While trick-or-treating is the big thing to do for Halloween, many people don’t like to celebrate the holiday that way, or they may want to do more things than just taking their kids out all dressed up. Trick-or-treating does generally last just one day and many people want to do more for the holiday.
Pumpkin Painting Fun
Many people carve pumpkins, but if you don’t want to deal with the mess, try painting them! Get some small pumpkins, craft paint, old newspaper, and paintbrushes of various sizes and paint the jack-o-lanterns with silly or scary faces. You can even take it a step farther and decorate them with glued on rhinestones, fake eyelashes, bows, hats, and more! The best part is that they can be washed and used for Thanksgiving and even Christmas decorations.
Grave Rubbings
It may seem really spooky, but you can give your kids an educational Halloween by taking them to a graveyard and doing headstone rubbings. You can ask your kids how old the person was when they died based on the dates listed on the marker. Do an alphabet search by calling out a certain letter and having kids find a name that begins with the letter you said. Look for the graves of someone famous or someone that was related to your family in some way.
Scary Movie Night- Family Style
Family movie night is a great bonding experience and you can make it a spooky one for Halloween. Have a family movie night where you watch Halloween related movies, or even scary flicks (based on your child’s age and maturity level). You can make Halloween goodies to snack on and decorate for Halloween inside your home. Try building a fort or make a pallet out of blankets for the whole family to relax and snuggle together on in case the movie gets a little too intense!
Plan a Party
Instead of running around all night in a costume, stay home and party in one- and invite your friends and family over to join you. Yes, plan a Halloween party! You can go all out and make your home into a spooky haunted house, go with a theme for the night, or even just have a low-key event with snacks, music, and a costume contest. Have fun!
Got to a Haunted Maze
Corn mazes pop up in the Fall, and many are “haunted” for Halloween. Attend one and bring along some hot apple cider, popped corn, and other Fall favorite snacks to enjoy the maze with your family and friends. If you have younger kids, look at mazes that offer kids’ days to make it less expensive on you and less scary for the little ones in your group.
