Over the years we have enjoyed many different activities as a family at Halloween. We have enjoyed Halloween parties, heading out Trick or Treating, and playing Halloween games. Here we have chosen some of our favourites, great activities for a frighteningly good family Halloween! This year Halloween will seem a little strange without Trick or Treating or Halloween parties. However it is a chance to create special Halloween memories, with all the family together and with mid-term break starting a full week before Halloween night, families will have lots of time to decorate, play games, watch movies, and generally get into the spirit of the season.
Decorating Pumpkins
Carving Pumpkins
There is something very satisfying about carving a pumpkin. Sketching a scary face on the pumpkin skin, removing all the seeds and then cutting through the pumpkin flesh to create wild eyes or fangs or any other shape your imagination can come up with. Its great fun to see who can come up with the most gruesome designs.
Painting Pumpkins
Sometimes little ones can find carved pumpkins a little too scary, and watching them trying to carve large pumpkins is terrifying for us adults. A great option is to paint less threatening faces on pumpkins, like the ones above. These have been given colourful hairstyles courtesy of odd ends of wool and some craft glue.
Pumpkin lights
The evenings suddenly get dark so early around Halloween and we love to light candles to watch their flickering lights on the walls and windows. Pumpkins can make super candle holders for your dinner table, mantlepiece, or anywhere really. Cut the stem from small pumpkins, then scoop out a hole about one inch deep, you can pop in a candle or tea light. Cut a thin slice from the base of the pumpkin if you need to stabilise it.
Halloween Party Games
Bobbing or Ducking for Apples
It doesn’t matter what you call it, this is such a fun Halloween activity. You might like to warm up the water for younger children, or add ice for older ones! No matter how scary your face paint is, it will become completely ghoulish as it runs down your face after you try to grab your apple, organic of course!
Mummy Wrap
One adult has to volunteer to play the Mummy, and it doesn’t have to be the Mummy. The volunteer stands in the centre of the room, two children are given a roll of toilet paper each and have to wrap one side of the volunteer. The winner is the one who wraps their side of the Mummy first.
Lucky Dip
Prepare three lunch boxes, one with jelly (brains), another with hard-boiled eggs (eyeballs) and the third with cooked, cold spaghetti (worms). Wrap little prizes and bury in each box. Then bring in blind-folded participants, who must search for their prizes in the boxes.
Halloween Bingo
We found this game a number of years ago on the Mykidstime family website. You can download and print at home. We have played it while out trick or treating but you can play while watching a Halloween Movie too.
Family Halloween Movies
Colder evenings around the fire are perfect to curl up with some Family Halloween Movies. Our friends over at The Irish Farmers Journal published a list of their recommendations to watch on Netflix this Halloween. We will definitely plan at least one family movie night, once we decide on a movie, the next thing will be to decide on the snacks!
Whatever you choose to do this Halloween we hope that you and your family keep safe, and enjoy your time together.
