So it’s Halloween. You maybe planned on doing something fun for your kids today but, as it tends to do quite often, time got away from you? Good news! This article consists of ideas you can do today without needing to go buy something and with little-to-no prep using items that are likely already in your home.
However, if you’ve got the time (lucky you), there are some other options, written about p
reviously, that you could create as well! This includes no-carve pumpkin crafts and easy costume ideas that may take a bit more planning, but would also be a great way to spend your day! But assuming you’re more like me and don’t necessarily feel like going out and grabbing a few items from the store, this list is for you!
Food
Edible broomsticks. Cut a string cheese stick down to about an inch and a half. Peel out one of the ends to make it look like the end of a broom and stick a pretzel in the center to be the broom handle. Easy cheesy.
Food toppers. Cutting out orange pumpkins or black bats from paper and gluing them to toothpicks make the perfect toppers to any food eaten all day long! Stick the toothpick in a PB&J or a few apple slices and it’s an instant mom Halloween win!
Jack-O-Lantern Quesadillas. Lay a tortilla flat, then sprinkle cheese onto it. Then cut out a jack-o-lantern face on another tortilla and place it on top of the cheese. Cook and serve and enjoy the look on your kids’ faces.
Do all of this, of course, while drinking apple cider.
Entertainment
Halloween movie. And no, I don’t necessarily mean a horror movie! Check on Hulu or Netflix--there are a lot of kid Halloween options to choose from! And it’s probably a safe bet that a lot of the cartoons on TV today will be Halloween themed episodes!
Halloween Music. Hop on YouTube or have Alexa play you some spooky and fun Halloween tunes.
Halloween Games. This doesn’t have to be elaborate! Basically any ordinary day game with a Halloween twist to it!
- Rolling marbles and calling it an eyeball race
- Get out the broom and take turns being witches
- Tick-Tac-Toe with pumpkin and spider cut-outs or black and orange X’s and O’s
- Hide-and-Go-Seek (zombies find ghosts or bats find cats)
Q-Tip Skeleton. Color or paint a Halloween scene on a piece of paper and then glue q-tips down to resemble a skeleton to finish off the picture!
Halloween window art. Pull out the white board markers and help your children create fun images on the glass of the front window or back door. Glass cleaner will clean it right up when you're ready!
Decorate bags. It’s not every day that you get to walk around with a sack and collect TONS of candy! Whether it’s a Wal-Mart bag or a pillowcase you plan on sending your kids out with, deck it out with stickers or drawings. Play dough. Bust out the play dough and cookie cutters to create Halloween figures!
Mummy Door! Toilet paper, an old sheet cut into strips, or crepe paper all make great door-wrapping materials. You may also want to cut out some eyes from some paper to complete the door. Not only will this be super fun for your kids, but it will also impress the trick-or-treaters!
Costume design. And, of course, the most exciting arts and crafts on Halloween are on each other to help accentuate costumes!
Out of the House
Trick-or-Treating. Duh. If you live in an area where walking around the neighborhood isn’t exactly an option look for some local activities going on where you could do so! Some local grocery stores may have trick-or-treat stations, work parties may offer kids a chance to collect some candy, and I’ve often heard of a phenomenon called Trunk-or-Treating, where you meet up with a group of friends or community members in a parking lot (sounds super sketch, promise it’s not) and the kids walk from car to car collecting candy from other families.
Other seasonal activities. There are also Pumpkin Patches that could be hosting fun events on Halloween day like local hayrides or corn mazes! Basically, I’m pretty convinced that if you’re looking to leave your house for some fun on Halloween, if you look in the right place, you’ll find something that will work perfectly.
Happy Halloween! Stay safe and spooky, ghosts and ghouls!