A Children's Halloween Party: Top Ideas For Party Games
Whatever your age Halloween is a time for fun. Halloween makes the perfect theme for a kids' party.
Face painting adds to the fun. Particularly if you match it with a fancy dress costume. And a do-it-yourself outfit is fine. You don't have to hire a costume. Read more about children's face painting ideas
Favorite Halloween face painting designs include ghost, vampire, the devil, wolf, cat and a skull. Need more insiration? Then check out halloween face painting
Here are some ideas for Halloween party games. Remember to consider the age group of children that will be attending the party. Some games may not be appropraite for everyone.
*Pass The Pumpkin
This is a play on "pass the parcel". The children sit or stand in a circle. Put on some suitable Halloween music and the children start passing round the pumpkin. The one holding the pumpkin when the music stops is out. The game continues until only one child is left. That child wins a prize.
* Pumpkin Penny Toss
Before your guests arrive, carve out a large pumpkin. It must have a large opening on top. For this game each child receives a set number of pennies. Taking it in turns a child stands behind spin]the designated mark|a markertries to toss the penny into the pumpkin. At every successful toss the child receives a piece of Halloween candy.
* The Wiggly Worm
The children are divided into teams of equal numbers. Between 8 and 10 is ideal. Each team forms a line, one standing behind another. To form the worm the child at the head of each line puts their left hand between their legs and the child behind graps it with their right hand. This is repeated down the line. When you shout "boo" the teams must run up to and around a designated object and back. The team that returns to the starting position first wins. Assuming that they kept their "worm" formation. The members of the wining team receive a prize.
* Skeleton Scavenger Hunt
Before the party starts conceal skeleton parts around the house and/or backyard. The parts can be bought from a toy store/craft shop or handmade. Divide the children up into teams and give them a limited amount of time to collect as many skeleton parts as they can. The team that finds the most skeleton parts is the winner.
* Witch Hunt
Before the party begins make a number of paper witch hats. Templates for this are widely available. Make between 3 and 5 per invited child. Color all but two of the hats black, the remaining two should be colored white. Conceal the hats around the house and backyard. Only hide them in areas of the house and yard where you are happy for the children to explore. Begin the game by telling the children that there are witches' hats hidden and it is their task to find as many as they can within a set amount of time. It's a good idea to divide the children into teams. Whoever finds a colored hat gets a special prize and the team with the most hats also gets a prize. You could also award smaller prizes for the teams finishing 2nd and 3rd if you like.
* Bite The Apple
Ducking for apples is a traditional Halloween party game but it plays havoc with those wonderful face painting designs. This version keeps the participants dry. The children have to try and take a bite out of a hanging apple. For an indoor game, tie a piece of string to the each apple stem and then loop it firmly over a broomstick. The broom stick is placed at a suitable height. For an outdoor version suspend the apples from a suitable tree branch.
Prizes for winning a game do not have to be candy. Alterntives might be a Halloween themed pencil, homemade spooky shaped cookies or a scary mask.
Halloween decorations for the house do not have be expensive. I think part of the fun of Halloween is making your own decorations. And it's cheaper.
A great way to restrict guests to certain rooms of the home is to put up handmade "Keep Out - Haunted Room" banners across those rooms that you don't want the guests to enter.
As already mentioned co-ordinating a Halloween outfit with a face painting design really helps the children get into the party mood. And remember the younger kids generally don't like anything too scary. There are childrens face painting ideas whatever a child's age. Don't forget to practice your chosen Halloween face painting design before the day of the party.
It's going to be a great Halloween party.
