So I suckered myself into helping plan and supervise my son’s class Halloween Party. I just couldn’t leave that blank line unfilled on the sign-up sheet! Though I did myself a huge favor by abstaining from classroom celebrations for the rest of the year… I’m pretty sure.
There are other parents signed up to provide snacks, drinks, cups/plates/napkins, “prizes”, and to donate supplies for the games, which is really nice that I will (hopefully) only need to worry about planning and gathering and executing. It’s a short time slot as far as holiday parties go, so we shouldn’t need much. Maybe three-or-so “stations” with fun activities, then send everyone home full of sugar!
I would prefer to avoid the standard “monster hands” (a.k.a. hairdresser gloves filled with stale popcorn that all children have touched, probably after picking their noses), bobbing for apples (a.k.a. let’s shake our heads like dogs and spray water everywhere and why would I want to eat an apple when there’s ten-tons of candy laying around?!), and the gross-out-fake-outs (cooked spaghetti as worms, peeled grapes as eyeballs, etc.). There’s not enough space for a “haunted” hallway, themed relay-type races, or other large-movement activities (sorry, toilet-paper-mummy game!). So after searching online for ideas, I think I’ve settled on three pretty solid and entertaining activities for the party. I hope they go over well with the kids!
Pin the Face on the Pumpkin
Classic! Gunner suggested this one. We’ll separate the kids into groups for each “station”, and I thought we could have some Jack-O-Lantern face shapes cut out and as a group they would be blindfolded one-at-a-time and each would get a different face piece to place, and see the Picasso-esque end result!
“We were looking for a different take on the bean bag toss, so I made a game out of a cardboard box, some fabric scraps, and fabric paint. Basically, kids throw spider beanbags into a ‘web’ with holes. Web Box: The easiest way to make this is to spray paint the box black, paint on a web with with 3-dimensional fabric paint, and then go back and cut 5 or 6 holes between the webbing, evenly spaced around the spider web. Spider bean bags: Cut two circles of black fabric and 8 little spider legs for each spider. Pin circles right sides together, pin top of 4 legs to each side (right and left sides) of spider body, remembering to pin the top of the leg to the outer edges to be sewn (don’t pin the foot there). Stitch around edges, leaving a 2 inch opening for turning. Turn the spider body right side out, making sure all of the legs have been stitched on correctly. Fill with dried beans and slipstitched closed.”
“Supplies needed: At least 2 balloons for each child, Enough ‘treats’ for each balloon to have one. Add the ‘treat’ inside each balloon and blow up. Tie the balloon. Dump all the balloons on the floor and tell the children how MANY they may pop. The children must pop the balloons by sitting on them and bouncing. Treat ideas: spider or other types of rings, candy, mini balls, anything small that will fit inside a balloon.”
Be sure to check out the linked pages above for more of the “runner-up” suggestions, including Pumpkin Bowling, Yarn Spider Web, and Bugs on a Log. If you have some great ideas for kids’ Halloween party fun & games, I would love to hear them!
Those sound like great ideas. I’m sure the kids will love it.