5 Frighteningly Fun ways to spend Halloween with Children

Halloween is a great holiday to spend with children! There are plenty of things that you can do that are family friendly, or you can wait until the children are in bed and celebrate in your own way (shots, shots, shots!). I wanted to share with you some of the things I think a family with young children can do to enjoy the halloween period as I often think families can get stuck in a rut with some of the non-traditional holidays and thought that now was a great opportunity to share with you some of the other ways you can enjoy Halloween without suggesting the usual trick or treating thing. We usually throw a party which kids come along to and then the adults hang around later on and dress up too!

Enjoy getting dressed up in spooky outfits as a family

You will mostly find children dressed up in spooky costumes come 31st October, knocking on doors and yelling “trick or treat!” But, why not do things a little differently this year and get involved in the costumes yourself. Many families now use this as an opportunity to have a theme for the halloween costumes and dressing up as a family. Think Addams Family as being a popular suggestion on Pinterest. But there are plenty more you can think of if you happen to be creative. I love this idea as I think children will enjoy doing something as family, even if it is just getting dressed up together. Take it one step further and organise a halloween party for families and encourage others to get involved as well. There certainly will be plenty of photo opportunities!

Carve a pumpkin

Pumpkin carving is a great family thing to do. From heading to the pumpkin farm and picking your own (we head to Cattows Farm in Leicestershire), to spending the time together carving a spooky face and creating a lantern for your front door. There are plenty of ways to make the most out of this as well. For example, use the pumpkin flesh to create a pumpkin themed meal like a soup or pie. You could also roast the seeds for a healthy snack.

Make something halloween themed for tea

On the subject of food why not use this as an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen!? You could decide to turn a normal family meal into a halloween themed spectacle. Thankfully, there are plenty of recipes online like this Halloween recipe from Parenting Pod if you find yourself lacking on the creativity side of things.

Watch a scary movie with snack 

Finally, while not all scary movies are family appropriate, there are things you can watch together thanks to Disney and other animation companies creating child appropriate halloween themed films. Get yourself some popcorn and jump on Netflix to see what is available. Maybe even let the children stay up a little later as an extra treat. It’s a nice way of having some quality family time without the need to step out your own front door.

Get Crafty

Millie loves anything to do with crafts at the moment so why not make some of your own decorations?! Use paper plates to make your very own Pumpkins, Bats and Frankensteins to stick round the house and you could even do a Halloween Hunt with them too - placing them around the house and garden with some treats alongside them. Its a great way to get little ones involved if you feel that they’re too young to go Trick or Treating! 

So there you have it, four suggestions to enjoy the halloween period with children. If you have any other suggestions then please leave me a comment. Enjoy the 31st!
(Guest contributed post)