When it comes to Halloween games for kids, you need a well-stocked collection of ideas.

 

Indeed, there’s so much more to Halloween these days than simply trick-or-treating between the hours of 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, parties are held at schools, homes and places of worship. Children need to be kept occupied at these parties, and games are great way to hold their attention.

 

That’s where the Mother Nature Network can help. Here’s a convenient list of several Halloween games for kids:

 

Fill a plastic pumpkin with papers with the words “trick” or “treat” on each one. Have the kids form a circle. If you don’t have a plastic pumpkin, use a basket. Each child picks out a piece of paper. If the paper says “treat” on it, the child gets a treat from a treat bag. If the paper says “trick” on it, have a list of easy tricks like standing on one leg for the count of 10 or rubbing your head and patting your tummy at the same time, a trick that must be performed in order to get a treat.

 

Recycle plastic beverage bottles into bowling pins. Add rocks or sand to the bottom of them to keep them from tipping too easily. Set 10 of them in the traditional bowling pin triangle, and have kids bowl small, round pumpkins into them.

 

This is a common Halloween game for kids. Break kids up into teams of three or four. One kid is chosen as a mummy. The other kids must wrap the mummy completely from head to toe with a roll of toilet paper. The first team to completely cover their mummy (no skin or costume showing) wins. Use toilet paper made from recycled content for this game, and make sure that the toilet papers ends up in the recycling bin when the game is done.

 

This idea from Martha Stewart has donuts (some seasonal apple cider donuts would be great) on strings just above mouth level of participants. Kids need to eat the entire donut without touching it with anything but their mouths. First one to finish the entire donut wins.

 

Create a play list of Halloween songs that are age appropriate for kids. Songs like “Monster Mash” and the “Scooby Doo Theme Song” work well for younger kids. Have the kids dance to the music and when the music stops suddenly, the kids must freeze. Any kid who keeps moving is out, and the last dancer standing wins.

 

The traditional whisper down the lane game is easy to make a bit spookier. Start with an age-appropriate spooky sentence and whisper it into the ear of the first child. Each child then whispers it to the next until the last person says it out loud. It’s funny to see how the sentence has changed by the time it gets to the last person.

 

• A word about treat prizes. At Halloween time, kids get more candy than most parents would like them to eat in an entire year. Since your party will most likely include some sort of edible treats during the party, make any take-home prizes non-edible. Green Halloween has a list of party treats and favor ideas that go beyond candy.

 

Got other ideas for Halloween games for kids? Leave us a note in the comments below.

 

See also:

• Homemade Halloween costumes

• Halloween party ideas

• Halloween games for your party