Ah, October! Bring on the fall weather. Sweatshirts, pumpkin spice everything, Halloween, candy, costumes, and family fall festivities. Along with those fall holidays comes fall messes. Halloween activities especially are not only sometimes a pain to set up, but even more painful to clean up. So skip the glitter, glue, and pumpkin guts. Halloween season is spooky, but the fright should come from costumes and tricks, not from Halloween messes.
Here are a few tips and some quick, easy ideas to minimize the messiness and maximize the fun with Halloween activities.
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Keep it Simple
You can easily create fun Halloween activities with ideas that require no more than three things. The less supplies you need to set up, the easier it is to clean up!
- Dance Party: It’s just as simple as it sounds. Put on some festive Halloween music, dim the lights to make it spooky, and let the kiddos dance ‘til they drop. You can move this outside to your backyard for extra room, and add their Halloween costumes and a few glow sticks to spice it up. What kid doesn’t love music and dancing?
- Supplies needed: Music, Halloween costumes, glow sticks (optional)
- Eyeball Hunt: Decorate ping pong balls with a permanent marker to create appropriately creepy eyeballs. Then simply hide them inside or outside as you would an Easter egg. 3, 2, 1…let the hunt begin!
- Supplies needed: Ping pong balls, permanent markers
- Spider Races: For this game, we hope you’re full of hot air. Give each person one of those small plastic spiders you can buy as decoration and a straw. Line up your contestants and define a finish line. Each contestant will blow into their straw, propelling their spider racer across the floor.
- Supplies needed: Small plastic spiders, straws
Use What’s Available To You
Believe it or not, you don’t have to go on a scavenger hunt to find all the supplies to make fun Halloween activities. You can use things you already have available to you. Think about what’s around your house, like tape or markers, and what’s outside your house like your driveway; your yard, your trees, etc.
- Pumpkin Checkers: Use those adorable mini pumpkins you bought at the pumpkin patch as checker pieces. You can make a large checkers board using your driveway and sidewalk chalk. One person moves the white pumpkins. The other moves the orange pumpkins. For smaller boards or younger children, you can use the same concept to play Halloween tic-tac-toe.
- Supplies needed: Orange and white mini pumpkins, sidewalk chalk, driveway
- Web Walk: If you’re stuck inside due to chilly weather, this one is perfect for the little ones who love to stay active. Using painter’s tape, create a web on the floor. For older ones, you can make a more complicated, complex web. For younger ones, keep it smaller and easy to follow. Instruct them to walk the web, staying on the tape lines until they make it to the other side. Add difficulty by creating extra rules.
- Supplies needed: Painter’s tape, floor
- Guess How Many: This one’s a classic and takes almost zero prep. Almost everyone has an empty glass jar or vase tucked away in a cabinet somewhere. Fill a jar with rocks, marbles, or other household items. Then simply have the kids guess the number of items in the jar.
- Supplies needed: Empty jar or vase, small items of some sort
Add Candy and Prizes for Maximum Halloween Fun
If you want to bring out your children’s competitive side, just add candy. That’s right, any of these games above can include prizes for the winner. Likewise, the following ones have the candy and prizes incorporated right into the game.
- Pumpkin Balloon Stomp: Fill orange balloons with candy, stickers, or other treats. After you’ve filled them, blow them up. Scatter the balloons across the yard and let the kiddos stomp those pretend pumpkins until they pop. When the balloon pops, the child collects the prize. (Don’t forget to have them race to clean up all those balloon scraps at the end!)
- Supplies needed: Orange balloons, candy, prizes
- Pumpkin Balloon Darts: This one is the same concept as above, but requires a little more skill. Instead of scattering your balloons across the yard, pin them to a tree or even a piece of cardboard. Let the kids take turns throwing darts at the pretend pumpkins. They get to keep what they pop!
- Supplied needed: Orange balloons, candy, prizes, tree or cardboard
- Guess How Many (With Candy): This is a small spin on the Guess How Many games listed above. Instead of household items, fill the jar with candy. Make sure the candy you choose is something your kids like and small enough to fit in the jar. Then simply have the kids guess the number of items in the jar. And you guessed it…the winner gets the candy!
- Supplies needed: Empty jar or vase, candy
- String Donuts: Think of it as a modern twist on bobbing for apples. Loop a donut through some string, hold it above the eater. Race to finish the donut. The only rule is that they can’t use their hands. Hey, even if you lose, you still got to eat a donut! (We advise taking this one outside.)
- Supplies needed: String, donuts
With these quick and easy Halloween activities for kids, you can keep the entire family entertained without much of a mess. Encourage a little friendly competition and get everyone involved.
Celebrating the spooky season is one of our favorites! And don’t worry, we know messes are eventually going to happen. When things get too out of hand, just call The Maids. We’re here to help.
