Children Friendly Halloween Ideas
It's a given that children generally love Halloween; dressing up like a superhero or a princess and collecting tasty treats is, after all, an exciting and memorable way to spend an evening. Halloween's spooky and scary side, however, might be just a little too much for young kids. Fortunately, there are some Halloween activities that are appropriate for all ages and don't involve scaring anyone silly. Does this Spark an idea?
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Halloween Party
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Celebrate with a simple Halloween party for the kids before going out to enjoy the classic Halloween activity -- trick-or-treating. Have the children eat donuts dangling from strings with their hands held behind their backs, bob for apples, play "Pin the Face on the Jack o' Lantern," or have broomstick relay races and a game of toss-the-ring over a witch's hat. Set up a candy apple making station where the children can make their own apples and dip them in sprinkles, or offer other treats. Fill a jar with candy corn or other Halloween favorites and give kids a chance to guess how many pieces are in the jar for a prize. Keep the activities lighthearted and simple, without introducing ghosts or monsters that could scare the children.
Pumpkin Decorating
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Carving pumpkins into jack o'lanterns can be messy -- and it requires adult supervision and help. Instead of carving pumpkins, let your little artists decorate a pumpkin or two with paints, markers and other craft supplies. Choose smaller pumpkins that are easy for kids to handle. Get a group of kids together to decorate pumpkins and either have a contest for the prettiest, scariest and most original pumpkins, or load up wagons with the pumpkins and have a pumpkin and costume parade around the neighborhood.
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Scavenger Hunt
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In the days leading up to Halloween, when the neighborhood is all decked out in decorations, set up a scavenger hunt for your kids. Develop a list of items for kids to look for, such as a scarecrow, a jack o'lantern, a ghost, a bat and a black cat. Take a walk together and look for the items on the list, checking them off as you find them. Have a contest to see who can find the most items, or who can find everything on the list first, and offer a prize at the end of the hunt.
Crafts
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Halloween is an ideal time to create crafts with your kids for costumes or decorations. For example, have children decorate masks or hats to wear; purchase pre-designed craft kits from a party or craft store to keep the craft simple. If you're raking leaves in the yard, collect old clothes and hats and have the kids put together a scarecrow to adorn the yard. Have the kids help you make "ghosts" from scraps of white cloth wrapped around tennis balls and secured with rubber bands; hang the spooky specters from a leafless tree in the yard.
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References
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