Kids love Halloween surprises, as long as they aren’t too scary. While most adults are never too old to enjoy a frightfully good time, those tender in years aand in heart do have their limits. Fortunately, haunted houses don’t have to be ghoulish to keep the little ones entertained. With that in mind, we’ve brewed up a few creative kid-friendly haunted house ideas for decor, games, aand treats.
Decorate The House. Have fun with the decorations, without making them too spooky for the kids. Glow-in-the-dark spider, bat, aand witch decals are scary, without being over the top. Fog machines add an eerie touch to doorways. Black lights are an easy way to make white clothing glow in the dark, while bringing fun designs created with fluorescent paints to life. Let your kids get in on the decorating by filling carved pumpkins with glow sticks for a spooky effect.
Decorate The Kids. Set up a face painting station near your front door. As children arrive at the party, let them decide what they want displayed on their faces. Whether it’s a witch, a black cat, or a ghost, it’s not quite as scary when kids participate in the face painting themselves! Or, let them explore their fantasies aand transform into a favorite hero, character, or historical figure. Face painting is often more comfortable than donning a mask, aand it’s safer for those going trick-or-treating afterwards.
Fun And Games. Instead of having witches, ghouls, aand monsters ready to scare the kids, invite them to play a fun aand friendly game – rewarding them with stickers, jewelry, or sweet treats. Give carnival games a Halloween twist, like tossing glow-in-the-dark rings over broomstick haandles, pulling the correct frog from a kiddie pool filled with goo, or pinning a nose on a pumpkin. If you have a large home or a big backyard, you’ve got the perfect place for a Halloween scavenger hunt. Give children a list of spooky items to find, like a witch hat, a spider hanging from a tree, or skeletons.
Terrifyingly Tasty Treats. If there’s a fireplace or outdoor fire pit available, let the kids munch to entertaining ghost stories, while being warmed by the fire. Serve up creepy crawly Jell-O cups by pouring different colors of gelatin into small clear cups, adding gummy worms before the mixture hardens. Make ghost cupcakes by frosting chocolate cupcakes with a whipped white frosting or whipped cream. Swirl frosting on the cupcake, then use chocolate chips to add eyes aand a mouth. Serve punch from a witch’s cauldron, using a fog machine to make it look like you’re brewing up something good!
Entertain your little ghouls aand goblins with new surprises around every corner, fun games, aand tasty treats. Bring the fun – without the fright – to your kids’ Halloween party this year.