Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
Halloween approaches! For many, this will be a time filled with fancy dress, going to parties or trick or treating. For others, it is a time of year where families come together for spooky shenanigans or Halloween activities with the kids, in the comfort of your home.
Whilst trick or treating may be the main event of the Halloween period for a lot of families, there are some children or families who may struggle with such an activity. Whether this is because of a child having Special Educational Needs, mental health issues, they just might not want to or even just the logistics of going out trick or treating is too much for them.
Therefore, I wanted to put together a list of different Halloween related activities that families can do in the home. These activities are for a range of different age ranges and budgets. All tried and tested as enjoyable Halloween activities you and your children can enjoy in the home during this Halloween period.
1. Pumpkin Carving
I couldn’t leave out the most obvious of Halloween activities…pumpkin carving! Pumpkin carving can be a fun activity for children of all ages. For the younger ones, they can get lots of enjoyment from drawing their own designs onto the pumpkins, then seeing their creation come to life!
For the older children, you could try setting them a challenge of following a complicated design (you can find lots online), or try to create a character from their favourite TV shows or films.
I must have lived a very sheltered childhood, as I have never once carved a pumpkin! The first time I have done any sort of carving was this year with my three year old daughter. This was only because my wife needed me to cut the top of the pumpkin off (as she was struggling to do it).
Afterwards, I was immediately stood down from carving duty, as my wife and daughter proceeded to carve their own pumpkins. Unfortunately, there were no pumpkins left for me to carve. Who only buys two pumpkins when there are three people!? My wife apparently.
Anyway, I know this is the most well known Halloween activity, but I couldn’t leave it off the list!
Please note: Please ensure children are supervised and safety precautions taken when completing this activity.
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2. Halloween decorations
Whether you are buying them, or creating your own, putting up Halloween decorations can be a great family Halloween activity.
A lot of the fun behind Halloween decorations is the creativity that can go into. From elaborate outdoor decorations, to more subtle and simple interior decorations. Whatever takes your fancy, your child can be made a part of it.
You could have youngsters drawing their own spooky pictures to display. Or have your teenager helping design your outdoor displays. I have even seen some very committed families, have some scary surprises in place for trick or treaters, by having somebody dressing up and hiding, ready to jump out.
Putting up Halloween decorations can sometimes feel like a chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Get the kids involved, let them have their own say and input into what you do, and you could very quickly find it to be one of the more fun Halloween activities you can do.
3. Fancy dress
What I am sure is many peoples favourite part of Halloween…fancy dress! You could be dressing up for a party or simply for the fun of it. But fancy dress at this time of year can be a fun Halloween activity for the whole family.
This year, my family are at a friends Halloween party, so we are in the middle of planning our fancy dress outfits. We have a three year old daughter, so we have decided to keep it quite fun and avoid terrifying her with the blood or prosthetics just yet!
We have decided that I am going to dress as Willy Wonka. My wife foolishly joked that she could be Augstus Gloop, but it was too funny to not do, so I have convinced her to go with that. As for my daughter, I can’t wait to see her as a little Umpa Lumpa!
4. Scary movie night
No big plans in place? Halloween doesn’t always have to be about trick or treating and parties. Halloween activities can also be simple, easy to plan and a great way for the family to bond together. So what better way to do that, than to all enjoy some scary movies together?
There are a number of ways you can make scary movie nights a bit more creative or fun. You could all put your film ideas onto pieces of paper and collect them in a jar, randomly pulling out the winning film! You could make the choice of the film a reward to one of the children who has won a game, contest or who has simply behaved well that day. Or unlike in my family, you may be able to agree a film quickly and easily with no arguments!
My wife hates horror movies, but I enjoy watching them. As a result, I will never get to watch any. So I guess for me this will be another year where we just “compromise”….and just do what my wife wants.
5. Baking spooky snacks
Halloween is a time in which children will typically expect a few more sweets and treats than usual. So what better way to fill some time over the Halloween period, than to get the children involved in making their own Halloween snacks or treats.
It could be cookies decorated as spiders or cakes dressed as ghosts. Let your children’s imagination run wild as they come up with their own ideas of the best spooky snack. Children tend to love getting involved with baking or cooking, so this can be a great combination.
Lets be honest, as Halloween activities go, it isn’t too bad if you end up with some tasty treats at the end to enjoy for yourself!
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6. Scavenger hunt
Have a bit more time on your hands? Then why not try planning your own Halloween scavenger hunt!
There are almost countless ways you can go about doing so. You could have a themed scavenger hunt based on a scary film or TV show. Alternatively, you could have more immersive scavenger hunts and have some willing volunteers ready to jump out on unsuspecting scavengers. Or you could keep it simple and fun and just have your children compete to locate the Halloween items as fast as possible.
However you choose to go about it, Halloween scavenger hunts can be fun for children and parents alike.
7. Apple bobbing
For anyone unfamiliar with “Apple Bobbing”, this is a game which is typically played at Halloween, where a large container is filled with water and apples. The aim of the game is to catch one of the apples using only your teeth, no hands allowed.
Again, this is one of the more common Halloween activities and can be both fun and challenging for children of all ages. You could even vary the game and add blindfolds to those who play, make it an elimination competition or instead of putting them in water, you could hang them in the air from string.
However, you choose to play, apple bobbing can be a great Halloween activity that fills plenty of time. It is good fun for adults and children and can be a great addition to your Halloween party.
Please note: Please ensure children are supervised and safety precautions taken when completing this activity.
8. DIY Halloween masks
There are plenty of Halloween masks that you can buy. However, if you are looking for something a bit more creative and fun for the children, why not try creating your own Halloween masks?
Children tend to love arts and crafts, so many children would jump at the opportunity to let their imaginations go wild and create their own scary face mask! There are a number of templates you can find or purchase online. Alternatively, you may just want to start completely from scratch and do it all yourself.
If you are feeling even more adventurous, you could even try making your Halloween mask 3D, using Papier Mâché or other items you have around the house. In what may seem like the simplest of Halloween activities, you may just find that you and your children are immersed in this creative activity and the hours go by in a flash!
9. Making slime
A Halloween activity that younger children in particular will love, is making slime!
Many families regularly make slime no matter what time of year it is, as it is always thoroughly enjoyed by the children. If you have never tried this before, what better time is there than Halloween to give this a try?
You may want to make the slime for some Halloween decorations, or to be used as part of other Halloween games or maybe just for the enjoyment of making it.
This is something I can’t wait to try with my daughter this year, as she loves getting involved with cooking or baking. When I tell her we are making some Halloween slime, she might not be able to contain her excitement!
Here is a link to a recipe for making slime.
10. Turn into a mummy
If you are looking for Halloween activities that will make you laugh, look no further than this one!
You may need to have plenty of toilet roll spare for this one. But if you do, why not try having a competition of who can turn themselves into a mummy the fastest! Using the toilet roll, you need to wrap around and cover as much of your body with toilet roll, as fast as you can in a specified amount of time.
How you go about using the toilet roll is up the individual, but there will certainly be plenty of laughs watching your loved ones frantically scrambling to cover themselves in toilet roll in a variety of ways.
At the end of it all, you will have a family of mummies ready for a great photo opportunity! It is a Halloween activity that all the family can participate in and enjoy.
11. Halloween disco
No Halloween parties to attend this year? Why not have your very own Halloween disco for you and your children!
You could lay on a spread of Halloween snacks, dress up as your favourite Halloween characters, turn off the lights and get the Halloween music playlist ready! It could be anything from the Adams Family theme tune to Thriller You can create your own playlist or there are plenty of options online.
Your children can dance, laugh, eat and drink their way through the Halloween evening. You may even choose to combine some of the ideas discussed here to make it an evening filled with scary fun and games.
12. Scary stories
For those with children who love to be scared or surprised, getting together for some scary story telling can certainly meet that need. In an age in which technology is dominant, it could be a welcome change to revert back to good old fashioned story telling.
You could take steps to make this quite immersive. Turning the lights off, having some torches shining onto your face, wrap up in blankets, all building that suspense. Depending on your audience, this will determine how scary the stories may be. But who will come up with the scariest story? Or who will undoubtedly just pinch some from google?
This Halloween activity may not be for everyone, but it could be something new and different that your children enjoy.
13. Make your own spider web
Spiders and spiderwebs seem to go hand in hand with Halloween decorations. So why not set your children the challenge of making their own spider webs?
This can be done with just a roll of string. Identify an area in which you want the spiderweb to be made, lay out some objects that the string can be tied around and set the child to work. Your child may want to make the stereotypical design of a spiderweb, or may want to make their own crazy design that fills the room!
Even if you have a toddler or baby, you could use something as simple as a washing basket that has holes in, to entwine the string through creating a spider web inside the washing basket. The toddler or baby may just enjoy figuring out what you have made them.
14. Face painting
For children of certain ages, face painting is an exciting and fun Halloween activity. Typically as part of fancy dress, however, they do not have to go hand in hand. Some DIY face painting at home can both be a test of your artistic talents as a parent and something fun for your child. You may even be brave enough to let your child paint your own face and see what masterpiece they create!
My daughter recently discovered the joys of face painting as she was turned into a little fox on holiday. As noted above, we have plans to turn her into an Umpa Lumpa for Halloween, so I can’t wait to see her reaction when we do so!
15. Scaring competition
The final Halloween activity on this list won’t be for everyone, but something I know I enjoyed when I was a kid! A Scaring competition!
This may not even come to mind for a lot of people when thinking of Halloween activities. However, my brothers and I used to love just trying to scare each other throughout the Halloween period. We would hide under beds, in cupboards around corners, waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump out and scare each other.
If you have children who are the same, why not organise this into a competition. Who can scare each other the most? Who jumped the most? However, be warned, this game isn’t for the faint of heart. My brother once made me jump so badly from hiding under my bed, I had to check under my bed every time I entered my room for months!
I hope some of these Halloween activities appeal to you and inspire you to give them a try. I also hope you have a very happy Halloween!
If you have any other Halloween activities you want to suggest for other parents, please put them in the comments below!
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Awesome ideas, I would love to do Pumpkin carving..