I love throwing a Halloween Party for kids! My youngest was born right before Halloween (I was actually wondering if I’d be Trick of Treating in the Hospital). So… a Halloween Themed Birthday seems like a natural. But it also works as a regular Party. It turns out, planning a Halloween Party kids will love isn’t that hard!
Now remember, these are little kids… so there will be no Bloody Axe Murderers, Zombie Brain Eaters or Scary Headless Ghosts jumping out at anyone! Instead.. I came up with a party loaded with Halloween fun, but still tame enough for a 7 year old to sleep without a night light afterwards.
There are easy party organizing instructions, decoration ideas, links to easy Cupcake recipes, plus there are fun Halloween games, Halloween activities, and some food, and Halloween Party music ideas to make the Halloween theme come alive.
This works as a Birthday Party, but also works as a regular old Halloween Party for Kids!
Quick Look at Contents
- Planning a Halloween Party Kids will LOVE
- Halloween Kids Party Invitations
- Kids Halloween Party Decorations
- Easy Halloween Party Food Ideas Kids will LOVE
- Halloween Party Games Children Will Have FUN Playing!
- Halloween Party Activities for Kids
- Halloween Photo Booth!
- Halloween Party Cupcakes!
- FINALLY……My Teen Helpers.
Planning a Halloween Party Kids will LOVE
(Get out Your Spiral Notebook) I’m a firm believer in the spiral notebook for party planning. I make lists of everything. Guest list and RSVPs, decorations, games (and accessories needed for games), favors,and foods (along with a prep schedule). Everything goes in the notebook.
You will need…
-a guest list
-invitations
-decorations
-games
-food
-Beverages
-activities
-party favors
-cake or cupcakes!
My Most Important Piece of Advice!!!
It’s a party.. it’s supposed to be fun. Get help… Hire a Teenager, or do a swap with another Parent.
Don’t do more than you feel comfortable doing!
Remember to laugh.. no one will notice if something is not right, unless YOU tell them ( unless, of course, the house burning down, in which case it’s fairly obvious)
Halloween Kids Party Invitations
Halloween Themed Child Party Invitations – Fill In Style (20 Count) With Envelopes by m&h invites
You can go a couple different ways with the Invitations….
1. Make your own.
2. Buy pre-printed invites
3. Use E-vite
Totally up to you. I do find that kids LOVE getting something in the mailbox, and having that invitation pinned up on the refrigerator adds to their excitement.
What Goes on the Invitation?
Time, address, your phone number, if it’s a birthday party add your kid’s age (“Maya is turning 7!) Standard invitation information.
Whether or not kids should wear a costume.
Let them know if there will be an Active Party! (Jumpy Houses can be tricky in some costumes)
50 Halloween Costume Party Invitations, Kids or Adults Birthday Halloween Party Invites, Monster Trunk or Treat or Trick or Treat Party Invitation, Pumpkin InviteFamily Friendly Halloween Scared Silly Invitations Party Favour, Paper, 6Monster Costume Halloween Themed Party Invitations – Fill In Style (20 Count) With Envelopes by m&h invites
Kids Halloween Party Decorations
You want to give your Halloween Party an atmosphere that screams Halloween… but doesn’t make the kids scream in fear. (In other words… no bloody zombies with an axe).
Get out the Pumpkins and Jack o Lanterns! Use Glow Sticks to light them up (candles can cause fire, especially with loads of kids running around).
Go with some spider webs and little plastic spiders… and Plastic bats hanging from the ceiling.
Halloween Light Strings are great for inside the house AND outside!
Because we wanted to do some active games, we cleared the floor and hung streamers to the center of the room, and loaded the center with balloons. Perfect for Freeze Dance and the costume contest.
Beistle Packaged Tissue Festooning, 25-FeetDECORA 100 Pieces 12 Inches Halloween Party Balloons in 19 Types for Halloween Party DecorativeDurable The Holiday Aisle Freestanding Halloween Inflatable Castle Arch with Pumpkin and Ghost Decoration
Easy Halloween Party Food Ideas Kids will LOVE
You decide how much you want to do. The timing of the party may also dictate the menu. If the party is in the middle of the afternoon, you are under no obligation to give anyone a meal, Cake or Cupcakes are plenty. But… if the party runs over lunch… hungry kids get cranky. Uck. And you DON’T want hungry cranky kids.
An easy trick is give regular foods a Halloween name… or doctor it up with food color to make it look “icky” (but not toooooo icky, you don’t want to be stuck with a lot of leftovers because kids were scared to try the “brain pudding”) (yup, that was a fail)
Some Ideas-
Pumpkin or Bat Shaped Sugar Cookies
Sausage Mummies – basically, Pigs in a Blanket, but cut the strips of dough very thin to make bandages on the mini-hot dogs
Monster Eyes!- just melon balls and grapes.
Fried Worms- Hot dogs with BBQ sauce… find the recipe HERE
For more ideas…. Check this page–> Halloween Party Food Ideas Kids will LOVE to Eat
or check one of these Recipe Books…
Halloween Recipes: 100 Spooky Recipes for Creepy Halloween Fun (2016 Edition)Betty Crocker Halloween CookbookHalloween Party Recipes
Halloween Beverages for Kids
Go ahead and give the kids juice boxes… or cups of water (I like to label cups with a sharpie so I don’t have to keep handing out new cups to kids who can’t remember which is theirs)
Of course, these Mocktails are loads of fun too..
10 Easy Halloween Party Mocktails recipes
Halloween Party Games Children Will Have FUN Playing!
Keeping kids busy, in a constructive way, is a great way to keep the party from getting out of hand.
From the simple sit down games like BINGO to the more Active (read that as … burn off the craziness) games like Freeze Dance, there are loads of great games for kids.
My suggestion- always plan two more games than you think you will have time for. Some games fall flat, others just go faster than expected. Having a few extra ideas in your back of tricks helps.
I also like to have a few “passive” games… fill some jars with candy, and let the kids guess how many are in the jar. (If you have a few jars, it spreads the wins around… you decide if you want to let a kid win more than one).
Print and Play Games are great for groups of all sizes!
Fun Express Inflatable Spider Ring Toss GameJack-O-Lantern Bean Bag Toss GameHalloween Spoon Game
Halloween Party Activities for Kids
Games are fun, but it’s also nice to have some non-competitive activities to keep kids busy. I like to set up a coloring table for kids to color masks for themselves while waiting for all the other children to arrive.
Put out plain “goodie bag” bags, and let each child decorate their own.
Pumpkin decorating is also fun. Buy a bunch of little pumpkins… and let kids go crazy decorating with googly eyes, feathers, stamps, markers, and even paint.
Orange Paper Goody Bags – Orange Treat SacksFoam Pumpkin Decorations Craft Kit Makes 12 Pumpkins
Halloween Photo Booth!
Do you have a photo printer at home? Why not set up a cute photo booth for the kids? Just choose a space to put up a background… supply props… and let the kids ham it up! It’s a good idea to put one of your helpers in charge of the photo booth, both taking pictures and printing them up.
Another quick way of doing this is to use an Instant Film Camera…
Don’t want to print them right away? Go ahead and take photos, and have the best ones developed later (they go well in thank you notes!)
&
Halloween Photo Booth Props, 10pcHalloween Masks, Halloween Photo Booth Props, Party Decorations,NO DIY REQUIRED, on a stick ready to be used by usa-sales
Halloween Party Cupcakes!
Who doesn’t love a cupcake? Whether you bake or buy, cupcakes are great for parties.
One thing I’ve learned though… it’s best to keep them small for kids. Giving the really hungry kid a second cupcake is better than throwing away a lot of big cupcakes that only have a few bites taken out of them.
Here are some fun cupcakes you can make yourself… without a lot of baking and decorating skills!
Monster Eye Cupcakes
Spider Cupcakes
Graveyard Cupcakes
FINALLY……
My Teen Helpers.
I couldn’t have done it without them… They helped keep the party running smoothly, handled games, and occupied the kids who were waiting their turn. They also helped set up the party, and more importantly, clean up after!
Make sure to PAY your helpers, their time is valuable, and they will work harder if they know you think so. Agree on an amount, and make sure they get some cupcakes or treats too.
Now! Go Get Ready for your Halloween Party!
