How to Have a Fantastic Halloween Without Trick or Treating
By: Rachael Hope
Tags: Family, Holidays, Parenting, Halloween, Life

Activities

Haunted houses and costume parades may be off the table this year, but there are plenty of activities you can do from the comfort of your own home to celebrate. From silly and fun to hair-raisingly scary, these activities will have your entire family in the spooky spirit in no time.

Frightful Fashion Show

What better time to put all of those past costumes, dress-up clothes, fancy outfits, hats, and props to use? Set up a place to walk and then go to town. Who can come up with the most creative costume? The silliest? What about the scariest? Take photos or video and share it with your friends and family on social media, and challenge them to a showdown on the (black) catwalk!

Pumpkin Pinata

Halloween is really all about the candy for most kids, and not getting home with a pillowcase laden with assorted treats is a disappointment. Craft a pumpkin pinata (or buy one if you’re not the crafty type or don’t have time) and let the kids go to town!

Monster Movie Marathon/Home Horror Theater

Streaming services are ripe with Halloween movies for kids of all ages, from It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown to The Witches to Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown. For teens and older kids there are classics like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. Pop some popcorn, turn the lights down, and get in the spirit. Short on ideas? Whether you’re looking for family friendly, funny, or terrifying, these lists have you covered:

Spider Egg Hunt

If you’re like me, somewhere in your house is a cache of little plastic eggs that only get used once a year. Now is your time! With a little imagination, Easter bunny eggs become spider eggs filled with Halloween candy. Get creative and hide them around the house or in the yard, filled with candy, creepy crawly toys, slime, and other tricks and treats.

Creepy Coloring Contest

There are tons of websites that offer free printable coloring sheets and other activities. In our house, coloring is something we can all enjoy together, and it’s super fun to all color the same page and see how different they come out. Come up with prizes for the most creative, most unusual, most different, or neatest coloring and hang the winners on the walls.

Scary Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are super fun, and can be adjusted in difficulty depending on the age of your kids. Come up with your own Halloween-themed clues, or search online for one of many available pre-created scavenger hunt ideas. Everyone loves a good mystery, and the satisfaction of solving it.

Make a Mask

If you’re avoiding the stores this year, but the kids still want to dress up, it’s the perfect time to craft your own masks! This slideshow has links to mask tutorials and printables for every level of crafting. This is also a great activity for families who don’t have a stash of costumes from years past.

Indoors Trick-or-Treat

Especially if you’ve got young children at home, this can be a great alternative! How many doors do you have in your house? Decorate each door a little differently — maybe choose spiders in one place, pumpkins in another, and witches on a third. Turn out the lights and use some lanterns, and have your kiddo knock on each door to trick-or-treat from the warmth of home!