Halloween with Kids: Tips, Tricks, and Spooky Fun

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Halloween is one of those magical times of the year where kids (and let’s be real here, parents too) get to dress up, eat too much candy, and make memories that last a lifetime. From carving pumpkins to trick-or-treating, there are endless ways to make the holiday special. Whether you’re celebrating with toddlers, school-aged kids, or even teens, here are some ideas to keep Halloween fun, safe, and stress free. Or…somewhat stress free. Let’s face it, when you are carving pumpkins (or even just picking them out), dressing up, and eating WAY too much candy, there’s bound to be a few meltdowns. It happens! But here are some ways to help alleviate most of the stress on Halloween with kids!

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Halloween with Kids Tips and Tricks

These tips and tricks will help you to have the best time this Halloween. Don’t over think it. Sometimes the best time is when you just go with the flow!

Picking the Perfect Costume

Half the fun of Halloween is dressing up! Kids love to choosing their costumes. My absolute favorite Halloween costume my daughter did was when she wanted to be an old fashion ghost.

To make picking your halloween costume easy, try:

Go for comfortable, weather appropriate costumes so your kids stay warm while trick-or-treating. Also…if you live in a colder climate like I do, get the costume a little bigger so you can put layers underneath
Add light-up accessories or glow sticks so they’re easy to spot in the dark (plus the kids will LOVE the glow sticks)
Don’t forget face paint or fun accessories if your little one isn’t a fan of masks (thankfully masks have come a long way since the 80s…)

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Make Trick-or-Treating Safe (and Fun)

Just because we want Halloween to be safe, doesn’t mean we are sucking the fun out of the holiday! One thing I really like is that our local police patrol the neighborhoods on bikes. Before you hit the pavement and start going door to door, think about these things:

Think about getting a reflective candy bucket or add reflective strips to the pillowcase your kid uses so cars can see them better
Parents, while the kids are wearing glow sticks (and you can too), also take a flashlight along with you
Eat an early dinner so you know your kids have something good and healthy in their bodies before they start in on the candy

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Halloween at Home: Create a Spooky Atmosphere

There were some years that trick-or-treating was just not our thing. If this sounds like you, or you want to make the entire day festive, then set the scene at home! And trust me, your kids will have fun with this. You do not have to trick-or-treat in the traditional sense for your kids to have fun! In fact, one of our best Halloweens was when I took the kids to the local mall and they went trick-or-treating at the stores and then we surprised them with Build a Bear! Here’s some ideas on how to set the scene at home:

Decorate your front porch with pumpkins, string lights, and spider webs
Have a kid friendly Halloween movie marathon (movies like Hocus Pocus or Casper would be great)
Have a pumpkin painting party and instead of bobbing for apples, tie a string around donuts and have them try to bite the donut

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Candy Alternatives and Party Fun

Don’t let anyone make you feel bad if you and your family are not all about the candy on Halloween. Have some of your favorite candies and then add in a few healthier (but still lots of fun) alternatives. Life is about balance! Try some of these alternatives:

Non-candy treats like glow bracelets, crowns, or glasses, stickers, or mini toys
Apple cider, popcorn, or fruit trays for fun things to snack on during the day
Halloween games like Pin the Hat on the Witch or a candy corn toss

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Final Spooky Thoughts

Halloween with kids is about more than candy. Sure, the candy is fun, but it’s about the traditions, the laughter, and a little bit about the spooky fun. It doesn’t matter how you choose to spend Halloween. Trick-or-Treat, watch Halloween movies, or play fun games. The choice is yours.

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