Top 5 alternative things to do for Halloween with kids amidst a global pandemic

Babeeta Nagra
Oct 4, 2020
5 min read

Updated: Nov 22, 2020

preface

Here's to another day of routine...wake up feed the kids; bottles, snacks and constant entertaining. Fall is here and its been seven months working from home. Halloween is just around the corner and I was looking forward to the festive school activities, a party at work, taking the kids trick-or-treating and of course hiring the babysitter for a weekend of fun with the hubby. Those plans are out the window now, as the CDC and health officials caution against gatherings and the traditional style trick-or-treating. What is a parent to do?

A few months ago, my eldest little love said she was so excited to go trick-or-treating and even mentioned she wanted to dress like a mermaid. Last year, was the first year she actually remembers Halloween. In her little mind, Halloween is getting together with friends and asking people to give her candy. It means having a really extravagant school event filled with picking pumpkins, decorating with candy, eating lots of popcorn and watching Halloween movies. It means visiting our local pumpkin farm with her friends and riding a hay ride. Halloween for us is a big deal. It's actually my favorite holiday of the year; so in turn I have tried to make it a big deal for my kids. This year, I have gone back and fourth as to what to do with the kids and my spouse for my favorite time of the year. I think I've come up with a few clever ways we can be safe but still keep the Halloween Spirit alive.

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Top 5 Fun things to do for the kids on Halloween

Check out my other post on:

Top 5 things to do for adults on Halloween

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With the CDC and health officials advising against the traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating and masquerade balls; here are a few alternative options to keeping the Halloween spirit alive...

Top 5 fun things to do for the kids on Halloween

1. Halloween Hunt Monster Mash

If you have a close circle of friends, neighbors or family that you're comfortable hanging out invite them over for a social distanced Halloween scavenger hunt. If you want to make it a very intimate event just keep it to your immediate family. Planning a Halloween Hunt can be the perfect way to celebrate Halloween safely this year and will be a great distraction for the kids thinking about the traditional door-to-door trick or treating. It might require a little more effort on your part, but will have a big payoff when everyone comes out healthy and having lots of fun

A few fun ideas for the perfect Halloween Hunt Monster Mash:

Ambiance- set a spooky mood by playing a scary playlist (favorites spooky tunes for the kids include: Wiggly Halloween by The Wiggles, Kidz Bop Halloween Hits by KIDZ BOP kids, and Halloween at the Pumpkin Patch by Halloween Music)

Things to Hide/Do - to make life for you easy, head over to your nearest Dollar store or Target. They have perfect Halloween decor that will help you create the spookiest of hunts. I have listed and linked some items below to help you decide what your Halloween monsters can search for or do during their Halloween scavenger hunt. Depending on the weather or the size of your yard, you can send your kids on a hunt in the home or in the garden by hiding a list of spooky surprises. If your kids are over 5, make it even more fun by having them take a selfie with each surprise! The bonus here is that you'll get some fun photos of Halloween 2020 style!

Things Hide:

-Witches Hat

-Tombstone

-Skull

-Ghost

-Bat

-Broomstick

-Pumpkin

-Full sized candy/snacks

Things to do:

-Bobbing for apples - set up a bucket with apples

-Build a scarecrow - grab some newspaper and clothes and have your kids

build a scarecrow

-Paint a pumpkin - using craft paint or even craft stickers have your kids

decorate their pumpkins

-Halloween crafts - have the kids build their own haunted houses (kit

linked below), build ghosts or make fun decorations.

2. Costume Parade

The fun of Halloween is dressing up. So if your doing a DIY costume, something old or store bought; let the kids show off their spooky suits with a costume parade. This can easily be done virtually or with the neighborhood block. If you're worried about keeping a distance, each family can take their turn walking down the block. Set up some spooky fun music, add in a fog machine and strobe lights and you'll have your kids jumping with fun. Take it one step further and set up a virtual poll so all neighbors can vote for the family with the best costume!

3. Neighborhood Trunk or Treat

If your like me and your kids have been playing in the street with other kids on the block; see if your neighborhood parents would want to take part in a neighborhood trunk or treat. Those participating neighbors can open up their trunks and leave treats out for the kids. Kids can walk to each of the neighbors trunks to fill their bags with the treats they choose to have. Take it one step further and you can decorate your car trunk with different themes to make it spooky, scary or just sweet depending on the age of your children. Set a time during the early evening or into the dark night for your kids to take part.

4. Halloween Decoration Extravaganza

Don't feel like getting outside for Halloween, take to your neighborhood Nextdoor App or connect with your neighbors and see if some are willing to decorate their homes. Make it a challenge for the entire street and have everyone participate by making their house the spookiest on the street. Have your neighborhood participate in a virtual poll. The house that wins the best decorations gets bragging rights to be the Haunted House on the street!

5. Quaint Spooky Retreat

It's okay to not want to spend time in others company; here's a creative way for you to make an in-home spooky experience for the kids. You can plan this as an indoor or outdoor retreat the choice is up to you! One thing is for sure, this will excite the kids and your family.

What you'll need:

Start by setting up either a tent or teepees (If you want to include the entire family, set up a few so you will all fit in)
decorate the teepees with cobwebs, spiders, pumpkins, skeletons and bats; make them as scary as you need
set up the TV near the tents or if you have a tablet to watch a movie that will work too
choose your favorite family friendly movie
popcorn, dinner, drinks - choose your favorite snacks to have in this space
Once everything is all set up; spend the time you would've been trick-or-treating watching a fun Halloween movie in this new fun space in your house