Whether you’re a Halloween fan or not, it is a great excuse to spend time with your nearest and dearest, in the place that matters most to you. Now we’re into the cosy autumn months, Halloween at home is a brilliant idea, but having a stack of Halloween activities for kids, family or friends is a must. We’ve collated a number of fun activities that make the most of your whole house and bring the spooky vibes.
Kitchen - Pumpkin Decorating
Of course we have to start in the kitchen, and we have to start with pumpkin decorating. Pumpkin carving is an age old tradition, but isn’t always the most kid-friendly. Pumpkin decorating however has become more popular over time. This allows anyone to get creative with their designs, using whatever you prefer - stickers, felt pens, paints, glue and glitter if you really want to, to decorate the outside of a pumpkin.
Swapping carving with a knife to a colouring exercise can mean the whole family can be involved, and with a little less supervision and mess! So whether you are all working on a theme (a gaggle of minions anyone?), or you want to have a bit of friendly competition for best pumpkin, you’ll have so much fun creating your designs.
If you do carve your pumpkins or hollow out the insides, make use of the pumpkin! There are some delicious recipes whether you want to go sweet or savoury. From pumpkin pasta, to pumpkin and maple cupcakes.
Garden - Torch Tag
With darker nights, we don’t get to enjoy our gardens as much around Halloween. Torch tag provides a bit of outdoor excitement, without having to commit to trick or treating. If you’re hosting a Halloween party for family or friends, it’s a great way to spread guests out across your home (or give the kids some space to burn off a sugar energy spike!).
Torch tag involves someone being ‘it’ and holding a torch. Everyone else moves and hides around the garden. Once the person who is ‘it’, shines a torch on another person, they become ‘it’. You carry on until you are all too tired or cold! This does involve an ‘honour’ system to agree you have been tagged. If the ‘honour’ system isn't being followed and no one wants to be it, swap to normal tag, but use torches to be sure no one slips or trips!
Safety is top priority here, so though you want it to be darkish, some light will be needed. Move any obvious trip hazards, or even use Halloween ‘caution’ tape to section off where in the garden you can go. Also, glow stick bracelets are both fun, and also help you keep track of everyone.
Bathroom - Make Your Own Mummies
Now this could work well if you still have a sizable Covid stash of toilet paper, however if you don’t, or don’t wish to waste a number of rolls of paper, this game could also work with towels or bedsheets.
The idea is to split into at least two teams, and each team needs a ‘mummy’ and a dresser. The team who is quickest to ‘mummify’ the ‘mummy’ is the winner. You can make your own rules, but we would suggest that a successful ‘mummifying’ would mean everything except eyes, nose and mouth are covered, and that the ‘mummy’ can walk a few steps.
If you want to take this even further you could have ‘mummy’ races, in the garden or along a homemade assault course.
Bedroom - Glow In The Dark Sleepover
We’re well into the cooler autumnal months now, and cuddling up in PJs and blankets is always a winner. Add in some glow in the dark items, glowsticks, and maybe some Halloween fairy lights, and you can inject a touch of magic into your sleepover.
The obvious addition here would be a ‘spooky movie’ that is suitable for the age range. But whether you’re going for something PG or a bit more of a jump scare, be sure to have lots of cushions to hide behind, and that your snacks aren’t spillable.
We’re liking the look of a Halloween snack mix (popcorn, pretzels and your favourite Halloween sweet or chocolate), mummy dogs (hot dogs wrapped in strips of pre-made dough), or banana boo pops (half a banana, dipped in chocolate with edible eyes).
Living Area - Webs Away
The lounge is usually one of the bigger rooms in your home, so why not make the most of the space and go big? Kids love larger than life games, and with a little bit of painters tape (or masking tape), you can create a giant spider's web on the floor, which can be the base for several games (or just added fun decoration for your movie night!).
If you have a number of small spider decorations, or even some Halloween sweets, scatter them across the web area. Then, challenge the kids to collect as many as possible without leaving the lines of the web. Depending on the level of chaos you want, this could be individual runs, or having all kids playing at the same time.
We hope you have a wonderful time no matter how you celebrate. Happy Halloween from Jelson Homes.
If you need a bit more room for a growing family, or hosting seasonal parties, take a look at our available properties in the East Midlands.