The leaves are changing, daylight is diminishing, and just like that, Halloween season is upon us! And with it comes the exciting and often frenetic build up to a night of trick or treating. As this spook-tacular night creeps up, there are a lot of fun activities (aside from carving pumpkins) you can do with your kids to make the days leading up to Halloween as much fun as the actual night. We’ve compiled 5 activities that will treat your little tricksters while adding more creativity, learning, and laughter to the Halloween season.
Tell Ghost Stories
“It was a dark and stormy night…” Nothing screams Halloween like a good ghost story but making these thrilling tales for all ages can be tricky. However, employing a few storytelling strategies from the storytelling toolbox can lessen the tension. For example, using stuffed animals or puppets in the storytelling can create some humor and distract from the scariness. An adult or big kid could have Theo the Raven Puppet "read" the story from behind the couch or through our Doorway Puppet Theater. Having kids take turns adding spooky elements to create a shared story makes the story feel like it is in their control. This is a great way to encourage language and inspire creativity and imagination and you might end up with a whole chapter book of your family's spooky stories! If you want to up the "creepiness" factor, dim the lights and incorporate our Terra Kids Flashlight to create even more of a sense of thrill and suspense!
Play a Board Game
No matter what time of year it is, board games are always a hit but these selections have an extra Halloween-y spirit and are a great way to direct that over-excited pre-Halloween energy into a unified activity. In Cloaked Cats, players try to unmask each other among all the velvet-pawed guests. They'll try to play their cat cards skillfully, draw the right conclusions, all while trying to reveal as little as possible about themselves. The player who can deduce the most information about the other players wins! If a fall-themed memory game is more up your alley, try Hedgehog Haberdash where players need to draw leaves with the right colored points out of the leaf bag. But be careful! The wind can blow the leaves around so that even leaves you thought were safely yours fly away again! If you have older kids who love to solve mysteries, our The Key Series games are logical deduction games for 1-4 players ages 8 and up. Each game has 9 different replayable "case" puzzles to solve. Unlike many "escape room" type games, Murder at the Oakdale Club, Royal Star Casino Burglary, Theft in Cliffrock Villa, Escape from Strongwall Prison, and Sabotage at Lucky Llama Land boast an infinite number of unique puzzle solutions.
Transform into Mummies!
Get ready to be “Mummy of the Year” with this fun party game. Pair up each child with an adult and one roll of toilet paper. It's the most fun if you can put each pair into a separate room for the mummification process. Then, get your roll-on! Use the entire roll to wrap each child like a real mummy! The giggles spilling out from each room will be contagious. When everyone is finished, gather in a common room together at the same time. The kids will get a kick out of seeing each other covered head-to-toe in toilet paper! This is one activity that every family should have materials on hand for -- just make sure you don't use your last roll on this project!
Research Creepy Things
There is no end to the world of creepy things and rather than be scared of them, arm your children with knowledge about how fascinating these things really are. Head to the library and get books on "creepy" things like bats, spiders, eyeballs, or brains. Did you know? The largest type of bat is called a Pteropus. It is also known as a "Flying Fox" or "Fruit Bat". These types of bats are very important to the environment as they help to pollinate over 500 species of plants such as mango, banana, guava and agave through a process called chiropterophily! Who knows, maybe their trick can be sharing all kinds of fun facts on Halloween night as they collect their treats.
Dress Up Your Little Friends, Too
Pumpkins shouldn’t have all the fun. Making sure your kids' toys are ready for the holiday is another fun way to keep everyone busy and crafting a felt witch Halloween costume for dolls is a simple activity that will ignite kids imagination. With just some felt, scissors, and creativity, this project will turn an ordinary doll into an enchanting witch! And once they have their Little Friend all decked out, they can let the hocus pocus begin and let their imaginations run wild, dreaming up stories and adventures. As they cut and add each tiny, whimsical detail, they’re not just creating costumes; they're nurturing a world of make-believe where dolls come to life and become a part of thrilling Halloween escapades. So put on your witch hat, get out the cauldron, and get ready for a truly magical craft project that will make memorable fun! Click here for the adorable complete instructions. And when they are finished crafting, print out this sweet Halloween coloring page for some extra fun!
We wish you a happy and safe Halloween from all of us at HABA and hope that it is a memorable and fun season of spookiness filled with more treats than tricks.
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