Spooky Celebrations and Fun with Kids
With everyone taking steps to stay safe and healthy, this year’s Halloween activities might look a little different from the norm. But just because you’re keeping a distance and avoiding large gatherings doesn’t mean your family can’t still enjoy the holiday. Check out these fun Halloween at home ideas to help make sure your kids (and you!) all have a howling good time.
Private Party
The safest way to celebrate is with your household, so one tradition that can carry over without any changes is decorating your home. Keep it casual with a few fall-themed knick-knacks, or go for the full haunted house experience and fill the place with all the skeletons and cobwebs you can find. Then once the scene is set, you can throw a private Halloween party featuring indoor activities the whole family can enjoy.
Here are some fun activities and decorations to try—some even classify as both!
- Pumpkin carving – a Halloween classic. Roast the seeds afterwards for an autumn snack!
- DIY papercrafts – get kids involved in making easy decorations, like paper bats and spider webs.
- Halloween drinks – set up a dry ice punch bowl and serve chilling beverages with a variety of spooky garnishes.
- Halloween desserts – try recreating a cute ghost brownie or other monster themed recipe, or let the kids go freestyle designing their own creepy critters with the ingredients you have on hand.
- Fall colors – switch out your everyday décor for something suited to the season, such as orange dinnerware or copper barware.
- Scary movies or stories – thrills and chills from the comfort of your living room. Turn down the lights for maximum effect!
- Spooky music – an easy way to set the mood, whether you build your own playlist or find one online.
Trick or Treat
Now, how about the activity most kids are looking forward to—trick or treating? Well, you can scale it down and try a low-contact version instead. Get the kids in costume and designate one room as the “front door.” Hand out candy on request, and send them on a trip around the house between knocks—they’ll need to burn off the sugar somehow! It won’t be exactly the same, of course, but you can still give your kids a fun little adventure. Bonus: if they’re picky about their candy, you can cater to their tastes and avoid that pile of circus peanuts that no one wants to eat.
For a little extra fun:
- Dress up in costume yourself—and change it every time you open the door. Even something as simple as sunglasses or a silly hat will make it more believable, especially if you bring out your acting skills to define each new character.
- Give the occasional trick instead of treat. Handing out small toys or telling jokes and riddles will help space out the candy so you can keep the sugar rush under control.
- Decorate! Trekking down haunted hallways is much more exciting for kids than taking a lap around the same old house they see every day.
- Incorporate a scavenger hunt. Make older kids work harder for their haul by hiding tokens around the house or in the backyard, and requiring them to be exchanged for candy.
In the Neighborhood
While your kids are having a great time celebrating Halloween at home, don’t forget about the other children around the neighborhood! Some families may choose drive-by trick-or-treating this year, and you can still participate while taking precautions for everyone’s safety. Prepare individually wrapped treat bags and leave them outside, spaced so each one can be easily grabbed without touching any others. Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water before handling anything you’re giving away. And remember to signal that your house is open for trick-or-treat business, by turning on the porch light and putting up plenty of outdoor decorations!
Another option for sharing the fun this Halloween is called “booing”—don’t worry, it’s nicer than it sounds. In this context, booing is basically the opposite of trick-or-treating: going door-to-door and anonymously leaving candy, decorations, or other gifts for your neighbors. Giving them a ghostly surprise brings all the thrills of a Halloween prank, with an extra sweet twist.
Halloween at Home 2020 might not be the night you expected, but these fun ideas can help you set up a great celebration. And if you’re looking for spooky gifts or creative home décor, our seasonal Halloween collection has a great selection to choose from!
