Halloween is most definitely a sugar-saturated holiday that beckons to kids with crazy costumes and the anticipation of all that goes into a great night of trick-or-treating. However, that doesn’t mean the adults can’t get in on the fun too. There’s no rule in the book that says that Halloween fun for kids is limited to a one-night-only event. A great way to keep the holiday fun going is to a host a kid’s Halloween party! While this takes some effort in the planning department, putting together an unforgettable Halloween event at home with your children and their friends is a path to creating life-long memories as well. The following are five tips for hosting a Halloween party for kids, and creating a moment they’ll always remember.
Put pumpkin safety first
The first thing that tends to come to mind when planning a Halloween party is the option to carve a pumpkin! Putting those finishing touches on a great jack-o-lantern can be super satisfying; however, when it comes to planning a kid’s party, it’s important to put safety first. While older kids may be ok with carving a pumpkin under adult supervision, younger children are definitely going to need alternative options. Luckily, there is an easy solution to this.
Put away the carving knives and pull out the paint! Just as fun as carving, and definitely a lot more colorful, putting a Paint Your Own Pumpkin center at your child’s Halloween party is going to keep your guest’s attention and boost a creative, Halloween spirit as well. Be sure to have a lot of color options, a good tarp and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Then sit back and watch your kids go wild. Consider adding googly eyes for them to glue on as well if they don’t feel like drawing or painting on faces.
Put a new face on an old item
The beauty of hosting a kid’s Halloween party is that they don’t require name-brand items to be entertained. In fact, you can likely find loads of party projects, activities and décor just by looking at things that might already be lying around the house ready to use. For example, try saving up milk cartons or jugs a few weeks before the party, and then let your little guests put silly or scary faces on them with construction paper to create a DIY ghost that can be carried around.
Figuring out the favors
You’ve got the perfect party planned out, and now all that is left is figuring out what to give as a party favor. You know that Halloween means children are going to be overloaded with sugar and candy as it is. In an effort to keep things a little bit more on the healthy side, why not try wrapping popcorn in orange cellophane and tying it up with green ribbon. This is not only a delicious and possibly more nutritious carry-home bag, but it sticks seamlessly to the Halloween theme.
Bring it home in a bag
If the popcorn, pumpkin wrap up isn’t going to be enough to satisfy your child’s Halloween party guests, make an activity out of the final party favor. Start by lining up alternating black and orange bags on your kitchen countertop. Explain that guests will have the opportunity to decorate their own go-home bag and then place both the decorations to use, as well as the candy to fill the bags with on the counter. If your home has granite countertops, this could be the perfect moment to decorate with orange twinkle lights. This will draw attention to the activity and also play really well off of the natural tones granite countertops have, especially in dim lighting, creating an eerie effect!
Keep it cute
While Halloween can inspire both the cute and the creepy, when it comes to hosting a kid’s Halloween party, it’s advisable to keep it on the cute side. While some children are brave when it comes to Halloween, there’s no predicting what might be scary to a child. You want children to have fun and avoid the fear factor when they’re little, so sticking to pumpkins, silly ghosts and cute creatures would be advisable.
For example, instead of hanging anything scary inside the house, try adding a lot of orange and black balloons. This will give a floating effect, but with friendly faces drawn on in black or orange marker, children will be more likely to have fun with your décor, than becoming wary of what’s flying near the ceiling. Additionally, you can choose games that focus more on decoration creation or showing off costumes than anything spooky like hide and go seek. By putting all of these tips and tricks into action, you’ll be sure to have created an incredible Halloween party that your kid guests will be raving about for Halloweens to come.