Halloween for little kids

Halloween fun for little ones

There’s one thing you can be sure of when it comes to Halloween – little kids hate being left out. So make it exciting for your preschooler… and enjoy yourself in the bargain!

Dress it up

If your preschooler sees her older brother or sister dressing up like Freddy Kruger or the local Witch Queen and she doesn’t get the chance to bring out her badness too, there could be bedlam in your house. Your little kid may not be tricking or treating, but a costume is still a necessity. 
You can buy cheap ones at most drug and grocery stores or help her make her own – a simple old pillowslip can easily be turned into a scary ghost costume, while pjs can be decorated with blobs or stripes to make monsters! Funny ears can easily be created using hair bands with foam/material ears attached.

Gruesome games

Invite some of your child’s playmates or school friends over for a kid-sized Halloween party and get them playing some traditional games…

• Bobbing for apples Even preschoolers can try this – just don’t make the water very deep (no filling up the tub!). 
Instead put a few apples in a bowl of water, tie up long hair and encourage your child to bob to her heart’s content, keeping a close eye on her at all times (especially if she has any other little demons at her Halloween celebration, since they might be tempted to dunk her).
• Tic-tac-toe Use pumpkins and leaves, or ghosts and witches, and play the game as usual.
• Terrifying talent contest Get your child and her friends to explain what they’re dressed up as, and maybe perform as their character – whether it’s a witch, a cat or a devil. This could be their version of trick-or-treating, especially if they sing a song or tell a joke.
• Pin the tail on the witch’s cat Draw a huge hissing black cat minus its tail – draw the tail separately and cut it out. The kids take turns to try to stick the tail in the right place while blindfolded.
• Monster mash Cook some spaghetti, wash some grapes and make some jello.
 Get the kids to dig in their hands while blindfolded and tell them they’re touching monsters’ brains (the spaghetti), monsters’ eyes (the grapes) and monster slime (the jello).


Creepy crafts

Get in the (evil!) spirit of things with these craft activities – they’re great to do with friends too.

• Hanging bats or spiders Pre-cut bats or spiders and get your child to decorate them with crepe paper, beads and glitter glue. Then simply hang them from the ceiling so they can waft about spookily!
• Paint a pumpkin If your child is having friends over, get each of them a small pumpkin they can decorate with tempura paint, markers and stickers.
• Spider handprints 
Paint your child’s fingers and palm (but not her thumb) with black paint and have her press it onto a paper plate; the repeat with the other hand, ensuring her fingers point the other way. Glue on some googly eyes and it’s a spider!
• Witch’s (or wizard’s) hat You’ll need some black card, some star and moon stickers for decoration, scissors, glue and staples. Cut out a circle from the card and make a cone that will fit each child’s head. Get each child to decorate it before you stick it together – they can use stickers or draw their own ghostly creations. 
Stick the circle together – using sticky tape or staples – to make a cone shape.

 

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