Hosting a kids’ Halloween party can be a ton of fun without too much work – as long as you put some planning behind it. Today, we’re sharing our top 10 tips for throwing a kid-friendly Halloween party. It doesn’t need to take a lot of work; with a little planning, you can throw a hassle-free kids Halloween bash without a hitch.
Here are our tips:
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Tip #1: Make your guest list
How many kids you invite totally depends on where you’re hosting and how much you want to take on. If you’re planning a lot of activities or hosting in a smaller space, you might want to keep the guest list small. But, if you have a large area to work with or are encouraging parents or other adults to stick around and help out, then invite whoever you want!
When making your list, keep these guests in mind:
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- Classmates
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- Out-of-school/daycare friends
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- Sports/extracurricular buddies (dance, hockey, soccer, gymnastics, music, etc.)
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- Neighbourhood kids
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- Younger cousins
- Church/Sunday school friends
Tip #2: Choose the right length for your party
Young kids get tired quickly! And tired kids = cranky, whiny kids. Spare yourself the extra Advil and keep the party short and sweet. We recommend sticking to 2-3 hours long, max. This, of course, depends on what kind of games and activities you have planned. We suggest figuring out how long you want the party to be first. Then, adjust your games and activities accordingly.
Tip #3: Plan a costume contest
Kids love to dress up for Halloween, and as a parent, I’d be thrilled that my little one got to wear their costume more than once, considering how pricey costumes can be. If you want guests to show up in costume or are planning a costume party, be sure to include this information on your invitation. Which leads us to our next tip…
Tip #4: Send out fun Halloween invitations
Send out a fun Halloween invitation to get guests excited for your event! We have several kid-friendly Halloween invitations in our Etsy shop. Skip the free or generic invitations online – chances are, everyone has already received one of those at some point, or it will end up in a junk folder somewhere. A unique, fun invitation will stand out and make your guests want to come to your party.
Tip #5: Pick appropriate decor
Again, depending on the age range of the kids you are inviting, you’ll want to make sure your decor is age-appropriate. Skip the bloody, gory, scary decorations for kids nine and under – they’ll end up wanting to turn around and run out the door instead!
Your Halloween decorations don’t need to cost a lot, either! There are a ton of great, cheap DIY options on Pinterest to check out, like DIY trash-bag spiderwebs, ghosts in a jar, or floating witches hat luminaries.
Other things that make for easy and affordable Halloween decorations include:
- Cobwebs
- Plastic cauldrons to put snacks into
- Halloween tablecloths
- Black lace spiderweb mantel decorations
- This fun Halloween flameless candelabra
- Hanging decorations
- Adorable Halloween banners
- Don’t forget cute Halloween plates, napkins, cutlery and cups!
Tip #6: Plan some age-appropriate activities
Be mindful of how long guests will be at your party. Have several games and activities lined up to keep your little ghouls and goblins entertained. We recommend the following games and activities:
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- Dollar store Halloween crafts
- Halloween spoon game
- Halloween graveyard roll
We’ve saved lots of fun ideas to our Halloween Pinterest board, so be sure to check it out for more ideas and inspiration!
Tip #7: Choose a mix of sweet and healthy treats
Halloween is definitely the season of sugar overload! While kids love Halloween candies and treats, we also encourage you to have a mix of healthy and sweet treats at your party. That sugar crash and too much fun is a recipe for disaster! And, don’t forget to ask about food allergies when guests RSVP!
Some of our favourite “sweet treat” ideas:
Some of our favourite “healthier” Halloween ideas:
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- Monster mouths (sandwich some mini marshmallows between two apple slices)
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- Make your own Halloween-themed trail mix
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- Purple grape and cantaloupe kebabs
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- Deviled “ghoul” eggs
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- Witches brooms (pretzels with fringed cheese on the bottom)
- Clementine pumpkins and banana ghosts
Those are just some of our favourite ideas! We have a lot more on our Pinterest Halloween board, so take a look there for even more Halloween treat and food ideas.
Tip #8: Take some fun photos
Be sure to capture all the fun! We think it’s a cute idea to set up a little Halloween photo booth. You can buy some really cute photo booth props on Etsy or Amazon to use.
Just be sure that if you are taking pictures and thinking of sharing them on social media, check with parents first before posting to make sure they’re OK with their child’s picture being posted. Not all parents want their kid’s face showing up on Facebook or Instagram.
Tip #9: Encourage parents to stay if you need some extra help
If you have a lot of kids at the party or are planning a lot of games and activities that might require some extra assistance, ask some parents to stay and help out. Just remember that if you do, have a count of how many will be attending the party. Make sure you account for extra food and drinks for the adults staying to help out.
Tip #10: Have a fun party favour waiting at the door
Our last tip is to have a little takeaway at the door for guests as they’re leaving. We like an alternative to Halloween candy, since they’re going to be getting a ton of it in the coming weeks. Think something fun like a small craft from the Dollar store, Halloween stickers or glow sticks for Halloween night.
- a small Halloween craft kit
- Halloween stickers
- glow sticks for Halloween night.
- Halloween wind-up toys
- Foam Halloween masks
- Halloween light-up wands (also good for trick or treating!)
- Halloween finger puppets
- Halloween pencils with cute erasers
It doesn’t have to be big – just a tiny favour to say “thanks for coming.”
We hope you enjoyed our top 10 tips for planning a kids Halloween party! Please share this on Pinterest if you enjoyed the tips we’ve shared, and don’t forget to follow our Halloween Pinterest board for lots of other great Halloween ideas.
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Awesome! So glad you found it helpful, and thanks for leaving a comment. Hope your Halloween party is a blast!