Not everyone wants to go out on Halloween. Maybe trick or treating is not your cup of tea, or perhaps you want to play it safe and stay home this year. We have shared some Halloween activities below that you can do in the run up to Halloween or on the day itself – enjoy!
Pumpkin Carving
This one is a classic for a reason! The last few years have seen a surge in popularity of pumpkin picking – and visiting a farm or patch to choose your own pumpkin (or pumpkins) does make for a good family outing. However, you can just as easily buy your pumpkins from a greengrocers or supermarket, and the carving of said pumpkins at home is where the real fun is at! Make sure you have the tools you need and get to work…
The standard jack-o-lantern never goes out of style…and there are lots of templates and ideas you can copy online, or come up with your own design! You could have a mini competition at home, or if you are particularly pleased with your creation, find a competition to enter either online or locally.
Decorate your home
Your carved pumpkins can be the stars of the show, but think about other ways you could decorate the outside and inside of your home for Halloween. This is a great one for children because you can make your own orange and black paperchains or cut out a string of ghosts and bats! There are also aisles full of decorations in the shops if you want to go wild this year!
Make your own potions
This is a good one for younger children. Yes, you can buy potion making kits, but a cheaper (and in our view more fun) option is to look for potion ingredients in the garden and kitchen and let your little witches and wizards brew their own (supervised) concoctions! Top tip: Food colouring from your baking cupboard makes a good addition! Just make sure no one tries to drink the potions…
Watch scary movies
The cosiest of Halloween activities! Popcorn and hot chocolate at the ready? Okay then – press play on your spooky festive favourites. May we suggest The Addams Family, Halloweentown and of course, Hocus Pocus as particularly good choices?! Then, when the kids are in bed, you decide if you are up to stepping it up a notch with a horror film or two. Or, you could just watch Hocus Pocus again…
Bake some ghoulish cookies
Get in the kitchen and have a go at some Halloween themed biscuits. Or, use the pulp from inside your pumpkins to make a delicious pumpkin tart. If baking is not your forte, you can skip straight to decorating plain biscuits with Halloween coloured icing.
Dress up
If you have children who love to dress up, why not let them get a bit of wear out of their Halloween costumes in the run-up? You do not have to save them for 31st October…crack them out a bit early and have a dress up day at home – complete with facepaint if you are feeling brave! You could design your own backdrop and have a Halloween photoshoot.
Have a Halloween disco
If you and the family are all dressed up with nowhere to go…turn up the volume and have a dance in the kitchen or living room. Make sure you include Thriller and the Monster Mash in your playlist!
Halloween party games
Have you ever tried bobbing for apples? It is actually quite hard! And funny! Have a go with the children and see how you get on. Another good one to try is a Halloween inspired blindfold sensory game. Pass around some grapes and pretend they are squishy eyeballs!
Have you tried any of the above Halloween activities? Let us know via our Facebook page!