A Children's Halloween Party: Fun and Treats

Oct 17, 2011
Jill Stefko

Halloween Party Decoration: Jack o’ Lantern - keyseeker

Halloween should be fun for children. Decorate the rooms for a party. Play games. Have an indoor scavenger hunt. Enjoy food made from provided recipes.

Halloween celebrations were once banned because it was a Pagan holiday. It was believed that Pagans were evil witches who made a pact with the devil. After the Burning Times, the height of witch hunts and persecutions, the holiday was brought back as a fun day for children to dress in costumes and go trick-or-treating. In the US, it is the second most decorated holiday after Christmas. Send invitations with a note that there will be a Halloween costume contest, so guests should create their own.

Decorate the Rooms with Halloween “Ornaments”

Traditional decorations include jack-o’-lanterns, pumpkins, apples, pomegranates, nuts, brooms, scarecrows, black cats, owls, bats and “witches.” Add spider webs for a special effect.

Dry ice fog adds an eerie effect to the room. Caution: Use dry ice in a well ventilated room. Please refer to this online dry ice resource page for safety instructions. Use gloves to handle the dry ice. Don’t allow anyone to lie down in the fog or babies or pets into it. Dry ice is CO2 gas and can be fatal. This is how dry ice fog was made when I was a child, before we knew about its dangers. The fog can be done safely and is fun too watch it "roll in," as a special effect when the children are sitting down to watch the "magic" happen.

Items needed are a large metal or plastic container, dry ice and hot water. Fill a metal or plastic container half full with the water, add a few pieces of dry ice every five to ten minutes. As the water cools, it will be necessary to start over with hot water to maintain the fog effect. Generally, one pound of dry ice will create two to three minutes of fog. Dry ice fog machines are available to buy or rent, which is easier than making dry ice fog.

Children’s Halloween Party Activities

Decorate miniature pumpkins with markers. Have an inside scavenger hunt. Hide different items in plain sight in designated rooms. Give the children a list of the items to find and pencils and paper to mark down where they found the items.

Play pin the tail on the black cat or pin the witch on the broom. Give the children the tail or witch. Blindfold them before they try to pin the tail or witch.

Play Whisper Down the Alley. The first child whispers something about Halloween to the second one. The process is continued until the last child hears the message. She or he tells the other children what was heard. The first child tells what he or she said. The results are usually funny.

Tell the children about Hallowe'en Traditions: Fascinating Tidbits of Information, Halloween Customs, American Style: Jack-ma-Lantern, Candy Corn, Marshmallow Ghosts, Regional Customs and More and Halloween Traditions and Lore.

Hold a costume contest. There will be as many prizes as there are children, so each child will get a prize. Categories can include funniest, scariest or most creative that would be geared towards the costumes at the time. Prizes could be miniature trophies or Halloween trinkets bought at a party-goods store with a note: “Halloween Costume Contest Winner 2011.”

Children’s Halloween Party Treats

Brown Cat Mocktail: Mix together 1/2 cola and 1/2 milk. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.
Roasted popcorn and nuts: Melt 3 tablespoons margarine. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce. Put four cups popcorn (Don’t use prepackaged popped popcorn because it burns and makes a lot of smoke.) and 2 cups mixed nuts in a baking dish. Pour margarine mixture over popcorn and nuts. Blend thoroughly. Roast at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Store in airtight containers.
Hot Dogs and Condiments: Make several slashes in the desired amount of hot dogs. Roast at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Condiments include different types of mustard, ketchup, sweet relish, onions, pickles and chili sauce. Chili Sauce: Put 1 pound ground beef and 1 medium diced onion in salted pan. Brown meat and onion, stirring constantly. Drain fat from meat mixture. Return to pan. Stir in 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and 2 cups water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour or until thickened. Stir in salt to taste. This can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight. Leftover chili sauce can be frozen.
Apple Dessert: Put 2 cups sliced apples in a greased 9- or 8-by-12 baking dish. Sprinkle 2 (3 ounce) packages lemon flavored gelatin over apples. Blend together 2 cups each flour and sugar and 1 cup room temperature margarine in a bowl until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.

Children’s Halloween: The Party’s Over

It’s time for the little ones to go home. Before they leave, each one can say what she or he enjoyed the most. Give the children treats to take home before they leave. Talk to your family about the party. Reminisce. Isn’t it fun for adults to be kids again? Remember the Halloweens of your childhood days? For most people, the child within lives on.