Halloween is a perfect holiday for the young and young at heart – but sometimes, it can be challenging for kids who scare easily. While you may want to break out your most ghoulish and gruesome costumes and decor, this can often leave more sensitive youngsters feeling frightened. To create an event that is fun and not so scary so as to upset young children, here are a few party ideas:
Make Photo Memories with a Backdrop
One great idea is to create spooky, but non-threatening Halloween backdrops that kids can have their pictures taken in front of. By giving them the chance to have their picture taken, they can look back fondly and without fear, on all their holiday memories! One fun pre-party activity could be to have your kids design the backdrop themselves with less-than-scary monsters of their own creation!
SignArtEtc has a variety of banners and backdrops that can be custom-designed with your Halloween graphics. Our team of professional designers will do the layout at no extra cost – just send us your images and we’ll do the rest! Visit our online store to learn more.
Decorate with seasonal flair
Rather than going with party decor that involves spider webs, blood or other violent or frightening images, try playing up more seasonal aspects of the holiday. Scatter dried red, yellow and orange leaves around the party area and feature pumpkins, apples and hay. Balloons in Halloween colors of orange, red or black are also a great addition, as with more abstract decorations like witch hats, black cat cutouts and tissue-paper ghosts.
If you do want to evoke slightly scary, monster-themed imagery, opt for more cartoonish depictions where the monsters are smiling and friendly, making them more cuddly than terrifying.
Avoid ‘scary’ costumes and party games
When throwing a party with kids in mind, it’s OK to ask guests to avoid coming dressed in gory or fearsome costumes. Choosing a theme for your party can help attendees come up with less frightening alternatives to a scary costume. Instead of ghouls or monsters, why not have your guests come in antiquated garb or dressed as historical figures? For kids’ costumes, princesses, princes, superheroes and other popular culture figures can be an excellent alternative. At the end of the night, you can hold a costume contest and announce winners for various categories.
While party games like reaching into a bowl of peeled grapes may have been staples of a different era of childhood, there are plenty of other fun activities that don’t rely on scares. Here are a few alternatives:
- Beanbag toss or cornhole
- Pin the tail (or nose) on the pumpkin
- Bobbing for apples
- “Witch pitch” – a game where players try and throw candy corn into mini plastic witch cauldrons
- Getting a Halloween-themed piñata
Pumpkin carving is a fun, not-so-scary Halloween party activity.Halloween crafts
Keeping kids occupied at a party is crucial, and arts and crafts are a great way to get them focused and having fun. A few Halloween-themed crafts that you can feature at your next party include:
- Supervised pumpkin carving – or painting for younger kids
- Making apple stamps
- Putting together “fall wreaths” with dried sticks and leaves
- Folding and cutting colored paper to create spider webs
Not-so-scary treats
While packaged candy is the traditional Halloween party favor, there are ways you can spice things up with handmade treats or healthier alternatives. Instead of handing out candy, why not offer:
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Sliced apples and strawberries to dip in caramel or chocolate sauce
- Fruit skewers decorated to look like goofy bugs or aliens
- Prepare your favorite fruit punch, but add green food coloring and a touch of dried ice to turn it into a witches brew
- Put together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches using a bagel as bread, then stick on googly eyes and plastic vampire fangs in the bagel hole
Another fun, interactive treat for kids is having them assemble bagel or English muffin pizzas. Provide the pre-cut bagels or English muffins as well as chopped veggies, pepperoni, shredded cheese or other toppings and encourage the kids to make monster faces. Bake the pizzas and let the children eat the monster face they designed. How could that be scary?
For all of your holiday party sign and backdrop needs, contact Sign Art Etc. It would be a pleasure to hear from you.
