Fun Halloween Activities

Here are some tried and true, frighteningly fun Halloween activities that will have your little monsters screaming with delight!

• Costume Contest: A costume contest is probably one of the most popular Halloween activities ever! Kids just love getting dressed up and pretending to be someone else. At your party, have a costume parade through your neighborhood so the kids can show off their costumes. Let your neighbors know what you have planned, and they can be outside ready to cheer your costumed creatures on as they march by.

  If you don't live in a neighborhood, or if weather doesn't permit, hold a costume cat-walk inside. Introduce each child, one at a time, and have them march across a "cat walk" to show off their costumes.

  Afterward, present each child with an award or certificate so that everyone is a winner. You can have awards for specific things such as funniest costume, most original costume, cutest costume, etc., or you can just present everyone a participation award.

  To find some terrific costume ideas for kids, click here.

• Face Painting: This is another activity that is a huge favorite at kids parties, and is perfect for a Halloween party!

  You can make this as simple or extravagant as you want, ranging from little pumpkins on a cheek to full-blown clown or tiger faces. Once you decide how far you want to take this, it's a good idea to have sample pictures for the kids to choose from. You'll also want mirrors available so they can admire themselves when they're done.

  As the designated face painter at many Halloween parties, my advice to you is to enlist help! This is a very popular activity and the kids will be lined up to get "made up. Designate at least two people to be your make-up artists so that things move along quickly and so the kids don't get bored and antsy waiting in a long line.

  There's a terrific variety of face makeup available here .

• Mystery Boxes: Mystery boxes are for the brave-at-heart who don't mind getting their hands dirty! This is a really funny activity to watch, as kids reach blindly into boxes and try to guess what gruesome item they're touching.

  To set this activity up, you will need a box with a lid for each item, and a bowl that will fit inside each box. Cut holes in each box big enough for a hand to fit through. Fill each bowl with things such as olives (that feel like eyeballs when touched), cold, slippery spaghetti (worms), canned whole tomatoes (hearts), candy corn (teeth), pepperoni slices (scabs), sunflower seeds (fingernails), etc., and place it inside the box so the kids can't see what it is. Have them reach inside and try to guess what they are touching.

  It's really creepy, but lots of fun!

• Pumpkin Carving or Pumpkin Painting: This is one of the oldest, most anticipated, and fun Halloween activities for kids ever, so it makes great addition to a Halloween party!

  Providing pumpkins for each child could get costly, so make it easier on yourself and have everyone bring their own. All you'll need to do is provide the tools and lots of supervision!

  Once the masterpieces are created, have a pumpkin parade! Load each child's pumpkin into a wagon filled with hay, and, one at a time, have the kids do a lap around your yard to show-off their creations. They'll think this is the greatest!

  Take lots of pictures and you can give them out later as party favors.

• Pin the....on the ??? : Give this traditional "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" game a Halloween twist!

  You can pin the face on the jack-o-lantern, pin the tail on the black cat, pin the wings on the bat, pin the wart on the witch...the possibilities are endless!

Easy Halloween Crafts

Kids just love to do craft projects, so it only makes sense to add a project or two into your party plans!

Oriental Trading Company is an outstanding resource for craft kits, and they've got a terrific selection of easy Halloween crafts! Most craft kits come packaged in groups, so you can easily get enough craft supplies for all of the kids at one low price.

Here are just a few examples of kits that are available:

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