Halloween has always been one of those holidays that just brings out the inner child in all of us! I mean what is more fun than the idea of dressing up, and pretending to be ANYTHING or ANYONE you want to be? Add loads of candy, spooky decorations and staying up late on a school night to the mix and v-o-i-l-a you have a kid’s dream come true!
Who wouldn’t want to drag that out as long as possible or celebrate all month long? While some people are headed to pumpkin patches, Trunk or Treats, and corn mazes, there are lots of fun ways to enjoy Halloween without going anywhere! Here are a few fun Halloween crafts and things to do from the comfort of home that the kids will love and will nurture that spirit of Halloween all season long!
1. Baking Halloween Cookies
Now here is a tasty activity. If your kids are anything like mine, they looooove to help in the kitchen and baking simple sugar cookies is easy and fun (even if you just get the easy ones from the store ready to go). Decorating them for Halloween is too cute and there are soooo many spooky things you kind find at the grocery store or even just by adding a little food coloring that will make this a great indoor activity for the kids this season. Just grab a few edible eyeballs, some black & white tube icing, sprinkles and have at it!!
2. Halloween Flashlight Fun
My husband and my kids love to make shadow puppets on the walls at night. For whatever reason this just tickles the kids pink so why not make a Halloween version. Just cut out a few ghosts, spiders, spider webs, black cats, etc (get creative) out of construction paper. Put them in front of a flashlight or light source and BOOM!! Have some Halloween fun before bedtime!
3. Halloween Paper Plate Figures
Grab some cheap paper plates and construction paper from the store. Let the kids color or paint the paper plates like pumpkins, black cats, mummys, whatever they want and use the construction paper to add body parts, spider legs, and other spooky attachments with a glue stick. Hang them around the house for some extra spooky decor this season.
4. Hand-Print Ghouls
Kids love using their hand-prints with paint. Let’s be honest, there are loads of Halloween critters you can make out of a hand-print. Spiders, ghosts, black cats, witches… Let your kids pick their favorites and make some hand-print ghouls they will be proud of!
5. Halloween Costume Photo Shoot
This is my favorite. I always like to document what my children were for Halloween each year. So let the kids dress up in their costumes one day and actually ask them to act out their costumes! This makes for some great photos to save and show them when they grow up! The kids will enjoy getting into character! Grab your camera or even camera phone and get those action shots!
6. Painting Halloween Mini Pumpkins
Grab a few of those mini pumpkins next time you are at the store and let the kids paint spooky faces on them. This is an easy activity the kids will love and you can always add eyeballs and things like that to make them extra spooktacular!
7. Halloween Mason Jars
Have the kids help you decorate some mason jars into pumpkins and ghouls! Just use a little paint and let those minds get creative. Not only will they enjoy this activity but will enjoy seeing them as Halloween decor around the house year after year. Add a little light inside for extra pizazz!
7. Mini Pumpkin Mummys
This is a fun and super easy activity… all you need is mini pumpkins, eyeballs, and you can use gauze, first aid tape or white yarn. Glue on your eyes and then have fun wrapping the little guys up! The kids will love it!
8. Egg Carton Bats
What could be better than recycling those egg cartons?! Cut them up with each bat using three of the egg placements. The middle being the head of the bat and the other sides are the wings. Paint black. Add eyes and hang them with ribbon around the house! This would make great Halloween chandelier decor! Am I right?!
10. Toilet Paper Mummy Game
Who doesn’t remember this one from growing up? All you need is a couple rolls of toilet paper. Make it a whole family affair and make teams! Allow each team one minute to wrap their mummy up as best they can! This will surely make for some good laughs and family moments your kids will never forget.
11. Candy Corn Bingo
It’s pretty easy to find some Halloween Bingo printables online. Print a few and have the kid’s friends over for some candy corn BINGO!! Grab a couple Halloween dollar store prizes and they will have a ball!
12. Candy Corn Count
You can drag this one out all month or anytime during the season! Have a mason jar filled with candy corn. Place it somewhere where the kids will pass by every day. Have everyone put their final count guess in on Halloween night and whoever gets the closest count wins a prize!
13. Candy Corn Math Homework
Make math homework a little more fun by adding (and subtracting) some candy corn to the mix. This will make learning just that much more fun and Halloween-y!
14. Ghost Story Time
Time to get out that handy flashlight again! Have the family sit in a circle, pass around that flashlight and let everyone take a turn telling their chilling Halloween spooky story! Fun for the whole family (save the creepy ones for the big kids)!
Hopefully you now have some more great ideas of ways to get your kids into the spirit of Halloween all season long and not just on Halloween night! Childhood is a precious thing and nothing triggers the imagination like Halloween!
