Trick-or-treating and Halloween celebrations may not be as grand in Australia compared with other countries. But with most of our kids staying at home, any occasion that can cheer them up is 100% welcome! A few creative ideas are all you need to have the whole family up for celebrating Halloween at home.
COVID-19 may have dampened our Halloween spirit. Going door-to-door for Halloween treats may not be the same this year either. But, one thing’s for sure. We can always keep things festive at home with our loved ones, with or without a coronavirus pandemic. Here are ways how to get spooky-ready for a spine-tingling Halloween party!
1. Whip Up a Ghoulish-ous Halloween Dinner
While you can always have a Halloween-themed meal delivered to your doorstep, homemade dinners are still the best. Here, you can forget about being fancy and let your kids join in the kitchen fun. Make all things creative and delicious like pumpkin soup, mummy pizzas, monster wraps or eyeball pasta. You can also do some baking and serve Halloween desserts like bloody cupcakes or graveyard brownies. With so many food ideas for Halloween, the only problem you’ll have is choosing which one to cook in your cauldron!
2. Enjoy a Deadly Dose of Treats
Instead of going around and asking people for Halloween candy, why not make the tradition a little more exciting? Put sweet treats and fun games together for your Halloween at home party. Hey, no pain, no gain! Here are some ideas:
- Make a Halloween tree. Find a tree at your backyard and decorate it with spider lollies, pretzel broomsticks or popcorn hands. Have family members play some trivia games or charades then let victorious witches and vampires pick their prizes from the Halloween tree.
- Whack a Halloween pinata. Fill a pinata with Halloween-themed goodies then have everyone take turns hitting it. No one will mind getting dizzy for candy!
- Set up a candy scavenger hunt. This one’s a classic and will put the kids’ Easter egg-hunting skills to use. For a little surprise, have someone dress up in a scary Halloween costume to hand out hidden candies!
3. Build a Boo-It-Yourself Fort
Halloween at home is not complete without the spooky decorations. You can purchase store-bought ones or let the kids decorate your house with DIY Halloween decor. But for your little builders, how about creating a mini haunted fort? Find a space in your living room or backyard, get some creepy old blankets and add some fake spider webs. Make sure to decorate it with LED candles, turn the lights off and voila! You now have a special place for your dinner and Halloween activities.
4. Play Spook-tacular Music on Repeat
What’s a Halloween party without spooky music? Create your playlist then have everyone dance their best “thriller” moves. Keep the music playing while the rest are busy winning Halloween games. Or if you want, turn your dance party into a freeze dance contest.
5. Organise an Online Mask-erade
We probably can’t have costume parades this year. But there’s always Zoom and Google Hangouts to show off your spooky costumes on camera. Pick a theme for your virtual costume party and give out online awards. Kids can do face painting, too. Or better yet, keep things trendy and have everyone wear decorated face masks!
6. Put on a Shadow Puppet Show
If your little ones love crafts and entertainment, then a shadow puppet performance is a must. All you need are some black craft paper, popsicle sticks, scissors and glue or tape. Pinterest and online sites have several printable patterns available, from simple bats to intricate haunted houses. You can even turn it into a puppet play, complete with music and sound effects.
7. Tell Ghost Stories…Outside
No feel-good bedtime stories for now! Let the kids have some scary fun and tell ghostly tales in your creepiest story-telling voice. You can make use of your haunted fort for this family activity. Alternatively, set up a tent where everyone can huddle. Either way, the random sounds outside and the full moon will set the at-home Halloween mood for you!
8. Watch Halloween Movies…in the Dark
For older kids, swap ghost story-telling into a night of scary movie marathon. You can set this one up in your backyard, too, if you like. However, instead of having a big bowl of popcorn, make it extra special by serving a spooky snack board! Let everyone munch away their favourite sweet and salty treats, from crackers to candy corn, while enjoying horror movie classics. Check out this article for other snack board ideas. For large families, setting up a Halloween candy bar is another option.
With a little creativity and lots of humour, we’ll never run out of Halloween ideas to spook each other out, even while staying at home. Happy Hallow-quarantine!
