Halloween has become a massive event in the UK over the last few years, and the shops have been packed for weeks with all sorts of accessories, dressing up gear and decorations. This is all very well, but if you want to celebrate Halloween with your children, once you’ve dressed up, what can you actually DO? Some prefer not to trick or treat, and some may be too young, so what are the alternatives? I have hosted a few parties so here are some ideas to help you along with some Halloween fun with just your own or a room full of children……

1.  Pumpkin Carving – the most traditional of Halloween customs. There is such a variety of pumpkins available you could have a variety competition with different members of the family. I recommend an ice cream scoop as the best way to carve out (save the inners – see idea 4).  An alternative for younger children is to draw faces or use stickers on big tomatoes – equally scary & fun! Or paint paper plates orange and add or cut out features – can double as masks.

2. Spooky Play Dough – young children in particular love play dough and it’s easy to make. Just add black, orange, purple or green food colouring, some glitter and hey presto – you have lots of spooky fun! Homemade play dough is very cheap and simple and keeps for ages if sealed properly.

3. Pin the nose on the Witch – this is easy to make – get the kids to help draw and colour and your witch, then cut out a cardboard nose or use nose stickers and find a blindfold.

4. Feely Boxes– these are great fun – just keep a few cereal or shoe boxes, cut a hole in and fill with something. This can either be yucky and slimy (like the insides of the pumpkin) with objects in which must be retrieved or could be a selection of things that have to felt & guessed. With older children you can have a second hole cut in the back of one of the boxes and then grab the hand that is doing the feeling – a guaranteed screamer!!!

5. Alternative Apple Bobbing – I remember bobbing for apples, not only was it difficult it is also potentially dangerous with younger children, so I have an alternative. Core holes through some apples and thread through a string tied between two chairs – children have to go underneath and try to bite pieces out without using hands – good harmless fun and a sneaky way to get them eating apples – when I played this at my party we got through 10 apples!

6. Treasure Hunts –children love treasure hunts so draw/buy/print out pumpkins, skeletons and other Halloween items and hide them for the children to find. You can give each child a different set to find or make it harder by finding one of each.

7. Skeleton Races – -cut out basic skeleton shapes, skull, arms, legs, ribs etc – then have race to see who can put it together the fastest.

8. Ghoulish Grub – no party is complete without party food so try these:

• Witches eyeballs – marshmallows with a smarty on top
• Spider biscuits – split Oreo biscuits in half, drape liquorice laces across as legs then stick the top back on
• Use a cutter to cut out sandwiches in ghost shapes
• Make bat or pumpkin cookies
• Make a jelly and put rubber eyeballs or jelly worms in

Halloween can be fun and inexpensive, and doesn’t have to involve knocking on doors in the dark. If you have any other suggestions the please let us know.

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