Halloween Party Ideas for Kids

Halloween parties can bring out the creative and silly side of us all. For children, Halloween can be a special time to display their imagination through costumes. Celebrating this haunting time of year, does not have to be a dark and fearful production. Fun and silly parties can make Halloween a time to enjoy and remember. A party for young children can be celebrated individually or as a side party to the adult's fun. The full holiday spirit can be incorporated into every aspect of the party. Here are a few ideas to make your young child's Halloween party a unique and affordable time.

First get those invitations out! To create a fun and Halloween inspired invitation online you can use many free sites. Evite has invitations for any celebration. Their Halloween inspired line has many selections, including those with a softer touch for the little ones. You can also create your own invitations with construction paper, scissors, glue, a litter glitter, and a lot of imagination. Many craft stores carry Halloween confetti or you can use plastic spiders and small favors from the craft section of many stores. Let you child be the artist to add that special touch.

You can not call it a party without the classic Halloween spooky tale. An old time favorite is the spooky pass along story. Gather the kids into a circle where an adult can read a written story that references a lot of body parts. Then, in a few bowls, have those body parts ready to be passed to each kid, who should be blindfolded at this point. Here is a short example; the green goblin of spooky street was hungry that cold dark night. He went to his box of dark surprises and first pulled at the dripping, slimy, delicious remains of the wolf man's eyes. While you are reading this point of the story pass around a bowl of peeled grapes (the eyes) soaked in oil for an extra slimy feel. Now create more to your story and use some of these ideas. For brains, use a head of cauliflower that has been soaked in a very thin flour and white mix. For intestines or worms, use spaghetti that you have poured dish detergent over to add slippery yuck. For the tongue of a beast, use a slice of spam that has been punctured with holes and wiped with a thick slippery food. The ideas are endless. The best rule is to try out the props with you own eyes shut. Then, build your story once you have all your props made.

Remember pin the tail on the donkey? For Halloween you can create a variation on the game. Either draw or print out a vampire (you can also use the head of a paper vampire decoration) and print or draw out several sets of teeth. Then blindfold the child, give them a spin, and allow them to pin the teeth on that vamp. You can also pin the tail on the black cat, using the same ideas.

Make use of those pumpkins and play a pumpkin toss game. With a hollowed out pumpkin line the children up to toss three of any candy into the pumpkin. Candy corn and wrapped gum balls work great. The best out of three tosses wins.

Apple bobbing is an old past time game. For Halloween you can add a spooky twist. While the children bob into a large bin, sink, or container give them a holiday surprise. You can buy rubber eye balls, plastic fingers, or rotten teeth just about anywhere this time of year. Adding them to the bobbing will allow a few body parts to creep into view as they bend in and grab those apples.

Easter is not the only time for hunting. If the weather permits you can go outside, or stay in and have a Halloween hunt. You can use bones or small plastic pumpkins to hide among the house. Either number them to coincide with a prize or place the prize directly in the object you buy. Party favors are great, but also the small toys found in candy machines for $.25-$.50 work great too. You imagination can run wild on what you hide and what they win.

A few more ideas are guess the pumpkins weight, guess the amount of candy corn in a jar, and guess the pumpkin seeds in the pumpkin (removed, washed, and placed back in).The games can be as endless as your imagination. Use the internet for more ideas. You can also use favorite games with a twist; scary word scrabble is an example. Whatever the game, don't forget to incorporate a childs favorite sensation of goop and the cherished idea of silly fun.

A Halloween party with Halloween food certainly adds that special touch. This Halloween, use the wonders of food, sweets, and food coloring to make that chocolate cupcake into a spider, pumpkin, or hairy surprise. For food ideas and fun deserts try Family Fun, where the ideas are creative and affordable. Remember to let your child in on the fun. Perfection is boring when children are involved. The lopsided cupcakes always taste best.

Don't forget to break out the monster music. Children can dance and sing to the Halloween music of the past and present. Many holiday Cd's are available at local music and department stores. You can also download and burn some music online free and legal. About.com has an ample selection of sites and music to choose from. Teaching your little one the Monster Mash could bring out he Halloween child in you too.

Crafts can be a great part of any party. Hollow out eggs, as your would for Easter, and let the child dye them orange for a pumpkin craft. The left over easter grass can be stuck in the hole of the egg for green hair. They can use black for a spiders body or leave them white for a ghost. Black pipe cleaners make wonderful spider legs and wrapping the eggs body in a kleenex works great for the ghost. You can purchase small pumpkins at farmers markets for a very small price ($1.00-$2.00) and allow the childen to decorate them to take home. If carving is a concern, allow them to paint their pumpkin or glue large buttons and objects on, to create a face. Paper plates can become a great product for Halloween mask. Allow the child to decorate as wanted, cutting any parts with child scissors. Simply place a string of yarn in each side of the plate and the child has a new ,one of a kind, Halloween mask. Surf the internet for free craft sites. Many sites have free printable stencils and craft ideas and directions. You can also surf the internet for printable coloring pags and mazes to add to the fun. You can try the child oriented site Kaboose to get you started.

Let the children showcase their costume with a Halloween story/play hour. When the children arrive you can set up a story or play stage in any room. Simply line a part of a wall with orange and black streamers marking the stage area. Of course you can embellish the stage setting based on your time and budget. Let the children sit in a circle and bring in the adults. Start with the first child and let them begin a story based on their costume. When the next child stands, let them add to the story, but incorporate now their own costume, then so on and so on. This is a nice way to let the child have fun with their outfits and interact with their imaginations. Once you get a few children going, be ready to catch their giggle bug. Children and laughter, with the spark of their imagination can be a party in itself.

Use this holiday to bring back the excitement of Halloween. You can plan your party to coincide with trick or treat, or use it in lieu of trick or treat in unsafe areas. Some towns no longer have the trick or treat hours. Parties for the neighborhood will be a great way to keep the spooky fun alive, regardless of regulations. Have a happy Halloween filled with surprises, spooky moments, and laughter!