If you're hosting a kids' Halloween party, plan games that get kids moving—the better to burn off those candy-coated calories and high-fructose energy!
1. Monster Freeze Dance
Put on "Monster Mash" and other
seasonal tunes. Have kids show off their silliest monster dance moves—but they must freeze in place when the tunes turn off!
2. Snap Apple
Instead of bobbing for apples in a bucket of water (which can really wreak havoc on costumes or face paint!), have kids try to "snap" a bite from an apple hanging on a string. You'll need apples with stems—tie the string to the stem, then loop it around a tree branch (outside) or a broomstick or suspension curtain rod (inside).3. Relay Races
Get creative with this one—there are lots of silly ways for kids to get from the starting line to the finish! Try having them stagger like zombies, fly on broomsticks like witches, or hop like toads. They can also carry a
Halloween-themed snack. Or stage a
costume relay for guaranteed silly results.
4. Pumpkin Bowling
Choose smallish pumpkins with short stems (depending on the ages of your party guests). Set up 1- or 2-liter
plastic bottles and tape off a starting line for an instant bowling alley. Fill the bottles with a bit of sand or rice if they topple over too easily. You can also have kids decorate the bottles with stickers, markers, and other art materials.
5. Skeleton Scavenger Hunt
Have kids roam the yard or the house on the hunt for skeleton parts (cut from paper, or plastic ones purchased from a toy store or craft shop). For an extra challenge, see if the party guests can reassemble their bony treasures into a complete skeleton set.6. Musical Pumpkins
Cut pumpkin shapes from construction paper and arrange them on the floor; kids must move from pumpkin to pumpkin while music plays, just like in musical chairs. To keep kids from being excluded, allow them to share pumpkins as you remove a pumpkin for each round. By the end of the game, all the kids have to squeeze onto one spot. For variety, you could also use spider webs, tombstones, or witchy cauldrons for targets.7. Wiggle Worm
This goofy race requires kids to work together (and stick together) as a team. Divide the group into two equal teams. Teams must line up and form a "worm." The person at the front of the line reaches his left hand between his legs; the player behind him grabs it with her right hand; and so on all the way to the end of the line. When you say "Go" (or "Boo!"), each tteam must run to a goal line and back. Whichever team gets back first is the winner—but only if their worm is still intact!8. Ghostcatcher
Challenge kids to decorate a pumpkin without being nabbed by the
ghostcatcher!
