Halloween Party Ideas for Kids, Part 1 of 2

Halloween is coming and with the cool fall Chicago weather and fun costumes, it’s always a favorite time of year for kids and adults alike! Having a Halloween party for the kids is a wonderful way to let them get creative, show off their costumes, have a ton of fun together, and make some great memories.

Here are a few Halloween party ideas for kids to help get the party started:

1. Have a Halloween Jinx

When they arrive, everyone at the party gets the same list of 3-5 words that no one can use during the party. When someone hears someone else use one of the words, they yell “Jinx!” (or any Halloween word you choose, like “Boo!”), and whoever said the word gets their list taken and is out of the game (they can still call Jinx though!). The last person who didn’t say one of the words wins.

You don’t want the words to be too common but you’ll want to use words that are likely to come up a few times throughout the party. A few ideas (especially if they can integrate with other games you’re playing at the party): candy, ghost, night, boo, costume, pumpkin, Halloween.

2. Take a Stab at Halloween Guess Who

Put a Halloween twist on an old classic icebreaker to get everyone talking to and laughing with each other. Tape character types (“vampire”) or names (“Dracula”) to the back of each child’s shirt. They take turns going around to different people asking a yes or no question to try to figure out who or what they are. A few ideas to get you started for general character types: ghost, werewolf, monster, zombie, pumpkin, witch, black cat, mummy, mad scientist, clown, skeleton. Some ideas for more specific characters could include: Casper the Friendly Ghost, Frankenstein, Freddy Krueger, and the Headless Horseman.

3. Play the Hot Pumpkin Passing Game

Much like the classic Hot Potato game, grab a mini pumpkin (or two or more if there are a lot of kids) and have the kids pass them around while the Halloween music is playing. They can get a little silly with adding in some twists and turns if they want before passing it off – but if they are the ones caught holding a pumpkin when the music comes to a stop, they’re out!

4. Do the Freeze Dance Monster Mash

Get all the kids in their best costume amidst some awesome spooky Halloween decorations of spiderwebs and bubbling, smoking cauldrons, dim the lights and put on the flashing strobe lights, then play some great Halloween dancing tunes. It’ll be quite the Halloween scene as the kids do their best moves – until the music stops! Anyone who moves when the music isn’t playing is out and gets to watch everyone doing their moves until the last dancer is still on the floor. Bonus points for a winner’s dance pose! This is a great way to really kick off the party and get some awesome photos.

Happy Halloween party!

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