Simple Christian Halloween Games
Halloween is often a problematic holiday for Christians. Many Christian families do not wish to allow their children to participate in the superstitious or pagan activities of the day. Yet, these same families are often equally uncomfortable denying their children the Halloween entertainment that others have. One solution is to consider the real meaning of the word "Halloween." It means "eve of all saints." That is definitely not a pagan meaning and can be celebrated with many Christian-themed activities. Does this Spark an idea?
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Costume Games
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Children can participate in various costume games for Halloween. For example, they may dress as their favorite Bible character or saint. A costume parade allows children to show off their costumes. Each older child can share the name of the Bible character or saint he is dressed as and an interesting fact about that person. Prizes can be awarded for the best costume, the most imaginative depiction or the most knowledge of the character portrayed.
Party Games
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Christian-oriented party games are possible for Halloween, too. "Pin the wings on the angel" or "pin the halo on the saint" are festive modifications of the classic party game "pin the tail on the donkey." A picture of an angel or a saint drawn on a sheet of poster board is necessary. Children receive a halo or pair of wings, depending on which version of the game you playing. They then take turns being blindfolded and spun three times and try to pin the halo or wings in the appropriate place on the picture. Very young children can skip the spinning portion. A prize can be awarded for the most correct placement. A pinata can be modified easily to a Christian theme by purchasing or making a pinata in the shape of Noah's ark, an apple (for the garden of Eden) or a star (for the star of Bethlehem).
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Table Games
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Several table games can be tailored for the holiday. Catacombs memory gives an unusual twist to the classic game. Early Christians used various symbols in the catacombs to depict aspects of the Christian faith. Some of these include a fish, an anchor, a cross, a chi-rho, a peacock, a ship, a dove, palm branches, grapes and wheat. A collection of these objects, or pictures of them, are placed on a table where everyone can see them. The children are given from 30 seconds to two minutes to look at the objects. The objects are then covered with a cloth, and the children have one or two minutes to list as many of the objects as they can remember. The child who remembers the most objects correctly receives a prize. Many classic board games, including Pictionary, Scattergories and Apples to Apples, have Christian or Bible editions that smaller parties can use.
Traditional Harvest Games
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Many of the traditional harvest games are fully compatible with maintaining a Christian atmosphere in Halloween celebrations. Bobbing for apples, for example, is good, innocent entertainment suitable for most children. Apples are placed in a large basin of water, and children take turns trying to pull out apples using only their teeth. Even carving pumpkins can be an acceptable Christian pastime if the images carved on the pumpkins are uplifting or religious, such as one of the catacomb symbols, an angel or even just a big smile.
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