Halloween Kids Fun at Home

This simple play can work whether you are enjoying a simple family event or hosting friends before or after trick-or-treating. We’ve collected ideas for all ages. Our advice–if you are unsure what your child can handle –is to lean into the innocent side of childhood instead of the slightly more mature side of childhood.

A Simple Formula for Fun Halloween Activities

To make an at-home Halloween celebration a super fun experience for the kids and to keep it simple for the grown-ups, here’s the simple formula for every grown-up to use.

1. Choose two or three categories
2. Choose one item from each of those category.
3. Put a costume on everyone (including the grown-ups).
4. Do Halloween activity one.
5. Eat some candy. (I guess I’m assuming you will have some candy around.  If you don’t, this is easy enough to skip.)
6. Do kids activity two.
7. Eat some supper. (Make it easy and super fun like frozen pizza, or again skip it if the timing is wrong)
8. (Optional) Do activity three

Halloween Kids Fun Categories

Seasonal Books

My kids’ parties always start with a story. And there is something especially fun about reading a story in costume.  So even if reading stories is something your family regularly does,  this category is still magical.  It’s easy and everyone enjoys a good story.  Here are our suggestions.

Spooky or Fun Movies

So simple! Movies can be as interactive as you want them to be.  They are a great way to set the flavor of the party playing in the background or as the main activity and focal point. Again anything done in costume is more fun. If you have a favorite Halloween movie, you could all dress as your favorite characters on movie night.

Easy Halloween Treats

Food can make or break your celebration. And you can make it as elaborate or as simple as you want to. You can even support some local shops for festive treats.

Support Local

• Nadia Cakes: Special Fall Flavors
• Lynn’s Cake and Candy Supplies is our go-to place for stocking up on fun baking supplies — food color, buttercream frosting, toppers and seasonal items of all types.
• CandyLand Candy Store is great for finding unique Halloween candy to mix in with your treats or top your cupcakes.

Halloween Recipes: Make at Home Treats

• Monster Cookies with Eyes (we are totally doing this)
• Ghosts (bananas) and Pumpkins (cuties)
• Crawling Spiders
• Pumpkin Bars (our favorite fall standby). Here is a pumpkin bar recipe from Open Arms Minnesota.
• Halloween Candy Bark
• Haunted Gingerbread Houses. Christmas is right around the corner. Mix two favorite holiday traditions by making haunted house creations out of Gingerbread. You could even enter your creations into the Norway House’s Gingerbread Wonderland (and find your recipe and directions here too).

Joy has more ideas that would work for a party here: 40+ Ideas for School Halloween Treats

Halloween Kids Fun and Games

Let’s face it.  Halloween is all about the candy.  But there are some other festive activities we can include that isn’t simply eating lots of candy.  Here’s a list of ideas.

Bonfire:

You can dance, sing songs, tell stories, or simply roast hotdogs or marshmallows. Best for grade school and up if you are hosting a party, but preschoolers and toddlers do okay with parent supervision.

Pumpkin Decorating:

Why not make it an activity for the actual day of festivities. You can carve jack-o-lanterns with bigger kids, paint a pumpkin with preschoolers or just glue on googly eyes with tots.

Pumpkin Bowling:

Check out how to do it here at Halloween Party Idea #14. 

Candy Hunt – A Halloween Scavenger Hunt:

Think Easter Egg Hunt but in the fall. You can even use our ideas for where to hide Easter eggs when hiding your candy.

Monster Mash Dance Party:

You can never go wrong with a fantastic dance party for your little monsters.  Here are some songs to include.

A Harvest Moon Walk:

This year the moon will only be waxing towards a half-moon on Halloween, but October moons are always beautiful, no matter where they are in their cycle. Younger kids will like this activity best, but bigger kids may enjoy it more if you tell scary stories while you walk.

Make A Mummy from an Apple

Add a little STEM lesson into your fun and learn the science of mummification with an apple, baking soda and salt. Find the full lesson plan here.

Oozing Monster Heads – Halloween Slime

Gather some 8 oz water bottles, glue, Borax detergent, baking soda and vinegar for this oozy, slimy experiment from Liz Heinecke, the Kitchen Pantry Scientist that would make any party a hit.

Skeleton Sketches

Watch a video to learn how to make your own skeleton x-ray sketch with black construction paper and white chalk from the Bell Museum of Natural History Spooky Science.

Craft Kits & DIY Ideas

Heartfelt’s Autumn Crafts

Heartfelt’s fall craft menu always include several fun Halloween crafts – spiders, pumpkins, witches and ghosts. Find this year’s craft menu here.

Paper Roll Frankenstein

Steph from Non-Toy Gifts shows us how to make a Frankenstein from a toilet paper roll, black construction paper and a cupcake liner.

Upcycled Pumpkin Crafts

We have some fun ideas for upcycled pumpkin crafts from items you might be able to find around the house – Tin Cans and Books. 25 Easy Arts & Crafts for Kids Throughout the Year – October.

• Find Halloween Costume ideas HERE
• Find FFTC’s Halloween Guide HERE
• Find Halloween for Tweens and Teens HERE

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