This year Halloween activities might look at little different… 2020 has been the year of doing things differently and Halloween is no exception. Halloween is my favorite holiday. Hands down. No competition with Christmas. I love dressing up, carving pumpkins, and all the spooky decorations. Needless to say, I’m more than a little disappointed that we will, more than likely, not be trick-or-treating this year.
Staying safe is the most important thing to do on Halloween with kids. So I’ve been brainstorming some fun Halloween activities you can do at home with kids.
Halloween Activities To Do At Home With Kids
Halloween Crafts
One of my favorite things to do as the spooky holiday approaches is to do Halloween crafts with Roo. One year she made some Halloween Decorations with me.
Or try this Halloween Garland made from upcycled egg cartons. The perfect blend of spooky and cute!
We made some fun Halloween window decorations from Contact paper. Contact paper is a fun medium, especially for toddlers
This DIY Spider Lantern is super easy, but very creepy! Make sure you don’t put the lantern somewhere that will spook yourself in the middle of the night.
Acrylic Pouring is fun anytime of year. But these beautiful fall decor ideas are perfect for a less spooky Halloween and fall decorations in your home. The kids will have fun with these too!
If you’re like us, your crayon box is full of broken pieces of crayons. What a fun idea to use them on this no carve pumpkin craft!
Simple, recycled, and cute. What more do I need to say about these milk jug pumpkins?
Make your own Haunted House
Before having Roo, my husband loved dragging me to haunted houses for Halloween. We would walk through the dark corridors and endure actors jumping out pretending to murder us while I held on to my husband with one eye closed. Roo is too young and sensitive for even the mildest of haunted houses. But this year I hope to make a “Spooky house” full of friendly monsters and playful ghosts and maybe a few spiders and bats to jump out.
Do you have a space in the backyard or even a room in the house you could turn into a haunted house for the evening? It would make a really fun Halloween activity at home with your kids.
Watch a Spooky Movie
After trick-or-treating and finally getting Roo to bed, my husband and I love to curl up and watch a scary movie on Halloween. Roo and I have also started a tradition of watching kid-friendly Halloween movies. My absolute favorite of course is Nightmare Before Christmas, but we also watch Room on the Broom, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and other kid friendly Halloween Classics.
Eat the Good Candy
If you ask any kid, the best part of Halloween is eating the candy! So if trick-or-treating is out this year, go ahead and buy the good candy. You know, like whole bars of Snickers instead of the minis or the good chocolate. Skip out on the nameless brand of bagged candy we all buy to give out, and get everyone’s favorites.
Dress Up for a Photo Shoot
But if you asked me, as a kid or adult, I would have said dressing up. I’ve always loved coming up with a favorite character and being them for an entire night. As an adult, I especially love sewing my own costumes! But it’s kind of hard to get excited about dressing up if you have no where to go. So convince your kids to have a photo shoot.
It can be simple with everyone taking turns behind the camera. Or it could be an elaborate ordeal with backdrops, and a professional photographer!
Sensory Bin or Slime
Have you tried sensory bins with your littles? Halloween themed sensory bins can a fun Halloween activity at home for kids of all ages. From the fun and colorful to the slimey and gross.
Sure to extract some “EEWwws” from your kids before they start trying to scoop out the “eyeballs” from colored spaghetti.
Pumpkin slime in a pumpkin jar! How cute is that? This would make not only a fun Halloween activity to do at home, but also a great Halloween themed gift!
Another one to make your kids wrinkle their nose and giggle. This slime has the texture of pumpkin guts!
Carnival Games
Maybe your kids’ favorite Halloween activity is going to the various Carnivals and Trunk-or-Treats. Try setting up some of your own Halloween themed games at home.
Like this one using a pumpkin balloon and paddles.
This instant download is a FREE Halloween activity pack with games like Bingo, Brooms and Ladders, and more!
Halloween Activities at home don’t have to be boring or sad. Try some of these ideas this year to make new fun memories and traditions with your family. Happy Halloween everyone. Be safe!