toast!
This is a lovely prompt for imaginative drawing and storytelling.
You Will Need
- The free Monster Activity Mats printable
- A printer
- White printer paper or lightweight cardstock
- Colouring pencils, crayons or felt-tip pens
- A pencil for puzzles and writing
- An eraser
- A clipboard or hard surface if using the sheets away from a table
No cutting or gluing is required, which makes these activity mats particularly useful when you need a quick, low-mess activity.
How to Use the Activity Mats
1. Download and Print
Download the free PDF and print the two black-and-white activity pages.
The mats are designed in landscape format. Select landscape orientation and “fit to printable area” in your printer settings if necessary.
2. Set Out Some Supplies
Provide pencils and colouring materials. If several children are taking part, place everything in the middle of the table so they can share.
3. Take on the Monster Challenge
Let children complete the activities in any order. Some may head straight for the maze or word search, while others will want to design their monster first.
4. Check the Answers
Two answer sheets are included at the end of the pack. These provide solutions for the emotions, word search, maze, symmetry picture, graph and spot-the-difference puzzle.
The creative activities do not have a right or wrong answer—the sillier the monster, the better!
Make the Mats Reusable
If you would like to use the activity mats more than once, laminate them or place each sheet inside a reusable dry-wipe pocket.
Children can complete the puzzles with dry-wipe pens, erase their answers and start again. This is especially useful for classrooms, waiting rooms, after-school clubs and activity stations.
You could also print the mats on slightly thicker paper and use them as disposable placemats at a monster-themed party.
Learning Through Monster Fun
Although these sheets are designed to be entertaining, they also offer plenty of opportunities for learning.
The activities can help children practise:
- Counting and number skills
- Letter recognition and spelling
- Fine motor control
- Pencil control
- Visual discrimination
- Symmetry
- Graphing and comparing quantities
- Emotional vocabulary
- Problem-solving
- Creativity and imaginative thinking
The mixture of challenges means children can move between focused puzzles and open-ended drawing without the activity beginning to feel like formal schoolwork.
More Ways to Use the Monster Activity Mats
These printable mats would be great for:
- Halloween parties
- Monster-themed birthday parties
- Classroom morning work
- Early finishers
- Indoor playtimes
- Home education
- After-school clubs
- Rainy-day activities
- Restaurant entertainment
- Long journeys
- Screen-free quiet time
For a party, add a mat to each place setting with a small bundle of crayons. You could even hold a competition for the funniest, friendliest or most colourful monster.
Download the Free Monster Activity Mats
These printables are offered for your non-commercial personal use only. Mass production of the activity mats is not permitted, including for non-profit purposes.
Please do not upload the PDF to another website. If you would like to tell others about this free resource, please share a link to this post so they can download their own copy. Pinning is welcome as long as the pin links back to this page. Thank you!
Add the free printable to your basket and then visit the cart using the orange menu at the top right of the page. Complete the checkout as normal—you will not be charged. The PDF will be available to download immediately and will also be emailed to you.
Have a Monstrously Good Time!
These Monster Activity Mats are easy to prepare, fun to complete and full of opportunities for children to learn as they play.
Print them for Halloween, save them for a rainy afternoon or use them to keep young guests entertained at your next monster party. Just watch out for any hungry creatures searching for cookies!
We would love to see your children’s finished monster creations. Share a picture on social media and tag Mum in the Madhouse so we can admire them.
Happy monster making!