Pumpkins, Ghosts, and Fun Galore: Your Guide to a Kids Halloween Party

A kids' Halloween party can be magical, exciting, and filled with fun memories. From the eerie decorations to creative invitations and engaging games, your party will have all the kids talking.

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Dump the cheesy Halloween decor and invitations. Having the time of their lives comes easy for the kids...all you really need, is to get into the Spirit of things (yeah...not very original, I know.)

The point I am trying to make is: once your kids grow old enough to really enjoy Halloween, you might need to do more than simply putting a black cloak on them or making them whiskers with your eye-liner! (I've done both.)

Did you check out the popular Halloween costumes this year? We have some homemade costume ideas too. 

Whether you’re hosting a small get-together or a larger event, a few key elements can make it a memorable and thrilling occasion for all the little goblins, witches, and ghosts in attendance.

You might have picked up some Halloween decor post-Halloween last year. Some of the best deals do happen then. If not, you can take your pick now and look for best bargains.

Tip: Remember to prepare a budget (even if it is approximate) and then work to stay within the guidelines.

Let's check out  some great Halloween party ideas, including creative invitations, spooky decorations, and entertaining party games that will have the kids buzzing with excitement.

Kids Halloween Party Invitations: Set the Spooky Mood Early

For a professional look, head on to sites like 'Paperless Post' where you can select from their amazing collection. Not only do they have designs to suit every style, you don't have the stress of printing or hand-delivering the invitations. They also offer RSVP tracking!!

On the other hand, if you are artistically inclined, why not design your own card, print on card-stock and voila! Your perfect Halloween Invitation cards are ready.

You can customize the entire Halloween decor based on your invitation card design - to give it a more professional look. Use the same design for the Thank You cards to give at the end of the party, glue the design on the goody bags, create a pennant. 

Just carry the theme throughout the kids Halloween party.

If your child's birthday is close to Halloween, it makes perfect sense to join the two together. Use an old Halloween photo as the main design.

I even had a Halloween themed birthday party for my January-born and the kids loved the extra chance to put on their costumes!

Here is what his party invite read...

Abracadabra, sizzles, frizzles and scares;

On (date), there will be magic in the air;

Put on your Halloween Costumes again

And join (name) for fun, food and games.

As the haunted house awaits,

for the clock to strike (time of party)

At (venue)

All witches, ghosts and ghouls come alive.

‘Twill be an e’ning to remember for all

So rap on the table and answer the call

(phone number/email) before Jan 15th

Halloween Decorating: Creating a Fun and Spooky Atmosphere

Oh my! Where do I start? There is outdoor decor and indoor decor; there are animated props and decorative lights. There are Halloween party ideas that have just about everything you need to spook people.

Kids love walking into a space that transports them into a spooky, whimsical world, so let your creativity run wild!

Entryway that sets the stage

Add cobwebs, hanging skeletons, or a bubbling cauldron to give guests a thrilling first impression. You could even put a fog machine near the entrance to set a spooky tone as soon as the kids arrive.

Carve or paint pumpkins with a mix of spooky and silly faces.  Add glowing eyes hidden in bushes and eerie glowing footprints leading to the entrance - or leading into the wall (that's how the ghosts enter, right?)

Inside the house

Create mini haunted house areas with dark fabric, cardboard cutouts of spooky characters, and motion-activated sound effects to surprise and delight the little ones. You could even create a “spooky touch table” with bowls filled with “monster brains” (cold spaghetti) or “witch’s eyeballs” (peeled grapes). So fun!

A Halloween costume photo booth is a must! Set up a backdrop with Halloween props, and let the kids take fun and silly photos in their costumes.

Outdoor Decor

Get the kids excited before they even enter.  Use glow-in-the-dark paints or LED lights in the windows and around the party area. These could include glowing eyes hidden in bushes, eerie glowing footprints leading to the entrance, or even glowing spider webs on the walls.

Carve or paint pumpkins with a mix of spooky and silly faces. Display them on the porch and in the yard.

Easy and Pocket-friendly kids Halloween party ideas

For a quick and easy, no stress formula, I would recommend browsing around Costume Express. I used their Halloween decor for my party (along with some stuff I made myself) and the transformation was quite amazing.

Yes, it is super easy to make stuff yourself too.

* A bunch of white paper plates (regular kind) can be cut up to hang like ghosts. 

* If you have some hanging decor, glue cutouts of spiders, bats and skulls.

* You can buy a Halloween party pack of supplies for tableware or

* Buy plain orange plates and plain black ones and set them alternately. Spend that money instead on outdoor decorations or a stand up piece. It will lend more flavor to your Halloween party.

* Likewise you could indulge in printed paper lanterns or buy regular paper lanterns and stick spiders, bats and pumpkins on them. 

* White helium balloons with faces drawn on them and covered with cheesecloth make awesome flying ghosts.

The Halloween decor you decide to go with depends on your budget, your time constraints and whether you enjoy making the crafts yourself.

Halloween Party Games: Fun for the Little Monsters

No kids' party is complete without fun games to keep the energy high. Halloween party games can be both spooky and silly, ensuring everyone has a great time.

• Pumpkin Bowling: Create your own bowling set with a small pumpkin (as the ball) and decorated empty cans or plastic bottles (as the pins). Kids can take turns bowling down the “pins” to see who can score the highest.
• Pin the Hat on the Witch: This Halloween twist on “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” is always a hit. Create a large witch poster and have the kids try to pin the hat on her while blindfolded. Or print out the silhouette of a cat and play 'Pin the Tail on the Cat'.
• Mummy Wrapping Contest: Split the kids into teams and give each team a roll of toilet paper. Have them race to wrap one of their teammates up like a mummy. The fastest and most neatly wrapped mummy wins a prize!
• Ghost Toss: Fill small bags with candy or prizes and cover them with white fabric or tissue paper to create little ghosts. Hang them from a string or place them around the room, and let the kids try to “toss” them into a cauldron or basket to win. OR
• Feed the Monster - re-create the simple game of beanbag toss. Make an image of a monster or Frankenstein or a ghost with a big gaping mouth (or make all three and have three big holes).
• Witch Hat Ring Toss: Use large witch hats and glow-in-the-dark rings to create a ring toss game. Set up a few hats at varying distances and have the kids toss rings onto the hats for points.
• Pumpkin Hunt: Instead of a traditional Easter egg hunt, hide mini pumpkins (or candy-filled plastic pumpkins) around the yard or house. The kids can search for them, and whoever finds the most pumpkins wins a prize!
• Skeleton Puzzle - Put pieces of a skeleton (you can make them from paper plates) in a bag and get the kids to re-create the skeleton.
• Magic Show - hold a Magic Show and see how a group of crazy costumed kids can sit quietly in one place (you will need the rest!) This is what we did for our son's Halloween themed birthday party and it was a super hit with all the kids.

The secret to hosting a successful kids Halloween party is to make sure the kids get spooked, have fun (think spooky games) and, of course, eat a lot of candy.

Actually, we hope the kids do NOT eat too much candy. Our local school accepts left over candy to send to troops abroad. You can start something similar in your neighborhood.

And next year, why not throw a kids Halloween party at a local hospital (or do one for the senior citizens).

We hope you have a really fun time planning and hosting your party. And don't forget to save the Halloween decor for next year. 

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