Halloween is a great time for families to come together and enjoy fun, spooky activities. Whether you’re staying home or going out, there are many ways to celebrate that are exciting for kids and adults alike. Here are some fun Halloween activities for families that everyone can enjoy.
1. Pumpkin Carving
Pumpkin carving is a classic Halloween activity that allows everyone to get creative. You can buy pumpkins of all sizes and let each family member carve their own unique design. For younger kids, using pumpkin carving kits with safety tools is a good idea. You can carve traditional spooky faces or get creative with fun designs like animals, stars, or even their favorite cartoon characters. After carving, place a candle or LED light inside to display your pumpkins on the porch or windowsill.
2. Halloween Movie Marathon
A Halloween movie marathon is a great way to relax and enjoy the holiday together. You can choose age-appropriate movies for the whole family, such as “Hocus Pocus,” “Casper,” or “The Addams Family.” If you have older children, they might enjoy slightly spookier films like “Goosebumps” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Make it cozy by setting up blankets and pillows, and prepare Halloween-themed snacks like popcorn with candy corn or caramel apples.
3. Halloween Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is a fun way to get the family moving and exploring, either inside the house or in your backyard. You can hide small Halloween-themed treats or toys around the house and give the kids clues to find them. For a spooky twist, try doing the scavenger hunt in the evening with flashlights. You can even turn it into a haunted scavenger hunt by decorating the house with cobwebs, spiders, and fake skeletons for a thrilling adventure.
4. Make Halloween Crafts
Crafting together is a great way to spend time as a family. You can create Halloween-themed decorations like paper ghosts, bats, or pumpkins. Simple materials like construction paper, glue, and markers are all you need to get started. Another fun idea is to make your own Halloween themed playdoh cookies or spooky slime. Crafting is not only a fun activity, but it also gives you homemade decorations to display around the house.
5. Halloween Cookie Decorating
Baking and decorating Halloween cookies is a tasty and creative activity. You can bake cookies shaped like pumpkins, ghosts, or bats, and then decorate them with icing and sprinkles. Let each family member design their own cookies with fun colors and patterns. You can use black, orange, and purple icing to match the Halloween theme. This activity is great for kids because they get to enjoy eating their creations afterward!
6. Dress Up in Halloween Costumes
Dressing up in Halloween costumes is one of the most exciting parts of the holiday, and it doesn’t just have to be for trick-or-treating. Have a costume contest at home where each family member dresses up in their favorite costume, and everyone votes for their favorite. You can make it even more fun by setting up a small runway or photo booth to take pictures. You can also create a theme, like superheroes or spooky characters, and have everyone dress according to the theme.
7. Haunted House at Home
Turn your home into a haunted house for the evening. You can use simple decorations like cobwebs, plastic spiders, and spooky lights to transform your living room or basement into a haunted space. You can play eerie music or sound effects to add to the spooky atmosphere. For added fun, have family members dress up as ghosts or monsters and take turns guiding each other through the haunted house. You can also organize some games like ‘Kids Escape Room’ that involves solving puzzles, finding clues, making a craft, fun games, and lots of laughter!
8. Halloween Themed Dinner
Make dinner special by serving Halloween-themed food. You can create fun dishes like “mummy hot dogs” (hot dogs wrapped in crescent roll dough to look like mummies), “witches’ brew” (a green punch or smoothie), and “monster eyeball” meatballs. Let the kids help prepare the meal by decorating cupcakes or making spooky snack trays with fruits and veggies shaped like ghosts and pumpkins. This turns dinner into a creative family activity that also makes for a memorable Halloween meal.
9. Virtual Halloween Party
If your family can’t be together in person or if you want to connect with friends, a virtual Halloween party is a great idea. Set up a video call and invite family members and friends to join in their costumes. You can play games like Halloween bingo, have a virtual costume contest, or even do a Halloween trivia quiz. You can also share spooky stories or watch a Halloween movie together over the internet. This is a fun and safe way to celebrate with loved ones who are far away.
10. Trick-or-Treating
Trick-or-treating is a beloved Halloween tradition. Dress up in costumes and walk around the neighborhood collecting candy from decorated houses. For younger kids, go during the early evening when it’s still light out. You can also stay safe by visiting houses of friends or family.
11. Halloween Story Time
Have a spooky story time where each family member shares a Halloween-themed story. You can read from Halloween books or make up your own ghost stories. For added fun, turn off the lights and use a flashlight to create a spooky atmosphere.
12. Halloween Dance Party
Host a Halloween dance party at home. Create a playlist of Halloween songs like “Thriller” or “Monster Mash” and let the kids dance in their costumes. You can even have a dance contest and award small prizes.
13. Make Halloween Masks
Have a craft session where the family makes their own Halloween masks. Use paper plates, markers, and string to create masks of witches, vampires, or any other spooky characters. This is a fun, hands-on activity for all ages.
There are so many fun Halloween activities that families can enjoy together. Whether you’re carving pumpkins, watching spooky movies, or baking Halloween treats, the key is to spend time together and make lasting memories. These activities are simple, fun, and perfect for all ages, making Halloween a special time for families to bond and celebrate.
Fun Halloween Food Ideas for Kids
Here are some fun Halloween food ideas will make your celebration extra special and provide a mix of spooky and fun treats that both kids and adults can enjoy. From sweet to savory, there’s something for everyone to get into the Halloween spirit!
1. Spooky Spiderwebs
Spooky spiderwebs are made with melted white chocolate drizzled over cookies or brownies or even pretzel sticks to look like webs. You can also use black icing to add a tiny spider on top. This is an easy treat that kids will love, and it looks spooky but tastes delicious. It’s perfect for adding some Halloween flair to your snack table.
2. Oreo Bats
Oreo bats are super simple to make and look adorable. Take Oreo cookies, break another Oreo in half to use as wings, and attach them to a body (whole Oreo) with melted chocolate. Add some edible candy eyes, and you have little bats that look like they’re ready to fly off your plate! They’re a fun, bite-sized treat for kids.
3. Raw Meat Rice Krispies
This gross-out Halloween treat is a fun twist on the classic Rice Krispies recipe. You can add red food coloring to the marshmallow mix to make it look like raw meat. Shape the mixture to resemble a pile of meat, and add some gummy worms or fake eyeballs for an extra spooky effect. It’s creepy but tasty!
4. Ghost Pretzels
Ghost pretzels are an easy and fun Halloween snack. Dip pretzels in white chocolate to create the ghostly bodies. Once the pretzels are coated, use edible candy eyes, turning them into cute, edible ghosts. Kids will love the sweet and salty combo.
5. Lychee Blueberry Eyeballs
These spooky eyeballs are made using lychees and blueberries. Simply place a blueberry inside a lychee to create an eerie eyeball effect. You can serve them in a bowl of red punch or in a ‘blood clot’ red jelly cup. This treat is not only fun to look at but also healthy and refreshing!
6. Mummy Cookies
Mummy cookies are a creative Halloween treat that’s easy to make. Bake your favorite cookies or simply use Oreos, then use white icing to make the “bandages” of the mummy. Add candy eyes peeking out from the icing, and you have a tasty, spooky mummy cookie. These treats will be a big hit with kids at any Halloween party.
7. Bandaid Wafers
Bandaid wafers are a spooky, yet simple treat. Take rectangular graham crackers or vanilla wafers and spread a small amount of white frosting in the center to resemble the padding of a bandaid. To give them a gruesome Halloween touch, add a drop of red jelly or strawberry jam to mimic blood. Kids will find these a fun (and a bit gross!) snack that looks like a real bandaid.
8. Icy Hand Punch
Icy hand punch is a spooky and refreshing Halloween drink. To make it, fill a latex glove with water, tie it, and freeze it. Once frozen, remove the glove and you’ll have an icy hand that you can place in a bowl of punch. This chilling hand floats in the drink, creating a creepy effect as it melts. You can add some red fruit punch or cranberry juice to give the punch a spooky, blood-like color.
10. Spiderweb Sauce
Cook up some small sausages or hot dogs, then place them on a plate. To create the spiderweb effect for the sauce, drizzle mustard in a web-like pattern over the ketchup. You can add small plastic spiders or candy eyes to enhance the spooky look. Kids will enjoy both the taste and the fun design of these sausage snacks.
11. Worms and Dirt Cups
Worms and dirt cups are a classic Halloween treat that kids always love. Start by making chocolate pudding, then crush up some chocolate cookies to create the “dirt” layer. Spoon the pudding into small cups, add a layer of the crushed cookies on top, and finish by placing gummy worms in and on top of the “dirt.” This snack is simple, but the gummy worms and dirt-like appearance make it a fun and spooky treat for kids.
12. Editable Chocolate Eyeball Buttons
Editable chocolate eyeballs are another easy and spooky Halloween food idea that kids will enjoy. To make these, you can start by melting white chocolate buttons in a microwave. Using a teaspoon, create a round shape for the eyeball. Once you have the base, use a chocolate chip, or colored candy, like an M&M, for the iris of the eye. Stick the candy onto the white chocolate using a small dab of icing. You can also use red gel icing to draw veins radiating from the center to make the eyeballs look even creepier. The combination of white chocolate and candy is sure to be a hit with kids, and these spooky eyeballs are a great way to add some Halloween spirit to your snack table.
