Halloween Fun - 99 Ideas For Crafts, Games and Activities (PDFDrive)

Halloween
Fun
99 Ideas for Crafts, Games and Activities
By: Jenny McKraft

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to alter and update his or her opinion based on the new conditions.
THIS BOOK IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY: While every

attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this book, neither
the author nor publisher assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or
omissions.
This book is in no way endorsed or distributed by any service, website, brand, or

corporation listed herein. The contents of this book are the sole opinions of the
author, and should be treated as such.
Preface and Book Overview:
Hello, and thank you for picking up this book, Happy Halloween!
I love Halloween, and I've always wanted to write a fun informational book that
everyone can use, so I decided to give it a go.
If you feel like you are stuck on Halloween, use this book to spark your
Halloween creativity again and get into the spooky spirit! You'll have tons of
ideas for Halloween crafts, games, and activities. This book IS family friendly,
although some of these ideas will be more for young kids, while some are for
adults, while some are for the entire family.
Here's how the book is laid out:
First, you start with 33 Halloween Craft Ideas, with detailed

instructions/directions and materials to help you get started.
Next, you dive into 33 Halloween Games. Some of these games are for young
kids, some for teens, and even some for the entire family. If you are having a
party or get-together, this list will make your Halloween a blast.
Finally, if you still feel like there's just not enough to do on Halloween, read part
3, 33 Halloween Activities, and you'll have a big list of things to do this
Halloween season.
Each of these crafts, games, and activities were made to be built upon eachother.
You'll learn to build a spider nest in one craft, then a realistic spider in the next.
You'll use cobwebs in multiple crafts, and will find that the more crafts you put
together, the spookier and more festive your house will look.
I have also done my best to provide you with as many cost-effective solutions
for Halloween as I could. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars for talking
ghosts and walking spiders. It costs a lot less and is a lot more fun when you
make them yourself.
You are bound to find tons of fun ideas for this Halloween for the entire family.
Enjoy the book, join the club, and have a Happy Halloween!
Contents Of This Book:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18
19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27
28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36
37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45
46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 - 51 - 52 - 53 - 54
55 - 56 - 57 - 58 - 59 - 60 - 61 - 62 - 63
64 - 65 - 66 - 67 - 68 - 69 - 70 - 71 - 72
73 - 74 - 75 - 76 - 77 - 78 - 79 - 80 - 81
82 - 83 - 84 - 85 - 86 - 87 - 88 - 89 - 90
91 - 92 - 93 - 94 - 95 - 96 - 97 - 98 - 99
PART 1: 33 Craft Ideas For This
Halloween
In part 1 of this book, you will learn how to create 33 different types of crafts for
this Halloween.
Some of these are basic, but all of them are sure to make your Halloween more
festive and spooky. You will also be able to read details of how these crafts are
made, and how you can get started today.
#1 - Spooky Paper Garland Cutouts
Let's start with something easy!
These spooky paper cutouts are the perfect place to start, as you can get a lot
done in a short period of time, and have your entire house full of them in hours.
In order to make these spooky cutouts, you will need:

- Pencil/Pen
- Scissors
- Colored Construction Paper
- Pins OR staples OR glue
- Tacks or something to hang cutouts on wall
- Optional: paint/crayons/markers
Start by drawing a simple sketch on a piece of paper. Draw a bat, a witch,

pumpkins, anything you want. Then, cut out your drawing neatly around the
edges. This is going to be your "stencil"/"guideline".
Now, place this stencil on a stack of 5 or 10 pieces of paper, and cut out around
the stencil, making dozens of the same cutout.
Keep doing this as much as you want, and then pin/staple/glue the edges together
to create a full garland or banner across one or more of your walls in your house.
#2 - Black and Orange Decorative Paper Rings
These are always fun to make no matter what age you are. I started making these
when I was in preschool, still did it in 8th grade, and I believe we did this for a
high school dance back in the day.
Here's what you need:

- Black and orange construction paper
- Glue (stick or bottle/gun)
- Scissors
The key to making these fast and long is to get in a groove. Start by cutting
dozens and dozens of strips of paper, making sure that they are all about the
same size (size can vary though).
Then, link these strips together making them into ring shapes until you have a
full garland of 50 - 100+ paper rings attached. Hang these up in your house,
outside, at a party, the possibilities are endless, and these are sure to heighten the
Halloween spirit.
Note: This craft idea works best with 2 people. One person cuts the strips while
the other glues them together into rings. You'd be surprised at just how long you
can make your paper rings within a few minutes.
#3 - Flowerpot Pumpkins and Ghosts
I'm a gardener, and have tons of empty pots laying around, so this works great
for the kids, and is cost-effective on my end.

- Flower pots (plastic or acrylic/stone)
- Pumpkin stems
- Paint (and paint brushes)
I find that plastic pots work better since I can get them for literally pennies.
Start with an empty pot, and clean it out if it has any dirt or crud in it. After that,
turn the pot upside down.
Then, use orange, black, or any other color paint to paint on your favorite
spooky Halloween design. You will get the best effect if you paint some sort of
pumpkin face/jack-o'-lantern.
Finally (assuming your pot has a pumpkin face), use the hole at the bottom of the
pot (which is now at the top) to place the stem of one of your pumpkins to turn
your painted pot into a painted pot pumpkin.
#4 - Ghost Jugs
These are a family favorite, and are surprisingly very easy to pull off. Once you
make one, your kids, friends, and yourself will want to make more.

- Milk Jugs (preferably 1 gallon plastic)
- White (or any color) Christmas lights
- Paint
First, DRINK THE MILK. Don't pour it down the drain (but I don't need to tell
you that, right?).
Once you have an empty milk jug, flush it out with water, and let it dry.
Next, use your favorite paint (or sharpies) to paint/draw on ghost faces and scary
faces right onto the milk jug. If you are painting, let the paint dry.
Once the paint is dry, take a small strand (50 or 100) Christmas lights, and
"snake" them through the top of the milk jug. If your light strand isn't long
enough, use an extension cord to plug in your lights.
Finally, plug in the lights, wait until it gets dark, and be in awe of your ghostly
spirit creations.
#5 - Ghost Windsocks
Warning: If you hang these in your yard, expect a lot of double-takes from
people driving by (I do it all the time).

- Newspaper (or regular paper)
- Rope or String
- Sheets or Cheap white material
- Black fabric or markers (for eyes)
- Scissors
I hang these in my front yard from my tree every year, and I always get tons of
compliments.
Start by crumpling up a bunch of newspaper into a ball. You will use this
newspaper ball for the head of the ghost.
Next, wrap the white fabric or sheet over the newspaper, allowing the fabric to
hang freely.
Now you are going to take your rope or string and tie a knot around the "neck"
of the ghost, right underneath the ball you just wrapped the fabric around.
Optional: You can use scissors to cut the bottom hanging part of the ghost to
allow the fabric to blow in the wind more.
Finally, add some eyes to your ghosts, and hang them in your tree, on your
house, in your room, or at a party.
#6 - Hanger Monsters
These are so much fun for the kids, and can be made for other Holidays as well.
All you need is...

- 5 - 10 wire hangers
- Colored paper
- Markers and/or paint
- Tape or Glue
First of all, these hanger monsters are not only fun to make and look at, but they
also provide extra support to these types of flimsy wire hangers - so you are
killing two birds with one stone here!
Start by taking one of your wire hangers, and wrap a piece of colored paper
around it so that the paper wraps around all sides and edges of the hanger
(leaving the top free). If you want, you can do this on both sides for extra
support and ease of use. Tape or glue the paper on the back folded side, and
make sure you are only taping and glueing paper to paper.
Once you have 5 or 10 of these made, it's now time to draw! I would suggest to
only use paint if you know it is good quality and won't chip off of the paper (you
don't want pieces of paint in your clothes!). Draw anything you want - monsters,
ghost faces, pumpkins, anything festive.
After making dozens of these, you'll have a Halloweened-out closet full of

colors, designs, monsters, and more.
#7 - Vase/Jar-o'-lanterns
If you can't afford any more pumpkins, use your old JARS to make jar-o'-
lanterns!

- Clear jars (preferably glass), you can also use vases.
- Black tape OR Black paint OR Black Construction Paper
- If needed: scissors and glue/stapler.
- Tealight candle, small candle, or small light of some sort.
Okay, these vases/jar-o'-lanterns are easy to make, and can be made in all sorts
of different ways.
The most popular is taking an old jar that you were going to throw out anyway
(hopefully recycle), and painting the entire thing black. Then, once the paint
dries, use some sort of sharp object (knife from a pumpkin carving kit works
great) to scrape away the parts that you want light to shine through.
It works like a basic pumpkin/jack-o'-lantern. You then insert the candle/light,

turn of the lights, and check out your home made jar-o'-lanterns.
If you don't want to use paint, you can also use black tape to tape around the
entire jar, while you don't tape the parts you want to shine through. This will
take some precision mini-taping on your part, but it has the same effect as the
paint.
The final way you can do this is just cutting your design into a piece of black
paper, wrapping the black piece of paper around the entire jug, taping/stapling it
in the back, and then insert the light and let it shine.
If you have a cheap vase or one you don't use anymore, that could have an even
better effect. Put these jars around your house, turn out the lights, and you'll have
a nice spooky setting to relax in on Halloween night.
#8 - Broomstick Bag Decorations
I hardly see anyone making these broomstick bags, yet they are so easy to make!

- Sticks or Poles
- String
- Pompous grass or hay (even fake hay from the craft store)
- Paper bags, various sizes
- Sand or Pebbles
Start by pairing bags together, and "double-bag" them. Next, pour sand and/or
gravel into the bags, filling them up about halfway. You want to make sure your
bag is light enough so the sand doesn't break through, but heavy enough so that
the sticks stay in place and your broomstick bags don't blow away.
Once your bags are filled, insert the broomstick pole or stick into the bag of
sand, positioning it so that the stick hits the bottom of the bag.
Then, use the string to tie a bow or knot around the tops of the bags, giving the
illusion of a broom.
Finally, use the hay/pompous grass/fake straw to enhance the illusion of a

broomstick. Form the straw into a broom shape right on the bag, and tie the tops
of the straw in the same spot you tied your knot/bow previously.
Feel free to add your own finishing touches to this decoration, and put these
broomsticks on your patio or front porch.
#9 - Spooky Mobiles
If you have what most households have, you won't need to buy anything to do
this project.
Here's all you need:

- Wire hangers
- String or Thread
- Colored paper
- Markers or paint
- Glue (squirt tube)
First, figure out where you are going to hang/place these so you know how long
and wide to make them.
If you are hanging these on a wall that is 8 feet tall, you can make the string 5
feet tall (size doesn't matter much, as long as it fits in your designated spooky
mobile area).
Cut string to your specified length, and tie 3 strings onto each wire hanger (two
on the edges, one directly in the center).
Now, use the colored paper to cut out your favorite Halloween characters,
shapes, pumpkins, scary faces, goblins, witches, bats, and ghosts. Use paint or
markers to make your spooky characters even better.
Once you have a nice handful of things to add to your mobiles, either glue or
staple these directly onto the string hanging from the wire hangers. You can have
just a few hanging, or you can have dozens. I find that it's best to leave at least a
little space in between each cutout you add to your mobile.
Then, you can hang these mobiles anywhere you want using the hangers
themselves, or hang all of them on a long string that you can hang horizontally
on a wall or roof (or outside if it's not too windy).
#10 - Scary Candle Cutouts
This craft idea is similar to the jar-o'-lanterns you made previously, and these are
even easier to make.

- Tealight or small candles
- Small clear glass candle holder/insert
- Your choice: Black paint or black tape
- Scissors/knife or sharp object
Now, in the jar-o'-lanterns you created earlier, you were also able to use
construction paper or black paper to wrap around the jar - don't do that with
this craft!
The first time I made the mistake of using paper around these candle
holders/inserts, my paper caught on fire, the smoke alarm went off, fire
department called - just take my advice, be SAFE.
So, with that said, I find that with these little guys, black electrical or duct tape
works best (the duct tape gives an eerie feel to the candles too which is
awesome). Just like the jars, you will carefully cut your image into the tape, and
then wrap the tape around the clear glass candle holder.
You can also paint the entire insert black, and then scrape off the areas you want
to shine light through. Once you are done, insert in your tiny candle, light it, and
check out your cool spooky candle creation! You can put these all around your
house, just make sure you put them out before you leave, a blazing house is the
last thing you need this Halloween.
#11 - Scary Ghost Chair Covers
This is one of those craft ideas that I see absolutely no one doing, yet it is cheap,
easy, and can really add that Halloween style and flavor to your house.

- Chairs (from dining room, living room, etc.)
- Pillow Cases (preferably white)
- Other colored material, and/or paint and markers
You can either use your own pillow cases to create these (if you have extra), OR
you can buy them from your nearest sleep or mattress or bed store for cheap (get
those $1 cheapies!).
If you are using pillow cases for this project that you plan to use in the future,
you can get fabric from your nearest fabric store that actually "sticks" to other
fabric like pillow cases. Then, just cut this sticky fabric to the sizes of shapes
and images you want on the back of your chairs.
I do recommend buying some cheap pillow cases to use specifically for this
project, because the possibilities are then endless. You can use fabric paint,
markers, glue on other fabric material, and really make your scary chair covers
stand out.
Once you are done creating the pillow case ghost chair covers, and they are all
dry and ready to go, simply slide them over the chair, making sure that the
painted/created side is on the back. Put these on each chair around your dinner
table, add those candles you made earlier, and your Halloween will just get more
and more festive.
#12 - Dough Ghosts
These are especially fun for the kids - When the kids are antsy while you make
dinner, let them play around and create some dough ghosts!

- Dough (salt dough, or regular is fine)
- Optional: Sharpie or permanent marker, or some type of poking tool
- Your creative mind
This project works just like any other molding clay creation. While you make
dinner (or just want something for your kids to do), take a few big balls of
dough, slap em' on the table, and sculpt your very own ghosts and ghouls.
The longer the dough is exposed to air, the quicker it dries, but it will take a few
hours or more to fully harden, so don't worry - you have time to make a nice
looking ghost.
Just sculpt and form your own ghost shapes, and either use the permanent
marker to make the eyes and mouth, or use the poking tool to make your own
mouth and eye holes.
When you are done and happy with your creation, let it dry on a cooking sheet,
or a piece of paper. Don't leave your creation just anywhere, or it could stick to
the surface, and creates a big mess for you to clean up later.
You can now add your dough ghosts around your house, on the mantle, as a
centerpiece on your dinner table, the possibilities are endless with this one.
#13 - Window-o'-lanterns
Like the hanging front yard ghosts, this is another one that turns LOTS of heads.

- A window
- LARGE piece of paper (or lots of little pieces attached)
- Scissors
- Tape, tacks, or something to hang this on the inside of your window
Sure, you've seen the basic "happy halloween" stuff in the windows of people's
houses, you've even seen those sticky window stickers. This project goes way
beyond what all those people do for Halloween.
First, measure your window (mine is 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall), and either get a
large piece of paper that covers the entire window, OR attach multiple small
pieces of paper together to fit the size of the window.
This works best if you have black paper, but you can always paint/marker it
black.
Now, think of this next step as if you were turning a pumpkin into a jack-o'-
lantern. Except instead of carving out pumpkin, you instead cut an image into
the paper that allows the light from your house to shine through.
You can create the image of a person, or a ghost (like in the image above), or
even cut words like "BOO!" into the paper. Try a few different cuts for each
window.
Once you are done cutting, it's time to hang your window-o'-lantern on the inside
of your window. Use tape, tacks, nails, or any other hanging tool to hang your
large piece of paper on the inside of the window. If you open this window a lot,
make sure the paper is secure - you don't want it to keep blowing off of your
window.
Finally, wait until it's dark outside, turn on the lights inside the rooms that have
your window-o'-lanterns showing, and you just turned your house into a
HOUSE-o'-lantern.
#14 - Manmade Spider Nest
There's nothing creepier and scarier on Halloween than a huge spider nest,
spider/cobwebs, and spiders in general!

- Fake cobwebs/spiderwebs
- Fake spiders
Although this doesn't take much skill to pull off, it will be scarier than most
other Halloween "decorations".
First, take your favorite fake cobwebs and spiderwebs, and place and pull them
around the front porch of your house (you can put this anywhere, I just find the
front porch works best for trick-or-treaters).
After you have the cobwebs all over the place, it's time to create a spider nest.
Use one area of your porch to create a large spun ball-like form to serve as the
nest. Take your time, make it look real.
For the finishing touches, take your favorite fake spiders (either buy them, or
find out how to make your own in the next craft), and place them all around the
nest. Put some on the floor, some on the nest, some hanging from webs, and add
a bunch on the inside of the nest.
You'll have one of the creepiest front porch areas on the block. Whenever I add
this touch to my front yard, there are always the handful of kids that keep their
distance from the spider nest, as it really does like deadly if you were to get too
close.
#15 - Pipe-cleaner Spiders
You just learned how to create a man-made spider nest in the previous chapter.
Instead of buying a ton of fake spiders, you can create your own family of
spiders to add to the nest!

- Pipe cleaners (or bendy black wire)
- Optional: Foam balls or fabric material (for eyes and/or body)
- Optional: Glue if needed
I always start with the body of the spider, and work on the legs last. For the
body, either use one of your foam balls, OR (what I do) bend one or a couple of
your pipe cleaners to make a ball-like shape.
Then, if you want your spider to have eyes, either glue on some fake eyes, red
material, or use fabric paint or "puff paint" to add the eyes.
Now is where the fun comes in - creating the legs of your spider. You can make
these as long as you want, the key is making your spider look real, or at least
semi-realistic.
Pick a side of legs to start on, and start in the front or back, just choose your
starting point and stick with it. I'll start with the front right leg.
Wrap the end of the pipe cleaner around the front of the body, or if you are using
a foam ball as the body, just puncture the pipe cleaner/wire straight in.
Next, bend the leg to make it look like a spider. Too many bends AND too few
bends make the spider look unfinished and fake. Spend some time with the legs,
and make sure you are happy with your creation. You can even insert all of the
legs first, and then bend them all at the same time if that's easier for you.
When you are finished with a few spiders, add them to your spider nest, put
them around the house, give them to friends and family, use these as a party
gift/favor. I've had lots of success with bending these around tree branches with
cobwebs.
#16 - Wannabe Pumpkins
Who says pumpkins are the only thing you can paint for Halloween?! If you
don't have any pumpkins, don't feel like buying them, or just want more
Halloween decor around your house, this is a fun craft/project for anyone.

- Some sort of fruit or veggie (I use apples all the time)
- Paint and paint brush(es)
You can really paint whatever you want on your fruit and veggies, but I suggest
sticking with the pumpkin theme and painting some spooky Halloween jack-o'-
lantern faces.
I start by painting the entire apple ORANGE, and then use black paint for the
eyes/mouth/features. I've seen some people actually carve apples and other fruits
and veggies - although I don't recommend it, and here's why...
The reason we carve pumpkins on Halloween is because they are built to last the
Halloween season. Try carving an apple, and it will be rotten within days (if not
by the end of the first day). Now if you can pull it off, go for it! - But don't say I
didn't warn ya.
So, I bought a dozen apples from the store, got some orange and black paint for
cheap (just get the small acrylic paint bottles), and the kids were entertained for
hours. At the end of the day, we had 12 jack-o'-lantern painted apples to put all
around the house, and we even gave some to friends and family.
#17 - Ghost/Mummy Candy Bags
If you, your kids, or your friends and family are planning on trick-or-treating this
year, this craft works great (and by my calculations, CAN get your kids even
more candy this year - shh... I'll tell you why below).

- Brown paper bag (or a reusable bag if you have one)
- Gauze bandage, or some sort of bandage wrap
- Fabric or markers/paint for eyes and mouth
- Glue (get the bottle, no sticks here)
Okay, above I talked about my "calculations" of your kids getting more candy
this year. I've found that the people who give out candy love to see "out-of-the-
box" ideas - and not just for costumes either!
Candy givers will be pleased and in awe of your candy bag creation, and many
give out extra candy to young creative minds. Reason being: Most kids on
Halloween are greedy, and don't put in any effort into trick-or-treating. It's like
they EXPECT tons of candy for just making the effort to walk 30 more feet to
the next house.
So, you will start by wrapping the gauze or bandage around your bag. I suggest
that each time you wrap the bandage around a corner, glue it directly to the bag,
then continue.
Keep glueing and wrapping the bandage around the bag until most of the bag is
covered in the bandage.
Once your bag is covered, use fabric, markers, or paint to create eyes, a mouth,
and any other creative Halloween stuff you can think of. You can even add some
cobwebs to your bandage, and glue some of your fake spiders to the bag as well.
Test out the consistency of your bag by filling it up with candy, or sand, or coins
- you want to make sure your bag isn't going to break half way through your
candy hunt.
Make sure when you or your child is trick or treating to show the bag front and
center to each candy-giver. Be nice, say "trick-or-treat!", smile, have fun, and
you'll be surprised at just how many compliments and extra candy you receive
just for putting in some effort.
#18 - Balloon Ghosts
These can be created a few different ways, and are a great way to add some
festivity to your house, classroom, or party this Halloween.

- Balloons (filled with helium so they rise)
- Sharpie or permanent marker
- Optional: Light white fabric
I suggest using one of 4 colors for your balloons. White (ghost), Black
(skeleton), Orange (pumpkin), or Green (witch/frankenstein).
In this example (like the image above), I'll be teaching you how to make the
pumpkin/jack-o'-lantern balloon, and the ghost balloon.
The pumpkin balloons are the easiest, and can be made in minutes. Get a ton of
orange balloons, and sharpie/paint scary pumpkin faces on your balloons.
Now, the ghost balloons can be done in 2 different ways. First, you can just use a
white balloon and paint eyes and a mouth on it - but that's too easy.
I find it much more effective to use ANY color balloon, and then put a light
white fabric on top of the balloon (covering the entire thing), and
painting/drawing eyes and a mouth straight to the fabric.
If the fabric is too heavy, the balloon will drop to the floor. So, make sure you
find a light-enough white fabric so that your balloon rises straight up into the air.
You can keep the string on the balloon and keep it weighted down, or you can let
it fly to the ceiling.
TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER: I've found a way to take this even further, and
it works great and has a mysterious effect on everyone. Keep reading:
First, make sure you have a light enough fabric so that if you were to let your
balloon ghost go, it would go straight to space.
Next, add "weights" to weigh your balloon down slightly. These "weights" can
be anything from cobwebs to paper clips to glue. This WILL take some fiddling
around to get the perfect weight, and when your balloon loses air after a few
days, you may need to remove some of the weight (that's why paperclips work
best, as I can just remove them when I don't need them anymore).
Once you have the perfect weight distribution, cut the string of the balloon, and
watch your ghost float in mid air! If you have a small fan, you can actually "air
push" your ghost around your house (or party, or classroom), and it will actually
look like the ghost is moving around slowly and spookily around.
#19 - Flashlight Stencils
Ever wanted to signal bat man? Now's your chance! These flashlight stencils will
keep the kids (and adults) entertained for hours.

- A flashlight
- Scissors
- Paper (preferably black)
- Tape
You can use these flashlights around the house, or even for trick-or-treating!
First, fold a piece of paper over the end of your flashlight, and either take note of
the folded area or make a guideline circle so you know how big the end of your
flashlight is.
Then, cut this circle out, leaving an extra inch or so around the edges.
Now is the time you create your stencil. Start with something simple, then move
on to more in-depth stencils. I usually do the typical jack-o'-lantern face, mouth,
eyes, and some mean eyebrows. Carefully cut this out of your circle.
Now, use 4 pieces of tape (or more) to tape your stencil around the edge of your
flashlight, making sure that no light escapes from the edges (that's why you
allowed an extra inch or so).
You can make these for yourself, your kids, friends and family, and this will
make any trick-or-treating night fun and entertaining. Go try out your new
flashlight in the dark, outside, and see how big you can make your light-signal
show on a wall or the ground.
One more tip: The more powerful the flashlight, the better the effect. Get a nice
bright flashlight to use for this, and your image can be shown even down the
street!
#20 - Halloween Paper Garland Decoration
If you want to go for the more festive look instead of the spooky/creepy look,
Halloween paper garland decorations could be right up your alley.

- Various colored paper
- String
- Tacks or something to hang your decorations with
- Glue
Not everyone loves creepy crawly stuff, but that doesn't mean Halloween has to
end for you - these decorations are sure to put you in the Halloween spirit.
You can really make whatever you want for this decoration, and you can even
draw on faces and other drawings onto these. However, I like to keep things
simple (sometimes), so I'm going with basic circles on this.
Cut out a bunch of circles from your paper (cut 10 or more pieces at once to
minimize your time spent).
Then, cut string to your desired length, depending on where you will be hanging
these decorations.
Next, glue/staple/etc. these circles to the string (vary the size of the circles and it
will look great).
Now, this decoration may look weird and out of place if you only make one or
two. So, make a whole bunch of them - Make 10 or 20 strands of these, and hang
them together around the house/party/classroom. The more you add, the more
consistent it looks, and will bring everything together.
#21 - Stick Ghosts
You can make these two ways - edible and inedible. Both are easy to make, and
I'll tell you how to make both of them.
Here's what you will need:

- Sticks and Foam balls (or something to use for ghost heads)
- Optional: Lollipop of some sort (if you are making these edible)
- White fabric
- Rubberband or string
- Markers/paint/extra fabric for eyes
- Scissors
Like I said, this works great in two different ways. You can make the inedible
stick ghosts for decorative purposes, OR you can make the edible stick ghosts
for party favors, giveaways, handouts, gifts, etc.
Start by puncturing your stick into the foam ball, or the cobwebs/newspaper/etc.
that you use for the head. For the edible stick ghosts, just get a handful of tootsie
pops, and no sticking or puncturing is needed.
Now you are going to cut your white fabric into little squares that will be used to
make your ghosts. Fold a white fabric square around the top of your ghost head
or lollipop, and use string or a rubber band to tie a knot or bow right beneath the
ball.
Then, add extra fabric, marker, or paint for the eyes, and you have yourself a
ghost!
If you are using these for decoration purposes, you can stick these in your
planter boxes, pots, dirt, in the grass, and other places like this. If you are
making the lollipop version of these, you can give them to friends and family, or
hand them out as a favor for a Halloween party.
Real experience: One of my friends had to provide a party favor because she
was a "class mom/room mom" for her daughter's Halloween party. And of
course, the night before, she had forgotten all about her "party favor". So, she
ran to the store, bought a bag of 100 tootsie pops, spent less than an hour putting
them together, and came to her daughter's class the next day with the best favor a
kid could ask for.
#22 - Happy Halloween Banner
Enough about ghouls, goblins, and ghosts - Halloween can be a happy time as
well, and nothing gets me in the spirit more than to hear or see "Happy
Halloween".
All you need for this banner is:

- Black and orange paper
- String
- Glue
- Tacks or something to hang this with
Either print out the letter from your computer, and then cut them out, OR draw
them yourself and cut them out.
Next, cut one or two pieces of string to be used for your banner. You want to
make sure you center the letters on the string so it doesn't look lop-sided.
Place the letters on the string, glue each one on the string one at a time, and let
dry for an hour or so.
Finally, use tacks or something to hang the banner up. Put the banner outside
above your door if it's not to windy. Bring it to school and donate it to your class
for more Halloween cheer.
Unrelated side-note: When people see words like "happy", it has actually been
proven to put people in a better mood. Keep your family, friends, and classmates
in a good cheery mood this Halloween by sub-consciously putting good vibes in
their life.
#23 - Make Halloween Masks
Most people wear gross scary masks to parties, and the end up covering their
entire face, making it hard to breathe, talk, eat, drink, and really do anything
besides holding out their bag for more candy. These home made Halloween
masks can do the trick.

- Paper or cardboard
- Paint or markers
- String
- Staples and/or glue
You don't need to use this mask for trick-or-treating, but it can go great at parties
where you actually want to communicate with people without sweating and
screaming through your mask.
This works like any masquerade-style mask, but with these you want to add your
spooky flavor to the mask.
Start by drawing the outline of your mask onto a piece of cardboard or paper. If
you don't plan on painting or drawing on it, use a black piece of paper - although
you can always paint on that as well.
Next, make sure your eye holes are lined up (so you will be able to see out of
this thing), and cut around the outline of your mask.
Once your mask is cut out, now carefully cut the eye holes.
Before painting, drawing, or adding the strings, make sure you can see through
your mask. Nothing is worse than spending an hour on a mask that you can't see
out of, and then having to start over from scratch.
Now you can paint, draw, and add anything else to your mask. Cobwebs, glued-
on spiders, and mean looking eyebrows work great for these masks.
Finally, staple or glue two strings to each side of your mask - that's 2 strings
EACH, 4 strings total!
I try to put one set of strings on the bottom corner of the mask, and then one
about an inch or two above (but not too high, or your mask could collapse/fold
around your face).
Once you are finished, tie your mask around your face and check yourself out in
the mirror! You now have a mask you can wear to a Halloween party, or any
other even that requires you to dress up/wear a mask - but also allows you to
breathe, talk, and interact with others (not to mention style points!).
#24 - Spooky Trees
Not everyone has the advantage of owning spooky trees in front of their house.
So, instead of complaining, you can make your own spooky trees for your front
yard.

- Stick-dry (no leaves) tree branches of various sizes
- Pumpkins
- Knife or carving tool
- Optional: cobwebs, spiders, etc.
For this, you want to start with the tree branches. Do you have any old trees in
your yard? You can ask neighbors for old tree branches. Or, like I do every year,
you can take a drive around the outskirts of your town where their are lots of
trees, and look for fallen tree branches you can use. You'll be doing a service to
both your own Halloween as well as the city (as you will be basically giving free
labor of tree branch/junk removal).
Once you have a nice set of tree branches, get 4 or 5 pumpkins. Now, you don't
necessarily NEED the pumpkins for this, but it gives this project a unique and
spooky look - so get the pumpkins.
Now, instead of cutting off the stem of the pumpkin by creating a giant hole in
the top, this time you will cut a hole just big enough for the bottom of the branch
to fit in, but small enough so that the branches don't fall over.
Note: You can weigh your pumpkin down further by pouring sand, gravel, dirt,
or cement directly into the pumpkin.
Next, poke the sticks into the tops of the pumpkins, and guide them down so the
bottom of the stick touches the bottom of the pumpkin. Make sure your spooky
tree branches stand up on their own, and don't wobble around.
For an extra added effect, add cobwebs and spiders to your spooky trees. Just
don't add too much weight, or your project could become unstable and fall/break
apart.
#25 - Folded Paper Bats
This craft is a variation of the spooky paper garland cutouts. This one is more for
kids, because instead of making the craft for the sake of having decorations, this
one allows kids to think outside the box.

- Scissors
- Colored Paper
- Glue/tacks, depending on where you are going to display these.
This craft requires a little creativity and "outside-the-box" thinking. Instead of

drawing an entire image/stencil on paper, and then cutting the entire thing out,
you can just draw HALF of it instead.
Here's the key to this: You want to fold your piece of paper directly in half, and
pick something that is equal on both sides (like the bat in the image above).
You can also choose to make a pumpkin, a frankenstein head, or something that
is equal or the same on both sides. Anyway, it doesn't take long to make, so you
can test this a few times.
So once your paper is folded, start drawing from the folded side (this will be the
direct center of your cutout). Continue to draw just one side of your image.
Once the image is drawn, cut it out (leaving the fold intact). Finally, open your
folded cutout and check out your new Halloween decoration!
I find that bats are the most fun to make, because when you unfold them and
hang them up, they sometimes look as if they are flapping their wings. You can
essentially do this with a spider cutout as well.
#26 - Halloween Bouquets
I don't receive bouquets of flowers from anyone, so I never get to use my nice
vase... UNTIL NOW.

- Vase
- Sticks/small branches
- Cobwebs/spiderwebs (fake of course)
- Small pumpkins, spiders, and any other spooky additions.
There's no true step-by-step way to do this - you can make this look however
you want. I'll tell you how I usually make these.
Start with the vase. Fill half of it up with cobwebs. Then add sticks, dead
flowers, and small branches into the vase.
Put more cobwebs in the vase around the sticks, and add cobwebs all around the
sticks - you can even put the cobwebs around the vase.
Then, add spiders, mini-pumpkins, and other crafts that you made earlier to
really make this Halloween bouquet look spooky.
Tip: If you are a woman who hasn't gotten flowers from your husband/boyfriend
in awhile, try to creep them out as best you can, and you may just find some
flowers in this vase after Halloween. ;)
#27 - Spooky Silhouette Frames
Sometimes you don't need tons of materials and decor to make your house look
spooky.
Here's what you will need:

- Picture frames
- White paper
- Black paper
- Tacks or something to hang the frames with
- Scissors
Whenever I see scary movies or horror movies, a lot of them have the same thing
in common - spooky pictures around the entire house.
This Halloween craft idea is easy to pull off, and doesn't require much of buying
anything at all (considering you have some picture frames lying around). If you
don't have any picture frames, you can get some cheap ones from the dollar
store, or a frame store. Just walk right up to the clerk, and say "gimme your
cheapest frame!".
First, remove the picture inside the frame. Then, put a white piece of paper in it's
place.
Next, using a black piece of paper, draw and cut out a spooky skull, or silhouette
of a person, or a spider, or any other creepy imagery you can think of.
Now place the black silhouette on top of the white paper, and close it up inside
the frame. Hang the framed silhouettes on your wall - the spooky effect is even
greater when you hang a handful of these in the same area.
You can decide to add cobwebs if you'd like, but they really aren't needed.
Because everyone has picture frames, it's even spookier when it just looks like
these are your normal frames.
#28 - Painting $1 Glasses
Yep, $1 glasses - they exist at the Dollar Tree. But seriously, whether they are
cheap glass, plastic, or made out of stone, your kids will love painting on
glasses.
- Glasses
- Paint brushes etc.
Start by painting on the glasses. Paint witches, spiders, bats, pumpkins, and any
other Halloween images you can think of.
If you plan to drink out of these cups/glasses, make sure you leave 1 inch or so
on the top UN-painted. You don't want paint in your mouth every time you take
a sip of your favorite drink.
If you DON'T plan on drinking out of these glasses, you can use them as pure
decoration, and can then add cobwebs and spiders in and around the glasses.
Leave these out on the table, you can even have one tipped over with fake
spiders spewing out of it. Use these to put your edible stick ghost lollipops in
(the ones you learned to make earlier).
#29 - Thread Monsters
I've seen people go crazy with these. These thread monsters are fun to make at
any age, and give you more of sense of accomplishment rather than a "look at
me" Halloween decoration.

- Different colors and sizes of thread
- Fabric
- Paint
- Glue (for attaching extra fabric if needed)
- Any other small materials you can use to make your thread monster look good
Note: Don't use your expensive designer thread to make these, as you won't be
able to use the thread after.
First, get a small handful of sewing thread discs/holders, and start to envision
what type of face/imagery will look good on it. For green tall thread, think about
a Frankenstein head. For chubby orange thread discs, try a Halloween Pumpkin
face.
Cut out fabric, and start to glue eyes, mouths, and other features on your thread
monsters. Then, paint any additional features you want to make your thread
monster stand out.
These work great as mantle pieces, paper weights, and general small-sized
Halloween decoration.
#30 - Stair Shadow Stencils
Here is an absolute favorite of mine - the stair shadow stencil.
All you need to make this is:

- Black paper
- Scissors
- Pencil/pen (if needed)
- Tape
This spooky decoration gives the illusion of a shadow of a person at the bottom
of a staircase, and can REALLY spook someone out of their shoes.
I would start with a basic image of a man (as shown above), as that is the easiest
for this project. When you have the basics out of the way and want even better
shadows, you can practice with other shadow stencils.
For the easiest way of doing this correctly, I would first sketch out what you
want your shadow to look like at direct center-view, and then take each step of
the staircase one at a time. It's also important that you measure how tall your
stairs are, so that you fill up the entire front area of each step top to bottom.
Draw and cut out the bottom of the legs using the black paper, and tape this to
the front of the bottom step of your staircase.
Then, one at a time, cut each additional black piece of paper, and continue to
tape each piece on the front areas of each step until you have a completed
silhouette.
Don't be fooled, this silhouette shadow has the best effect at night. It may not
look like it to you at first, especially in the daytime, but once night falls and
people walk past your staircase a few times, you'll definitely get lots of double-
takers.
#31 - Bat Lamp Shades
You've made bats before to hang around, now it's time to put them somewhere!

- A lamp with a lampshade
- Black paper
- String and/or tape
- For added spookiness, fake cobwebs and spiders
First, draw a series of small bats (or spiders) on a black piece of paper.
Then, cut out a handful of bats. You can use the same strategy as you used
earlier in this book to create 5 or 10 at a time.
Now you can add the bats to your lamp/lampshade in a couple different ways.
First, you can glue the bats to strings, and hang the bats from the top of the lamp
shade on the cross-wires/support bars. Or, you can tape the bats directly to the
lamp shade (as long as the tape isn't going to rip off any of the material from the
lamp shade).
After you have hung the bats from the lamp shade, go ahead and turn on your
lamp to see bat shadows both on the lamp shade AND on the walls around it.
You can then add spiders, cobwebs, and other Halloween decorations and crafts
to give your endtable a scary-looking effect.
#32 - Spooky Halloween Ornaments
Nothing beats a big ol' scary tree with Halloween written all over it.

- A big ol' scary tree (any tree works)
- Stapler
- Colored paper
- Cobwebs/spiderwebs
- String or small rope
- Other spooky Halloween stuff to put around the tree
If you don't live in a windy area, you can make the "Halloween ornaments" the
same way you made the Halloween garland (the circles).
But, if you're like me, and live in a really windy area, you might need to weight
down what you hang from your tree.
I find it easiest to cut out two circles of the same size, then put cobwebs and
crumpled newspaper in between, then stapling all of the edges shut. This also
gives your Halloween ornaments a 3D look.
You can do the same thing with the bats you create - just make two, weigh it
down with material in between, and staple/glue them shut.
Besides the Halloween ornaments, you can add other spooky imagery around
your tree. By now you know I love cobwebs. It's probably because when I was
younger, my mother would always buy about 10 big bags of fake cobwebs, and I
would decoration the entire inside and outside of our house every year.
Add your other spooky pumpkin tree branches, hang some ghosts from the tree,
and put your stick ghosts in the ground, and you'll have a spooky front yard in no
time.
#33 - Super-realistic Cobwebs/Spiderwebs
This is the last craft idea before we move on to party games and Halloween
activities, and I wanted to leave you with one of my biggest spider/cobweb
secrets.
All you need is:

- Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
- Stuff to put your cobwebs on
- A piece of paper
Although this may not work for your home, I've used this every year for the local
Halloween Haunted House at school, and kids are fooled all day long into
believing that spiders actually spun these webs.
Sometimes the bag of cobwebs you buy from the store just don't cut it, and they
end of looking more like balls of white fur. But, when you create realistic-
looking cobwebs, you'll bring actual fear out of people - they won't want to get
anywhere near these "real" webs.
Here's the trick and strategy to realistic-looking cobwebs:
You know how when you are trying to use a hot glue gun to glue something, you
end up getting thin strands of hot glue everywhere? Well, that mistake of mine
was the key to this craft idea.
Now, you don't want to EVER touch the glue gun directly to a desk or item. In
fact, if you plan on using whatever it is you are glueing on in the future, think
again. Try using some old glassware, some empty bottles, and put a piece of
fabric over the area you are going to go glue-crazy.
So, if you are never going to touch your glue gun to what you are glueing, how
does this work? That's where the piece of paper comes in.
Wait until your glue gun is hot and ready to go, then push the trigger and touch
the glue gun to the piece of paper. Then, in one motion, pull the glue gun away
(and stop pushing the trigger), and you'll see a small strand of glue still attached
to the glue gun. In that same motion, wrap this strand of glue (which is basically
almost completely dry) around the stuff you want your cobwebs on. Then,
STILL in that same motion, after you've wrapped the strand around something,
touch your glue gun to the piece of paper again (you can hold the paper or set it
down) to end the cobweb, and to not make a mess.
It won't look like much at first, but keep practicing, and continue to add strands
around the glassware and other things on the table, as well as looping strands
around already-made strands. Eventually, you will have made your very own
spider web that even spiders will be jealous of.
Part 2: 33 Party Games For This
Halloween
It's now time to get you some ideas for games you can play this year at ANY
Halloween party.
Some of these games are for young kids only, but most of the others can be
played by Halloweeners of any age. Some games can be played by unlimited
amounts of people, while some are one-on-one. Some games are for parties,
others are for small groups of friends, some are for the entire family.
I hope these ideas inspire you, and give you a fun-filled Halloween, no matter
where you decide to go or stay this year.
#1 - Fill In The Jack-o-lantern Faces
This is one of the more simple, tame games, and works best for teachers,
substitutes, classrooms, class parties, and other things like that.
Here's how the game works:
One person (in most cases, the teacher) draws a bunch of circles to resemble
pumpkins on either a blackboard, white board, or large sheet of paper.
Then, each student or child makes their own jack-o'-lantern face in their
designated pumpkin.
If these are being drawn/painted on a large piece of paper, the teacher or leader
can then display these on the wall, in a hallway, or something like that.
If you really want to turn this into a "game", you can have everyone vote
(secretly) on which one is the best (making it clear that they can't vote for their
own). Winner gets a piece of candy, or a candy bag, or something similar.
For "out of the classroom": If you plan to use this game/activity for your own
household instead of the classroom, you can surprise your children with a big
piece of paper like this, and let them be part of the Halloween fun. You don't
need to have any set prizes unless you plan to use this at a party.
#2 - Bobbing for Apples (or worms!)
Ahh yes, the ol' classic bobbing for apples - or WORMS?
Okay, here's the thing: As we get more and more into this "digital age", there are
less and less kids bobbing for apples. My hypothesis is that these "new-age" kids
don't like to get messy. Also, apple bobbing is so old that most kids think it's
out-of-style and outdated.
So, instead of bobbing for apples, try bobbing for gummy worms! This is less
messy, and will get kids more interested because of the fact that they aren't
bobbing for a healthy snack - they are bobbing for a sugary treat!
There are a few ways you can do this, but I'm going to tell you the one that has
worked best for me:
Put about 200 or more gummy worms in a small tub/bucket/basket. Then,
explain that each person has 30 seconds to bob, bite, and place gummy worms in
another bowl or cup, all without using their hands.
The contestant who has the most gummy worms at the end wins. You can then
give out prizes like candy, and you can make the grand prize the rest of the
gummy worms.
I'm sure you can think outside of the box and come up with other variations of
the typical apple bobbing game. Just think about what's going to be fun for a kid.
Do they want to get drenched in water, have the taste of apple in their mouth,
and be completely exhausted after this game? No - You'd rather have the entire
party of kids lining up to get free gummy worms and more candy!
#3 - Monster Musical Chairs
I absoulutely love musical chairs. I think it's mostly due to the excitement and in
my case anxiety that I get when I play.
Now, if you don't have a ton of chairs, that's okay - you don't need em'. You can
use pillows and make people sit on the pillows, or even pieces of paper on the
ground (this will also avoid any chair injuries - trust me, I have experience with
chair injuries haha).
If you don't know how musical chairs works, I'll give you the quick overview: If
there are 10 people playing, you will have 9 chairs. Put the chairs in a circle, and
face them outward. Play the music, everyone dances in a circle around the
chairs, and when the music stops, everyone sits down as quick as they can. The
person who isn't in a chair is out. Remove one chair, and you now have 9 people
going for 8 chairs, and so on until their are 2 people left with one chair.
In "Monster" Music Chairs, it's no different besides the fact that you MUST act
like a monster while you dance around the chairs. And instead of your favorite
pop music, you will play some Halloween tracks to get the contestants in the
Halloween spirit.
You can choose a prize or prizes - but candy works every time.
Hey teachers! - You'll REALLY get your students in the mood for musical
chairs if you tell them that the winner gets a "get out of homework free" card, or
an A on an assignment.
#4 - Blind Fear / Creepy Crawlies
I've seen this done at fairs, festivals, houses, parties, schools, haunted houses,
pretty much anywhere that Halloween exists. I've actually also seen this done at
my nearby zoo (and they do it all year round).
Basically, kids will put their hands into something that feels gross, like worms,
or guts, or eyeballs, or a squishy body organ. However, instead of actually filling
the bowls with worms and eyeballs, you'll fill them with spaghetti and peeled
grapes.
You can do this one of two ways.
First, you can have all of the bowls visible, while only the contestant is
blindfolded. Then, the blindfolded person puts their hand in the bowl, and tries
to guess what it is their hands are in.
The second way of doing creepy crawlies is to fill shoeboxes instead of bowls,
and have a small opening at the top. No one needs blindfolds now, and you can
even put a note on each box saying "worms" and "eyeballs" and "guts". This
way, people are already imagining worms when they put their hands into a box
of spaghetti and dirt.
You can surely turn this into a game - many at that. One that comes to mind is...
Tell a set of kids that they can win something if they leave their hand in a box of
worms and spiders for the longest period of time.
You'd be surprised at how many kids rip their hands out of the boxes because
something was "crawling on them". Then, when you give out the prize, you can
reveal the box of spaghetti to all the scaredy-cats.
#5 - Mummy Wrap Races
"TP! More TP!"
In order to make this work, I would suggest going to your nearest wholesale
store and getting lots and lots of toilet paper. You'll need it, trust me. Nothing is
worse than running out of TP in a mummy wrap race.
For this game, you can have teams of 3 or 4 (or more), or just 2 people each - but
it can't be just 1.
The teams will each have a designated person be the mummy, and it's their job to
make them the best looking mummy in the room - as well as wrap them the
fastest.
Give each team a specific number of toilet paper rolls, depending on how much
you have. The rules are simple: When you say "GO!", or when the music starts,
the teams will try to wrap their mummy friend as fast as they can with TP. The
team who has their friend completely wrapped first wins.
I love seeing kids play this game, because it really brings out their creativity.
Some kids will be rolling on the floor, some will stand completely still as their
friends run around them wrapping them with TP, while some kids will spin
around in circles as their friends let the TP unravel around them.
This game is even MORE FUN FOR ADULTS! Come on, don't lie, you see
your kid playing this game, and all you want to do is be the mummy. Play this
game at home with the kids, invite your other adult/teen/etc. friends over to play
this game - this is one of those games that is fun for everyone, and brings out the
competition in all.
#6 - Costume Freeze Dance
I can honestly say that I was the freeze dance champion of my school for 4
straight years back in the day. I know, not my proudest or most successful
accomplishment, but I still mention it whenever the topic comes up ;)
This is another one of those games that can be played by all ages, yet I only see
young kids playing this game. Why is that? Do people over 12 years old even
know how to have fun with no money or computers nowadays? Okay, I
digress.... Back to FREEZE DANCE!
First, you NEED some Halloween music. It could be the classic Monster Mash
song, it could be spooky organs, it could be haunted house music. Just make sure
it's Halloween music to get you, your kids, your friends, and your family into the
spirit.
One person is the DJ, while all others are the dancers.
When the DJ starts the music, you MUST start dancing. If you aren't dancing
when the music is playing, you lose. This gets rid of all the "cool kids" who are
really just too embarrassed to have some fun.
Then, the DJ stops the music at a random time, and everyone must freeze. The
DJ can even yell out "FREEZE!" if they wanted. All who are still moving (even
a little) lose. It's ultimately up to the DJ who loses and wins.
As the DJ, if you find that people are too good at the game, try starting the
music, and one second later, turn it off. Mess with people and be completely
random as to when you start and stop the music.
If people are still too good at the game, you can get as nitty gritty as eye
movement or blinking! Just make sure you establish the rules clearly - you don't
want any sore losers.
Play this game at home, at a party, or at school. If you are at a dance, or are
hosting a dance party, make sure to include this game, and have a prize that
EVERYONE will want, and you'll get the whole party involved.
#7 - Fortune Telling Games
When thinking about Halloween, you think about the dead (or the living dead!).
Also talking to the dead. Mystics, fortune tellers, psychics.
I'm going to list a few of the most popular fortune telling games I've played
before on Halloween.
First, let me just talk about tarot card and palm reading. If you want to go that
route, do a little bit of palm reading research. There's even books about it.
Although you can grasp some of the basic concepts, it's still a lot more work than
the other fortune telling games I've played. Also one more quick tip: Although I
love the Ouija Board, it's often a game that people get bored with, so try
something more fun.
Here's 3 popular fortune telling games to play on Halloween:

First is charm cakes. This used to be an old wedding tradition (as far as I know),
where charms are placed inside of a cake, and when someone finds a charm in
their slice, they look at the list of charms to find out what their fortune is.
Get or make any Halloween cake, then put the charms (usually metal) on the top
of the cake spaced out equally, and put frosting over the charms. Have the list of
charms handy so when a party guest or family member finds a charm, they can
read their fortune.
NOTE: Don't make the charms too small, or people will eat them accidentally.
Make them big enough so that when someone puts their fork in to eat a slice,
they will KNOW they just got a charm.
The next is classic fortune cookies. Do a quick search online, and you'll find a
website that allows you to order a set of fortune cookies with your own
predetermined fortunes in them.
Write some funny fortunes, or some spooky ones, and leave them in a tray at a
Halloween party. Some people will laugh, others will be creeped out. All in all,
it's fun to see people's reactions.
Finally is the classic candle fortune game. In this game, you would get a few
different colors of candles. I've seen some use 3, others use 5 or more. Each
color represents something - like green for money/wealth, red or pink for
love/relationship, orange is travel, purple is success or bravery. You can really
choose whatever you want, but make it clear at the beginning.
You would then light the candles, and put the set of candles in front of the
person. They are then blindfolded. You will mix up and scramble the candles,
and put them in front of the person again. Whichever one they blow out
determines what is coming for them soon.
#8 - Truth or Dare at Night
I wanted to talk a little bit about Truth or Dare, because contrary to your possible
belief, Truth or Dare is played among all ages of people. Now, I'm not saying go
play it with your family, nor am I saying this is a "family-friendly game".
My first tip for Truth or Dare: Kids play with kids, adults play with adults. When
kids play with adults, things get weird. I don't need to turn this book into an
anxiety attack, but just play with people in your own age group, and you'll be
better off.
Next tip: Establish rules at the very beginning. One rule could be "no romance
dares". Another could be "must stay inside the house". Just establish rules so
everyone knows where they stand when starting the game.
Final tip (and the most important): When someone doesn't want to do a dare,
that's okay - instead of taunting and teasing, just make it clear to them that they
won't be able to ask "truth or dare" to anyone else for the rest of the night.
All in all, this game should be fun. If it's not fun for you or others, don't play it.
But for those that like the game, get it rolling this Halloween. Try playing when
it's dark, and think of "spooky" dares instead of embarrassing or degrading dares
- it makes it more fun for everyone.
#9 - Pumpkin Bowling
Before I go into pumpkin bowling, let me just say this: Don't steal other people's
pumpkins. First of all, it's just wrong. Second of all, why would you want to go
to jail for such a stupid crime?
Okay, onto pumpkin bowling. And no, I'm not talking about bringing your
pumpkins down to the nearest bowling alley.
Pumpkin bowling can be extremely fun, but understand that these pumpkins
won't last forever. It's best to not use a pumpkin you've carved already, because
it's way too weak to roll on the ground, and will fall apart on your first roll.
You may be wondering what you will use for the pins. Well, there's a few
different things you can use - it's all about how much money you want to invest
in a Halloween game.
Some of my friends use squash and other vegetables like that. However, I don't
really like paying for 10 squash and watching them be completely torn apart by
pumpkin bowling.
So, when October comes around, I start to save all the 2-liter bottles of soda that
I would originally recycle, and use these bottles as the pins.
Set up your pins just like a bowling alley, 4 in the back, then 3, then 2, then 1 in
the front. Create a line that people must roll from. You can play by classic
bowling rules, or just do a "one-roll" type of game.
If the soda bottles are knocking over too easily, add a little water to each one to
make it more of a challenge.
Pumpkin bowling can be fun for all ages. Have you ever rolled a pumpkin across
your yard to knock down soda bottles? Such a fun experience.
#10 - Scariest Faces
Anyone can play this - anyone. And everyone should play Scariest Faces.
The game could work in a couple of different ways. I'll tell you both below:
You get a group of people together, and tell everyone that you will be playing
"Scariest Faces", in which each person, one at a time, is to make the absolute
scariest face they can.
Then, everyone votes on who's face is the scariest (and obviously you can't vote
for yourself since you can't see yourself). Whoever makes the scariest faces wins
some sort of a prize. Candy? Extra dessert? If you are adults, buy your buddy a
drink?
I tend to like to play this game THIS way instead:

Since this book is all about Halloween, I'm assuming you might have a party, or
even go to a party. If you are hosting the party, or are there in enough time to
pull this off, instead of getting a group of people together to make their scariest
faces, have a Polaroid camera handy!
You see, a majority of the people there won't want to contribute their scary face
directly in front of everyone, but they WILL make a scary face to the camera.
Just walk around with the camera, and say "Scariest face contest, gimme your
scariest face and you can win ---prize---!"
It doesn't matter whether they make a scary face or not, take that picture! For
every picture you take, post it up to a wall where everyone's scariest faces are
revealed. Then, people are able to honestly choose who's face was scariest.
This makes for a fun game, a fun party, interaction between you and all of your
guests, as well as memories that will last forever.
#11 - Candy Gambling
Unless you are an adult who trick-or-treats, this game is specifically for kids.
But not just for kids, but for anyone who has candy on Halloween.
For this game, envision your candy as a big bag of money/gambling chips, and
picture your living room (or anywhere else) as VEGAS.
Play poker, play 21/blackjack, you can even play Go Fish. If you have some dice
laying around, see who can roll the biggest number, and bet some of your candy
for each roll/game.
I know what some of you moms are thinking, "I don't want to introduce my
children to gambling!" - Guess what? Your kids have been introduced to
millions of things without your knowing, that's just the way this new age works.
I don't believe that by teaching your kids a couple card games and gambling, that
they'll turn out to be a broke gambler later in life. Let them play for an hour, see
how much candy gets thrown around, won, lost, and eaten because they don't
want to gamble it anymore.
This should be a fun game and activity for the kids, and can even be joined by
adults without candy. If your kids are candy gambling, buy your way in with a
jar of nickels. Play with your kids and bet some real money, and maybe you'll
have all the candy in the end.
#12 - Pop The Pumpkin
This is another game that can be played in a couple different ways. As you've
noticed, I don't just want to show you or give you one way of doing crafts or
playing games - I want to open your mind and allow you to come up with some
of your own great Halloween ideas.
The reason I say this game can (should) be played in 2 different ways, is because
I've had MAJOR accidents happen where a toddler tries to throw a dart at a
balloon, and it somehow ended up in the side of a party guest's cheek.
So, for kids who don't have the skill to throw a dart and not hurt anyone, let them
play this game another way.
For kids/toddlers:
Paste/tack/attach a bunch of balloons to the wall. Make sure half are black, and
half are orange.
Then, get two children, and tell them that when you say GO, they are to pop
their color of balloons. Whoever pops all their own color balloons first wins.
You can either have them smack/slap the balloons to pop them, or you can give
them a plastic fork. The plastic fork or knife works best in my own scenarios,
and no one has ever gotten hurt.
For the dart-throwing-able:
Alright, if you are going to use darts, you will NEED a pinboard/tackboard. You
don't want darts being thrown into your nice walls.
Once you have a large enough pinboard, then you can tack or staple the same
amount of balloons on the board, and allow people to throw the darts and win a
prize.
You can play it as whoever pops all their balloons first wins. If you want to save
balloons, you can give each person 3 dart throws, and the person with the most
popped balloons after 3 throws wins. If there is a tie, go into a sudden death
round.
This game is sure to bring lots of fun to your next Halloween party.
#13 - Halloween Relay Races
The classic relay race - classic.
Relay races bring out true team competitive spirit among all. There are literally
millions of ways to form your relay race. Instead of giving you one set-up, I'm
going to instead list a ton of the different "sections" of the race you can create.
With relay races, it really depends on how many people are playing. If 10 are
playing (5 on each team), have 5 sections of the relay race.
Also, make sure you have a clear ending point. The finish line should end with a
bang, like a balloon popping, or a bell being rung, or someone crossing a finish
line.
Here's a quick list of all the different sections of your relay race you can
have:
- Spin around blindfolded, then must sit on a balloon to pop it.
- Must run back and forth with a small shovel (or spoon!), and spoon out candy
from a full bucket, and fill the other empty bucket with the candy until it reaches
the top (you can use cups if bowls take too long).
- Use a "witch's broom" to push along a mid-sized pumpkin across the yard to a
designated area.
- Pick up an eyeball (ping pong ball) with a spoon, and carry it quickly to the
other side without dropping it or touching it with anything other than the spoon.
- Balance beam! Get a piece of 2x4 wood, or something you can walk across
while balancing. Contestant must get across the balance beam without falling
off.
I'm sure you can think of other relay race ideas. You can even combine some, or
just use one for the entire race. I'm also positive that you can use a lot of the
other games you will learn in this book for your relay race, so get creative!
#14 - Donuts or Worms on a String
Donuts, worms, apples, it doesn't really matter - just make sure you can tie it on
the end of a string.
This game is super fun for the kids, because not only do they get the chance to
win something, but they also get to munch on a sweet treat while they play.
First, get enough string to have lots of different strands hanging from a tree.
Then, tie the donut, worm, or apple to the end of it. You can have 2 contestants
for each race, or 10 or more for one single race.
The contestant who finishes their treat first while only using their mouth is
claimed the winner.
Note: Make sure you don't get lazy with the string/treat tying. I've seen this game
go downhill way too many times because some lazy dude decided to single-knot
all the donuts. As soon as people start eating, the donuts fall to the ground like
clockwork. If you need to tie it in a few different places to make the game
playable, by all means do it.
So, make sure the treat you are tying to the string isn't going to fall apart or fall
off easily. For donuts, I go to a specific donut shop to get donuts that are more
sturdy, instead of the fluffy ones. Although the fluffy sugary donuts are more
attractive and delicous, they make for the worst donut for this game.
Another fun way to play this game:
Besides just hanging the treats on a string from a tree, it's even more fun to have
a teammate dangling the string for you. Instead of a tree branch, attach the string
to a long stick, pole, broom, etc., and have another player dangle the donut in the
air for their treat-eater.
#15 - Halloween Pinata
Pinatas are one of the most-used party attractions/games that people use. They
work even better on Halloween since both are all about candy!
If you want to spend 0 minutes on the creation of this game, go buy a pinata
from the store. You'll surely find a Halloween pinata around this time of year.
However, I know there's plenty of you who would rather make your own pinata -
and from my personal experience, is a lot more fun, and provides a bigger
BANG to the pinata bursting.
Regular/pro pinatas are usually made using paper mache. This takes days to
create, and is very difficult if you are a beginner in the pinata-making world,
which unless you are a pinata maker, I'm guessing you're a beginner.
You can make a pinata from a paper bag. Here's how:
First, get a paper bag (or multiple) to match the size you want your pinata to be.
You may need to use two or three bags if you have stronger people smacking
your pinata.
Next, fill the bag with your favorite candy, and close the top with staples, glue or
tape.
Now is the time you decorate your pinata. You can use any material you want,
but just make sure to use something made from paper, or something that can
easily brake. Don't wrap your pinata in fabric, or else the only way your getting
that pinata open is to get out some scissors (or replace the stick/bat with a
sword).
Use black and white streamers and paper to glue to your pinata. As well as
making your pinata look good, you are also giving it stablization.
Make a hole in the top of the pinata to wrap your rope through for hanging, put
the rope through, and hang it up. Use a broomstick, a bat, or some sort of stick
for hitting the pinata. Test it out before your guests arrive with a few brisk
whacks.
The reason I like this way of making pinatas is not only because it's a lot less
expensive, but also because when the pinata finally bursts open, the candy will
go everywhere, and all will fall out. I find that with stiff, paper mache pinatas,
you sometimes need some muscles in the end to rip open the pinata so in fact all
the candy comes out (and you'd rather end your pinata with a BANG, not a "here
let me help you with that").
Finally, you can use bigger bags, and create pinatas 5 or 10 times as big as your
normal pinata, and pay MUCH less for just candy and paper bags.
#16 - Capture the GHOST
Capture the flag? How about capture the ghost?
I played this game all the time when I was a kid, and it works great for
Halloween.
Just change the "flag" to a "ghost", and you've got yourself a Halloween game.
Too many people get to Halloween, and then let their kids sit around eating
candy for 2 weeks straight. This can get very unhealthy, so get your kids active
and moving around this Halloween!
Here's how I play the game (or at least how I set it up for my kids):
Instead of flags, you'll use ghosts for this. You learned how to make a couple
different kinds of ghosts in Part 1 of this book, so either use those, or just use a
white cloth and make some eyes with a marker.
Place the 2 ghosts at opposite ends of the playing field. Then, use a line, string,
or something else to split the playing field in half. I've also used that white
chalky powder that they use to line the baseball fields, and then just vaccuum it
up after the game is finished.
Next, split up a group of people into 2 teams (make sure it's split equally).
Each team starts on one side of the field, and the point of the game is to get to
the opposing side, steal the ghost, and run back across the line.
If you are on your own side, you can't be "tagged", however if you are on the
opposing side (across the line), you can be "tagged", in which you are then out of
the game. Now, you can do this a few ways. You can allow the kids to tag
eachother in order to get them 'out', or you can tape a flag to each kid's back, and
the opposing team must tear it off in order to get them 'out'.
You can also just use a long strip of paper to put around each kid like a belt, tape
the strip together, and allow them to rip it off to get the opposing team out. The
reason I like it this way rather than 'tagging' is because this game gets really
competitive, and with tagging can result in children being pushed over.
Make sure there is always one or two parents present to make sure the game
doesn't get out of hand, as well as at least 1 parent to be the official referee.
#17 - Spooky Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are great for any Holiday, and Halloween is no different. I've
played scavenger hunts on Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and
also days that end in "y".
For a Halloween scavenger hunt, the point is to make the game spooky, almost
like a Haunted House, but with more competition.
Start the game with a spooky note that tells the players of this game that they
must read each note along the hunt in order to get to the treasure chest, or
something along those lines.
Then, all the players of the game will read the clues, getting to the next spooky
notes, ultimately leading them to the treasure (candy) in the end.
The key to making this game fun is with the clues. First of all, don't make the
clues boring. Instead of "Find the bookshelf in the house", write something like
"I used this to learn how to read, I always love a good story" - or something like
that, just be creative.
Also, since this is Halloween, you can make the clues spooky and scary.
"Beyond the cobwebs, spiderwebs, and Snake Woods is a spooky tree that I like
to sit under to call to the spirits" - this would lead the players to the tree in the
back yard.
All you need are great clues, and a sweet prize in the end, and everyone will
want to be a part of the scavenger hunt.
#18 - Pumpkin Miniature Golf
This may take a little bit of spending, but if you already have a putter and some
golf balls, there's not much more you need for this.
Truth be told, kids love mini golf. So why should you have to take them to a
mini-golf place and pay $20+ to shoot one round of golf when you can do it for
free in your back yard?
First you will need a pumpkin, and you will need to carve it in a specific way to
make it a mini-golf hole. I find it easiest to cut two eyes, and one big mouth at
the bottom for the ball to roll in to.
Besides golf balls and a putter, the only other thing you need is some sort of
rough green fabric to use as the "grass" for the mini-golf game.
I used to go to the fabric store, and would buy a small, long piece of fabric for
under $15. However, I am now the proud owner of a mini-golf practice-putting
set, which comes with a long mini-golf grass floor.
If your mini-golf pumpkin hole is on too much of a slant, put a long piece of
wood below the fake mini-golf grass to make the ball roll smooth into the
pumpkin's mouth.
You can make this a game where people win prizes if they get a hole in one, or
you can just have this as another part of your Halloween party, where people can
golf freely all night. You can even make a few different holes if you have the
time and money, and create an entire mini-golf course!
#19 - Pumpkin Penny Toss
A Pumpkin Penny Toss is great because it will only cost you PENNIES.
I'm assuming if you are already in the Halloween spirit, you've probably carved
at least a pumpkin or two. If not, that's okay, just go carve one, or at least carve
the top of so you have something to throw the penny into.
This game is pretty self explanatory, and works just like a penny/dime toss at a
fair. Although instead of making people use their own money (and having rules
like "you must throw a dime or more"), provide a huge jar of pennies - go
exchange $5 for 500 pennies, and you'll be set all night.
Depending on how many pumpkins you have, and the sizes of those pumpkins,
you can set up one or more pumpkins to throw pennies into.
Again, you can have this as a little "side game" for people to play, or you can
give them 3 tosses, and if they get all 3 in, they win a prize of some sort.
By the end of the night, if there are a few pro-penny-tossers, you can set up a
little competition later to see who can score the most pennies in a row. You
could also do a "how far away can you score a shot from?". The possibilites with
this simple game are endless.
#20 - Pumpkin Ring Toss
Ring toss, yeah! This game works just like the previous penny toss game you
learned how to create.
However, you don't need to carve any pumpkins if you don't want to. Just make
sure the pumpkins you get have nice long stems for the rings to be tossed on.
Again, you can set this up as a competitive game, set up little competitions
throughout the night, or you can just use this as a sideshow game for kids to
have fun with.
As for the rings - You can either make your own, or go buy some.
I went ahead to my favorite website in the world - eBay, and searched for
"swimming rings", and got a dozen for less than $5. These swimming rings are
professional, and are absolutely perfect for any ring toss game.
If you want to make your own, the best way to create rings for ring toss is with
plastic lids.
You know those plastic lids from jars of peanuts and snacks you get from the
convenient store? Save those lids, and when you want to start a ring toss game,
cut out the centers of all the lids, and you are left with semi-sturdy rings to use
for your ring toss game!
No matter how you create this game, it's a fun little attraction for kids that can be
used any time, and works great for Halloween parties and get-togethers.
#21 - Grab That Ghost
I've only played this once, and it was actually my nephew that reminded me of
how fun this game was for me when I was a child.
First, let me tell you what you need for this game:
- A large orange circle (paper cutout) to be used for the playing field.
- A funnel (or bucket) to be used for the ghost catcher.
- Homemade ghosts (you already know how to make these from earlier) attached
to string.
- At least 3 people, 5 or 6 people is preferred.
Here's how the game works:
Set down the playing field circle, and have the players gather in a circle around
the circle.
The "ghost catcher" will hold a funnel or bucket, while all the other players will
put their ghosts in the playing field. The players will hold the end of the string
that the ghost is attached to outside of the playing field.
Now, there's a few different variations of this game as I've found out, since my
nephew had some different rules for the game.
One way is to have the funnel/cone in the middle of the playing field, then as
soon as the ghost catcher touches/picks up the funnel, all the other players will
yank their ghosts out of the circle. In the same movement, the ghost catcher will
try to "catch" a ghost by placing the funnel over a ghost. Continue the game until
one ghost is left, and is claimed the winner.
Another way is to have the ghost catcher hold the funnel on the ground outside
of the circle, and as soon as a movement is made from the cone, the players can
pull their ghosts away.
Finally, you can play some Halloween music, and have a 'referee' stop the music.
Once the music is stopped, the ghosts are pulled, and the ghost catcher tries to
funnel one of the ghosts.
You can decide for yourself which way to play this game. It doesn't really matter
which way you play it though, as the players of the game will be excited to play.
This game works especially well for young children, and also for small
Halloween get-togethers between a group of friends.
#22 - Read The Cursed Text
The fnuny tnhig is, you wlil dfeniteily be albe to raed tihs stenence, yet it is all
jbmuled up!
This game is called "Raed the cruesd txet", or "Read the cursed text".
This always gets a lot of laughs, and is an appropriate game for all ages.
When most people read text, they are more apt to reading sentences word by
word, and not letter by letter. Some "experts" have figured out that as long as the
first and last letter of a word stays the same, you can jumble up all the other
letters in the middle of the word, and it will still be readable by most people.
For instance, let me give you some examples:

"Hello" can become "Hlleo". "Goblin" can become "Glboin". "Sentence"
becomes "Senentce", and so on.
Go ahead and put together your own paragraph of text like this, and see if others
can read it. Since it's Halloween, you can also make your text creepy or spooky
to make it fun for others.
If you are too lazy to create your own, here's a template you can use:
"Lnog ago terhe was a man who wluod eat nials for barekasft, wrmos for lncuh,
and brid gtus for dnienr. He snpet his lfieitme cernatig a csuerd lagnugae taht
wehn raed the rghit way, can csuae gshtos to hnuat you. Ocne you fisinh radenig
tihs stnenece in tihs cruesd lnagguae, you wlil be huanted forever."
See if people can read it correctly all the way through. Make it even more
difficult, and you'll get tons of people trying to be the first to read it all the way
through correctly. Have a camera ready as well, because you'll want to take a
picture of the "winner's" face when they read the last few lines to find out they
will be haunted forever.
#23 - Pin The Spider On The Web (and darts)
Yeah yeah, you know all about pin the tail on the donkey. This Halloween, make
it more fun and spice this game up.
I like to call it "Pin The Spider On The Web".
This is really easy to make. Either use a big piece of paper, and
draw/marker/paint on a huge spiderweb (example sketch above), or make your
own big game board using string for the web, and use pins to tack it on a
pinboard. The way of making this doesn't matter too much, it's how to set it up
and play it the fun way.
Kids are getting younger and younger at the time they say "they're too old for pin
the tail on the donkey". However, if you set things up differently, and add some
extra competitiveness, you may even have teen and adult crowds into this game
as well.
Try labeling each area of the web as points. 1 for the outer layer, 5 for middle,
10 for inner, and 100 points if you get a direct shot to the middle. Make up your
own point systems and have some fun with this.
Then, just make a spider cutout, and insert a tack in it. Hand it to the first
contestant, blindfold them, optionally spin them around, point them in the right
direction, and pin the spider on the web to get some points. Give each person 3
turns, and add up their points to determine prizes and winners. If you aren't using
a pinboard, instead of tacks, use tape on the spider(s).
Then when the young kids aren't around, you can ditch the spider and just
play darts (assuming you are using a pinboard). Use the same point system, and
go for the most points, or tack the spider in different areas of the web and try to
see who can throw a dart at the spider first.
#24 - Find The Eyeballs
This is my gruesome version of Easter. Instead of looking for eggs, you are
looking for eyeballs.
Don't get ahead of me, there's a few ways of going about playing this game, and
setting it up for the kids. But before I go on to tell you about this game, I need to
make one thing clear: If you have young children, don't impersonate the Easter
Bunny with "find the eyeballs". The Easter Bunny does come around every year,
even I know that, but there is no bunny delivering eye balls on Halloween. So if
you are going to play the game, just be clear to the contestants that this is just a
game that you are playing on Halloween.
With that said, here are 3 ways of going about setting this up:
First is using plastic sphere cups for the eyeballs (sort of like Easter eggs, but not
egg-shaped). Marker a black circle for the eyeball, put a piece of candy in each
one, hide them around the yard, and let everyone go wild.
Second is using those little eyeball chocolate sphere candy. You can get these in
bulk for cheap, and have hundreds of pieces of chocolate for all to find.
The third way is my favorite, because it doesn't impersonate the Easter Bunny,
and is more of a scavenger hunt. Use either chocolates like before, or use ping
pong balls and marker a black circle for the eyeball. Then, hide 100 or 200 of
these, and tell the contestants that whoever finds the most wins a prize (you can
also have second and third place winners).
#25 - Costume Contest
Assuming you are hosting a Halloween party or get-together that involves

wearing costumes, it should be a no-brainer to have a costume contest!
I've been to many Halloween parties, yet only a few have ever done a costume
contest. All I can say is, the people who spend lots of time and effort creating
their costume should be rewarded, and getting first place in a costume contest is
the perfect reward.
You can do costume contests in many different ways. I have seen 2 work very
well over all the others. One of them involves some time and effort, and the
other requires no real effort at all.
The first way of running a costume contest is to ask people at the party if they
want to sign up for the costume contest, and they can win a prize. You can even
have a sign-up form with a pen and a clip board at the entrance of the party.
Make the prize a $10 gift card or something of value, and you'll get some great
contestants. Then, later in the party, bring the contestants to the front, and allow
people to cheer for each costume one at a time. The person with the loudest
cheers wins. If you don't want this to get too loud, you can have people raise
their hands.
The second (easier) way of doing this is to simply cut a small rectangle out of
the top of a shoebox, make a tiny sign saying "Costume Contest Votes", have a
pad of paper or post-it-notes with a few pens, and allow people to vote on a
winner. It doesn't take that long to count the votes later in the party. Just match
up the names, and you'll see where the biggest stacks are. You can then count the
ones you know are way ahead of everyone else, and determine a winner very
quickly.
Bottom line: Costume contests can be fun for both worker-bees AND lazy
people. So make sure you have one at your Halloween party this year.
#26 - Hot p' pumpkin!
This is just a fun Halloween version of Hot Potatoe, but what can I say? - The
kids love it.
First and foremost, unless a bunch of adult dudes are playing this game, don't
use regular sized pumpkins. It just makes it hard for people to enjoy the game
when they have to worry about pulling a muscle or dropping a pumpkin on their
toes.
I suggest using one of those cheap mini-pumpkins (the ones that some schools
allow students to put on their desks in October).
The only other thing you need to make this a true Halloween-ized game is to
have some spooky or funky Halloween music ready to go, a group of people to
play, and one person to play the music.
Once you have everything set up, it's time to start the game.
One person is the DJ, the rest are players and will get in a circle facing inward.
If you are starting with 20+ people, and don't want people throwing the pumpkin
across the circle, you can start the rules by stating you must toss the pumpkin to
either the person next to you, or the person next to them. The DJ starts the
music, and the pumpkin is tossed around. When the music is stopped, whoever
has the pumpkin is OUT.
Then, when the circle gets small enough, you can allow people to toss the
pumpkin to whoever they want. This game gets really good when there is only 2
people left. Just don't let this get out of hand with over-competitive people in the
final round. I've seen some kids chuck these pumpkins just for the sake of
winning the game.
#27 - 3-Legged Races
This game doesn't need to be Halloween-ized at all, unless of course the game
takes place in the spooky cobweb cemetery yard.
3-legged races have been around forever, and is a true team game. You can make
the race spooky and host it at night, but I find it works great for daytime
Halloween parties.
Three-legged races are also a game for all ages. I've seen the craziest of pairs
racing together, and it really is fun for everyone.
Ask people at the party if anyone wants to be part of a 3-legged race, and to get a
partner. When people are paired up and ready to go, it's time to tie them up.
I've seen some people use potatoe sacks to put the middle two legs together. I've
seen others use blind folds and bandanas to tie the ankles and knee areas
together. Some use soft rope, bungee cords, even super glue (just kidding)!
Once everyone is tied up, all you need is a start line and finish line, and someone
to say "GO!". The first pair to cross the line are the winners.
One more tip for 3-legged races: Why just do one? I've seen it too many times
where a 3-legged race happens at a party, and either some kids didn't get a
chance to pair up with someone, or someone wants to pair up with another
person too, or a pair came close to winning, but still lost.
Instead of having everyone sitting around bored, have another race! You can
spread these out across the entire length of the party, or you can do 3 or more in
a row.
#28 - Spooky "Popcorn" Story Game
You won't actually yell "Popcorn!" in this game, but it's a variation of the classic
Popcorn Story Game.
In basic Popcorn, someone reads from a book, and it could be mid-sentence, they
yell "Popcorn! Sally!" (or another name), and that person must immediately
continue the story. If they don't continue, they are either "out", or if it's story
time in school they would have to get up and do a little dance or something
embarrassing to get them to pay attention.
With this version, it's the players' jobs to create a spooky story on the spot.
To get warmed up, do a practice round. Start a story, then when you pause, the
next person will continue, and so on.
Once you are warmed up, you can play this a couple different ways.
The first way is sentence-by-sentence. Each person says one sentence to

continue the story, and if they pause for more than 3 seconds during their turn,
they are out.
The other way is having a timer. Give each person 10 seconds (or 20, or 30) of
time in which they must continuously tell the story. Then, it switches over to the
next person for 10 seconds. If someone has nothing to say from the start, or if the
pause for more than 3 seconds, they are out.
Both games end with one winner, in which they get a prize.
Fun idea: Remember the "raed the crused txet" game? Get a full page of this,
and make people read it non-stop for this game for 10 seconds each. As soon as
someone stumbles for even a second, they are out. I'm sure you can come up
with your own versions of lots of these games.
#29 - Bean Bag Toss
I see this game at many Halloween fairs and festivals, and it's always a favorite
for everyone.
This year I want you to make your own bean bag toss.
Start by carving off the top of some pumpkins, and scoop out the insides. You
now have your bean bag holes.
You can then set these pumpkins up at different spots, and give people the
chance to throw bean bags into the pumpkins. If you are going with prizes, you
can form the rules to your own liking. 3 in a row gets you a prize, 1 in each
pumpkin gets you a prize, 1 long shot gets you a prize, and so on.
For the bean bags, you can go buy some (they aren't too expensive), or you can
make your own. To make your own, start by getting a small amount (1 yard or
less) of your favorite fabric material. Then, cut out squares the size you want the
bean bags. Pair up all the squares, and attach 3 sides together, leaving one side
open. You can attach the sides with hot glue, super glue, or stitching/sewing if
you have the time.
Then, pour in the insides of the beanbag. This can be sand, plastic beans, small
pebbles, even dirt. Just make sure it has enough weight, but not too heavy.
Once your bean bags are filled, use the same technique you used before to close
up the final side. Go test out your bean bags by tossing them against a wall to
make sure they aren't going to burst open.
#30 - Guess How Many In The Jar?
This not only is something I do every Halloween, but also something I do for
every single Holiday or party.
Everyone loves this game, everyone can play, everyone has a good chance of
winning. Halloween should be no different, get this game going this year.
All you need is a see-through plastic or glass jar with a lid, and the treats you are
going to fill it up with. You can use M&Ms, Skittles, candy corn, jelly beans,
anything you want really. For Halloween, get the black and orange Halloween
M&M bags.
The only effort you need to put into this is counting and remembering the
number.
As party guests arrive, tell them they can guess how many treats are in the jar,
and the person that guesses closest without going over the number wins the jar of
treats. Either have a shoebox with a hole in the top for people to drop in a note
with a number and their name, or have a piece of paper where they can just write
it down.
Whatever types of treats you have, and whatever way you run this game, it will
always be fun. Throughout the entire party, people will be asking how much
other people guessed, and the anticipation will be at an all-time high.
#31 - Halloween BINGO
BINGO is a game that can be played around Halloween at parties, get-togethers,

fairs, in the classroom, at home - anywhere.
If you have the time, I would say go for making your own Bingo cards. It's really
easy to do, and just takes some time. However, if you don't want to do the work,
there are plenty of websites that generate bingo cards on the fly. Just do a quick
search, and you can have hundreds of bingo cards printed out right now.
For creating the BINGO cards yourself, you can make them 3x3, 4x4, or 5x5 (no
more, no less). For 3x3, you can play "BAT" and to win you need 3 in a row. For
4x4, you can play "JACK" (for jack-o'-lantern) and to win you need 4 in a row.
For 5x5, you can play basic BINGO and to win you need 5 in a row. It all
depends on how much work you want to do.
Then, create a bunch of Halloween words, or better yet, IMAGES, and make
each one the same sized piece of paper. Next, randomly write the words or draw
the images on the bingo cards. BAT will have 9 boxes to fill, JACK will have 16
spaces to fill, and SPOOK will have 25 spaces to fill. Use coins or pieces of
paper for the players to mark/cover the squares. Put all the images/words you
made into a hat, and choose them randomly, calling them out. For instance, if
you were playing basic bingo, you could pull O-pumpkin, B-bat, I-witch, B-
pumpkin, and so on.
If you don't want a lot of work to do, I wouldn't recommend playing this. But for
those of you who either have the time or have a group of people willing to help
out with the creation of the game, it can be very fun and rewarding.
Bingo Tip: Keep the game rolling! Don't slow down even if some people say
you are going to fast. Pump the cards out fast, and get a winner. Then, everyone
clears their cards and you can start over. The faster you play, the more winners
you will have in the end because of the amount of games you can get in.
Everyone has a better chance of winning some candy or some other prize.
#32 - Pumpkin Carving/Painting Contest
Pumpkin carving and painting contests do take more time than other games in
this book, but give the chance for the creative, skillful, and artistic people to
have some fun this year.
My cousin is a real introvert, but she is a great artist. So although she doesn't like
musical chairs, freeze dance, and mummy wrap races, she'll enter any pumpkin
painting contest and WIN.
If you are going to have a pumpkin carving contest, you must make sure there
are plenty of chaperones to avoid someone cutting their finger or putting
themselves or someone else in danger.
For pumpkin painting contests, you don't need as many over-lookers, but you
should still have at least 1 or 2 people depending on the amount of pumpkin
painters you have.
If you don't want this to be an "event", you can allow people to paint or carve
their pumpkins whenever they want during the party, and then their pumpkin
will be judged at the end of the party. However, if you are going for the "event"
style where people gather around to watch, make sure you set a timer for when
they need their pumpkins finished by. Depending on skill level/age/quantity of
people/carving vs. painting, you will set the time limit on your own. 10 minutes
is too short, an hour might be too long.
You need to give the contestants enough time to be able to finish their pumpkin,
but you also need to keep it short enough so people don't get bored standing
around for an hour or more.
#33 - Pumpkin Seed Spitting Contest
Sometimes all you need is a variation of another popular game, and you can
make it even more popular. Same goes for this game.
This game is great for young baseball players, and really anyone who eats and
spits sunflower seeds. For this game/contest, contestants are to spit a pumpkin
seed into a pumpkin.
You can use pumpkin seeds (obviously the best choice for Halloween),
sunflower seeds, M&Ms, corn nuts, anything you can spit. Then, for the
pumpkin, just carve the top part of the pumpkin off. Vary the hole size and make
it smaller to make it more difficult. Or, if young children are playing, have a
huge hole to make it easier.
Maybe 3 in a row gets a prize, maybe a long shot gets a prize. You can let people
do this all day to win candy. If you want to make this a pure contest, I find it the
most fun to see who can spit the pumpkin seed into the pumpkin from the
furthest length.
If you are going to go the "event/contest" route, make sure you have a prize that
is worth it. If it's a huge gathering, make it a $10 or $20 value prize. If it's a
small get together or party, give out a KING SIZE candybar to the winner.
Part 3: 33 Fun Halloween Activities
You now know how to make tons of Halloween crafts, and you have a list of
games and contests to play at your next party.
Part 3 will list even more activities you can do this Halloween. The first few start
as basic as pumpkin carving and painting, but there are many other activities to
be done on and before Halloween.
#1 - Pumpkin Carving
If we are going to talk about Halloween activities, we obviously have to start

with the most popular - Pumpkin Carving.
You can carve pumpkins at parties, festivals, at home, at school, and also at
other Halloween events. When October rolls around, you can take part in
pumpkin carving whenever you want.
If you've never carved pumpkins before, make this year your first go at it.
Usually, most pumpkin carving kits run around $5 - $20, and that comes with
carving knives, pumpkin gut scooper, some carving stencils, and
directions/instructions on how to carve pumpkins.
If you have carved pumpkins before, try some new designs, or make your own.
Just last year I tried my very first pumpkin carving using my own stencil.
Although it was a lot more advanced than what I was used to, I was able to get it
done within a few hours, and I had a pumpkin carving that I was proud of for all
of October.
I've also seen a lot of other cool pumpkin carving designs. Just do an image
search online for "cool pumpkin carving designs", and you'll find lots of
inspiration.
You can create a pumpkin centipede by attaching lots of pumpkins together, then
attaching carrots to the side for legs. You can stack the pumpkins and make a
building, or even a bridge. What sorts of things can you do by combining
pumpkins? Get a paper and a pencil, and make some sketches of what sorts of
designs you want to make.
Just get creative, and carve some pumpkins this year. You'll feel great
afterwards, and you can then be proud of your accomplishment for the entire
month.
#2 - Pumpkin Painting
Pumpkin painting is for all sorts of people. If you don't like knives, paint a
pumpkin instead of carving it. If you are lazy, painting takes a lot less time and
effort. If you are more artistic with colors from paint and a paintbrush instead of
carving, go with the painting this year.
Sometimes the kids get the chance to carve pumpkins at school, or at a

Halloween event, and they don't feel like carving any more. So, I go buy some
cheap paint, a few paint brushes, 3 mid-sized pumpkins, and let them paint all
over.
Depending on your skill and how much paint and time you have, you can paint
an entire painting, and cover the entire pumpkin with paint. I've also seen others
paint their pumpkins one solid color - which when combined with several other
one-color pumpkins looks amazing. You can paint tons of little images on your
pumpkin if you want. I've done simple words and text across my pumpkin.
One really cool painting on a pumpkin I saw was when someone painted the
entire pumpkin bright white, and then used a permanent marker to create comic
strips on the pumpkin.
It's out-of-the-box things like these that make pumpkin painting and Halloween
in general fun. Think outside the box, and come up with some nice pumpkin
paintings this year.
#3 - Visit A Pumpkin Patch
Depending on where you live and how big the pumpkin patches are, they will
either be cheap or free.
Check your local newspapers for pumpkin patches in the area. Do an online
search to find even more. Check the prices, find out what each pumpkin patch
has to offer.
I've been to pumpkin patches that are free to walk through, and you just have to
pay for food/drink, pumpkins, and rides. I've also been to pumpkin patches with
nothing but pumpkins (no entertainment or food) that cost $20+ to just get in.
Do your research, read reviews, talk to other people about their own experiences
at pumpkin patches. Finding the perfect pumpkin is one of the most important
things in the mind of a kid. You want to make this experience memorable.
I, on the other hand, one who loves Halloween, like to test the waters of all the
pumpkin patches I can. Sometimes my family will go to our local patch with
rides and entertainment, then I'll go on a ride with the girls a bit further to
another pumpkin patch that has a peaceful hayride. Maybe the week after, me
and a few of my business partners will go to yet another pumpkin patch.
You don't need to buy pumpkins every time you visit a patch. Your kids might
think otherwise, so I'd suggest finding the very best pumpkin patch to visit with
them to get some pumpkins. However, it should be fun just going for the
entertainment, food, games, and rides (if they have them).
#4 - Go Trick-or-treating
The only thing more important to kids other than getting/having a pumpkin on
Halloween is trick-or-treating.
Trick or treating is the most well known tradition for Halloween, and is practiced
all over the United States and beyond. The start and end times for trick or
treating vary depending on what type of neighborhood you live in, but I would
say anywhere around dinner time (5PM - 6PM) is a good time to start (or about
an hour or two before it gets dark), and you definitely shouldn't be trick or
treating past midnight.
You should always take necessary precautions before trick or treating. Every
person should have their own flashlight. Kids should always have an adult with
them. Now, if your kids want to trick or treat on their own, it's ultimately up to
you whether or not you let them go.
It's interesting how the same type of thing happens in almost every family. When
the kids are young, the parents take them trick or treating. Then, when the kids
get around that pre-teen age, they start to want to trick or treat on their own.
Once they want to trick or treat on their own, you know it's just a few years
before they won't want to trick or treat at all, and will be on the other side of the
door (or at a party or event somewhere).
So, my argument is "if you are too old for parent supervision while you walk
around town at night, you are too old for trick or treating". Of course not
everyone agrees with me. So if you are one of those parents that waves goodbye
as their kids go off into the night, make sure they are prepared.
Teach them how to kick someone in the private area and how to go for the eyes
of a criminal. If you trust your child to only use this in dire need, give them a
keychain bottle of pepper spray and teach them how to use it. Tell them if things
go horribly wrong, they are to blow a whistle or scream for help until someone
arrives. When you prepare for the worst, the worst won't happen. But don't
prepare at all, and in a time of panic, things could get ugly.
Just be safe on Halloween. There are bad people out there. Have fun, keep to
your own party of trick-or-treaters, stick together, and don't stay out too late.
#5 - Tell Scary Stories
Nothing is better than telling scary stories. I take that back - Nothing is better
than telling scary stories at night.
This Halloween, make sure you grab a book of short ghost stories or short horror
stories, and read a few stories with your friends.
Go ahead and turn off all the lights, have a flashlight handy for the reader of the
story, and get reading. There's tons of great ghost and horror short story books at
the library, as well as book stores in your area. However, if you don't even read
regular books anymore, you can be sure to find some great ghost stories and
Halloween short stories online.
Don't have the most boring person in the group read the story. Make the reader
someone who is excited about horror stories, and loves them. I'm that gal who
loves to really get into stories, looking around at people spookily with the
flashligh beaming under my face. Getting someone who knows how to read
these stories, pause at critical moments, whisper and yell is the key to making
scary story time truly spooky and fun.
The only extra thing I'll say about scary story time is to know the age group of
your audience. If you are telling a story to 6 year olds, you might not want a
gruesome blood bath story. Same goes the other way around - If you are telling
the story to a group of guys in their 20s, a children's haunted mansion book
might not be your most exciting book.
Although I love the old school classic short horror stories, I'm finding out more
and more that people like stories that relate to things they do everyday. I recently
read a short murder mystery story about texting on Halloween, and the kids love
it since they text more than they read!
#6 - Make A Haunted Gingerbread House
Who says gingerbread houses are only for Christmas? Not me!
You might not be able to find a gingerbread house making kit in stores in
October, but you'll definitely find the necessities online for much cheaper than
you would around Christmas-time.
By making a quick sketch of what you want your Haunted Gingerbread Mansion
to look like, you can then sort out what materials you need.
In the quick sketch at the beginning of this chapter, you would find that you
might need 20 or so gingerbread squares or graham cracker squares, about 100
pieces of candy corn, cobwebs and spiders, possibly some frosting, and maybe
chocolate squares for the windows and door.
Go ahead and make your own sketch for how you want your own candy-house to
look like, and write down a list of all the things you will need to make it happen.
By making your list this way, you can save money on extra materials you don't
need, and spend more time on making the idea in your head a reality.
Or, if you really want the kids to be creative, put a ton of graham cracker
squares, candy, frosting, cobwebs, spiders, and other spooky decorations in front
of them, and let them go wild with their own creations.
Nothing ever has to be perfect, and never will be with gingerbread houses. Walls
will fall, some candy will be eaten. The point is having fun and creating
something from scratch. Just make sure you take a picture right when it's
finished, because it could be in a few stomaches by tomorrow!
#7 - Decorate/Spookify Your House
This Halloween, why not get into the spirit and decorate and spookify your
house.
Before going too crazy, it's important to have a budget (although I still always go
over). When you have a budget, you won't have a problem getting 5 big bags of
cobwebs for $5 each, or eyeballs, or other materials for crafts you might make.
In part 1 of this book, you learned how to create dozens of crafts. Instead of
spending hundreds of dollars on expensive Halloween gizmos and gadgets,
spend some time on creating your own decorations, and add them to the front
yard.
Hang things from your tree, put cobwebs on the ground, fill your front porch
with fake spiders. Put your pumpkin carvings and paintings outside. Hang
streamers and garland around your house. If you have orange holiday lights,
hang em' up!
Get your family moving this year, and get them excited about Halloween. And
remember, nothing has to be perfect. The only thing I hear my neighbors saying
on the other side of the fence every Halloween is them yelling at their kids - "No
not like that!" - "It should go like this!" - "Go inside, I'll finish decorating the d-
house!". It's really pathetic. Who cares what it looks like, this is a made up
holiday for KIDS! Let your kids have fun, and let them decorate the house how
they want.
Do you want your child's only memory of Halloween be that they could never do
anything the right way? Of course not. You'd rather have them look back on
their childhood years and remember their parents who let them have fun and
really get in the spirit of the holidays.
#8 - Make A Pumpkin Diorama
You remember those shoebox dioramas we made back in elementary school?

That's exactly what this is, with a Halloween twist.
To make a pumpkin diorama, you can follow the very same techniques you used
for carving your pumpkins.
You don't need to cut a hole in the top, although it does make it easier, as you
will be able to scrape all the insides out, making it easier to cut the front of your
pumpkin open. If you don't cut the top, you must be extra careful when cutting
the front, as it will be much more difficult with the insides of the pumpkin intact.
Now, you can either make the typical style of diorama, or you can make the
diorama I like to make.
With classic dioramas (not like the one above), you will cut only a small hole in
the front to allow people to "peek" in at your diorama. You will then need to add
the insides of your diorama from the top, and of course you will need to provide
some sort of lighting. Since there aren't that many openings for air to escape, I
advise you to use a fake candle or small light of some sort to light the inside.
You can even use a mini glow stick to really make your diorama spooky
looking.
With my style of dioramas (like the one above), you are to cut a huge rectangle
out of the front of your pumpkin. Don't make it too wide, or you risk your
pumpkin collapsing easier and rotting away quicker. But don't make it too short
or small, or people won't be able to see your diorama. Since almost half of the
pumpkin is open at this point, you are free to add one or more real candles (the
small tealight ones of course) to your diorama. You can add a little house,
branches for trees, spiders, cobwebs, and other spooky things in there.
Quick tip: Don't leave your candles burning in your diorama for too long, or
while you aren't around. Because you are adding sticks, cobwebs, and other
material to your pumpkin, it has a higher chance of catching on fire. If you have
too many things in your diorama, your better off just using flashlights, fake
candles, glow sticks, or tiny lights for this project.
#9 - Make Leaf Raking FUN
I know, no one likes raking leaves besides me.
It seems like these manual labor chores are always left to one person in the
household. Change that this year, and make it a family activity.
Raking leaves doesn't have to be tedious and boring. Get a few rakes, and start
raking. Once you have big enough piles of leaves, go ahead and jump in them,
there's no better feeling in the world than being caught by a soft bundle of
leaves, and hearing the "CRUNCH!" as you move and walk on them.
If you have enough leaves, rake them into spirals or circles or other formations,
you can even spiral the leaves around the tree.
This can also be an awesome moment for picture time. Let your kids and family
throw leaves around while you snap some action shots. And again, don't be like
my neighbors! For their family, raking leaves is a chore. For my family, raking
leaves is a fun activity, a game, an artistic creation, and one of the best photo
moments you could ever have.
Are you in a rush? Do you need to rake these leaves in 15 minutes or your fired?
I didn't think so. Let your kids and/or family take time with raking leaves, and
the more fun you make it, the quicker you get it done, and the better the
experience is for everyone.
#10 - Sheets Over Furniture
If you really want to make your house scary this Halloween, watch a scary
movie and take some notes.
Take note of what types of things are in haunted mansions. Candles,

candleabras/candle holders, sheets over furniture, cobwebs.
Think about any scary/horror/haunted mansion movie you've seen. Have you
ever seen a motorized ghost that wiggles and laughs in any of these? No! So if
you really want to make your house scary looking, why on earth would you put
something like that in there? Now, I'm not putting the idea down, because
everyone celebrates and sees Halloween differently.
So, if instead of happy holiday cheer, you want to go for super-scary-spooky-

dreadful this year, start with candles, sheets over the furniture, cobwebs
everywhere, scary picture frames on the wall, fake spiders everywhere, maybe
even some spooky writing on the mirrors in your house.
Go ahead - If nothing else, put some sheets over your furniture. The first time I
did it, I said out loud, "Woah that's creepy" - and it was! Then I added cobwebs,
and that was almost too scary for the kids - they probably felt like they were
walking into the last murder mystery scene in a movie!
#11 - Play Some Halloween Music
Whether you like the happy festive side of Halloween, or the spooky dreary side
of Halloween, there will always be Halloween music for you.
When October rolls around, start to occasionally play some Halloween music. It
can be festive "Monster Mash" style tunes, or it could be spooky haunted house
background music.
Play some Halloween tunes in the car, play some around the house. You better
play some at the Halloween party I know you are having this year!
Now, because Halloween only comes once a year, you might not have many
Halloween tracks to play. My tip to you is that if you decide to play Halloween
music from time to time this year, don't play the same CD over and over, or it
will become monotonous and boring. Play a variety of tunes - this music doesn't
need to be the "next big music artist", you can even laugh at some of the music,
and I'm sure you will.
Music puts people in good moods, and Halloween music will put you in a good
Halloween mood.
You can probably find Halloween CDs at your local stores in October, but I urge
you to look further into the depths of the music world by going online. There are
tons of websites that give you free downloads to haunted house background
tracks, Halloween music from CDs, and other spooky music from individuals.
Download some music, make a few CDs, and pop them in the CD player when
you have the urge for some music.
#12 - Shadow Flashlight Fun
Flashlight fun, flashlight monsters, shadow animals - whatever you call it, it's a
fun little activity that kids (and adults) can play at night with their flashlights.
I love seeing my kids play this game, because it doesn't require directions or
instructions, nothing to build, nothing that makes a mess, and expands the
imagination and creativity of your children (not to mention it's fun to see what
you can create!).
Have someone hold a flashlight, or rest the flashlight on a pillow or something

so it tilts up to the wall. Then, start by putting your hand in front of the
flashlight. If the shadow on the wall comes up too fuzzy, move the flashlight
closer to the wall. If the shadow is too small and you want it bigger, either move
your hand closer to the flashlight, or move the flashlight further away from the
wall.
Move your fingers around to make animals, monsters ghosts, and other types of
imagery. Let 2 or 3 people put their hands in front of the flashlight at once, and
try to see what types of shadow creations you can make as a team.
I also like to have a handful of other things around that can make fun shadows
even more fun. A stapler remover looks very much like a vampire bat in front of
a flashlight (at the right angle). Some sticks and branches can create a spooky
shadow scene as your hands can be the people and/or monsters.
Oh yeah and... time flies when your having fun, especially with shadow
monsters. Whenever I play with the kids, I find myself making shadows for over
an hour. All in all, this is a fun activity that can be played by kids alone, or the
entire family together.
#13 - Scare People With A Talking Pumpkin
If you love pranks, you'll love this Halloween activity (as well as another prank
later in the book).
If you are an adult who stays home handing out candy all night on Halloween,
THIS is your ticket out of boredom.
Here's how the "talking pumpkin" works:
Place your already carved pumpkin on the front porch where kids show up for
candy. Then, teach it to talk! Just kidding. Okay, you may already have what you
need to make this work if you have either a baby in the house or 2+ kids in the
house.
If you have a baby, you should have a baby monitor. If you have 2 or more kids,
they should have walkie talkies. Both of these allow you to talk into a
microphone on one end, and it comes out of the speaker on the other.
Place the baby monitor, or in my case a walkie talkie, inside of the pumpkin
(make sure it is on). Then, talk into the other walkie talkie to hear how it sounds.
Turn the volume all the way up to really freak people out.
Then, when a trick-or-treater comes to the door, make a spooky laugh into the
walkie talkie. You can then say "Happy Halloween!", and if you are able to hear
what the kids are saying (if you are just around the corner), you can have a
conversation with the trick-or-treaters.
I've also found it fun to wait until someone sticks their head up to the pumpkin,
then let out a loud screech, and watch them run away in fear.
If you have a video camera handy, I hope you already came up with the idea of
filming this and posting it online. Keep the video camera running all night if you
have enough memory/space, and you'll have hours of the funniest footage you've
ever seen.
I'm sure you have a ton of other ideas and things you can make your jack-o'-
lantern say. Go for it - Halloween is all about spooks, pranks, and fun, and this
activity has all 3.
#14 - Go to a Haunted House
As a kid, I never really liked haunted houses. Yep, I was a scaredy-cat. I guess I
just couldn't accept the fact that the people in these haunted houses weren't
actually trying to haunt or kill me.
I could go through a haunted house ride no problem, but as soon as I had to walk
through one, my feet would get trembly and shaky, I would close my eyes and
scream, and it just wasn't for me.
So, before you go to a haunted house, make sure everyone you are with is 100%
certain they want to be scared and spooked. If someone is 50/50 on the haunted
house, they can do other activities while you get scared (or they can wait for you
and move on to the next activity with you after). Don't force people to go
through a haunted house. Even though you know everything is going to be okay,
that isn't the case for some people.
With that said, I'm actually now a fan of haunted houses, as I know nothing can
go wrong in them. And if anything ever did go seriously wrong in a haunted
house, all you have to do is sue the person in charge (I'm talking about if your
child gets hurt by someone part of the haunted house, or gets cut on a sharp
object).
No matter where you live, there's got to be a haunted house in your area
somewhere. Go to a local haunted house made by your neighbors. Sometimes
schools have haunted houses for the public. I've seen haunted houses at fairs,
pumpkin patches, and other events like concerts.
Then, there are the "big daddies" of haunted houses like "Fright Fest" and "Night
of Terror", and other big-brand haunted houses. These types of professionally-
made haunted houses are sure to scare even the most confident un-scareable
people. These haunted houses usually have live actors, motorized parts and
sections, the most horrific sound effects you could ever dream of - and
something I've seen some of the "out-there" haunted houses do is add SMELL.
Part of the haunted house smell like a sewer with rat/mice sounds, other parts
smell like dirt and mud. Some rooms of the haunted house are filled with high-
powered fans, and you are blown around.
Some haunted houses are just out of control, and I just love how people still go
just be scared out of their minds. Open your mind, conquer your fear, and go
walk through some scary haunted houses this year. No one is going to hurt you.
Let out some shrieks and screams, and laugh about it later with all your friends.
#15 - Visit The Local Cemetery
Do you have what it takes to walk through a real cemetery at night?
Chills and thrills is what cemetery night-walking gives you. Before you go
walking through a cemetery, make sure you know the rules, regulations, and
hours of the cemetery. I know some cemeteries that don't allow night visitors,
while some are 24/7. If you do happen to meet up with the law, you probably
won't get arrested - they'll just tell you to get out and be on your way (I can't
speak for all law enforcement though, so be careful!).
Take a group of your friends to the cemetery nearby. Read some ghost stories.
Call on spirits and ghosts. Call on the zombies to rise up.
If you really want to spook and scare your friends, tell them a story about how a
group of friends died or were haunted from saying a specific sentence three
times (I always used to get my friends with this). Then, start to say the sentence,
and see which of your friends agree with your judgement. Say the sentence
twice, say it a third time - I'm sure you can even think of some pranks to play on
your friends in cemeteries.
You can keep things scary, just make sure you also keep things safe. If you
actually see someone else or another group of people at a cemetery, don't
immediately think they are their for the same reason you are. Do your own thing,
stay safe, and don't stick around the ghosts for too long, or you just might join
them.
#16 - Corn Mazes
For all the pumpkin patches I have around me, you'd think there would be at
least one corn maze.
If you don't have a corn maze in your area (or a hedge maze), either find the
closest one to you, or do some other Halloween activities.
For those who find out that you do have a corn maze somewhere near you, go
ahead and walk through the maze. Some corn mazes are small, easy, and require
little time to get through. Other corn mazes can be field after field after field of
maze.
Before you start the maze, find out about how long it should take you to walk
through. Go to the bathroom before you start the maze, you don't want to be
stuck directly in the middle with a full bladder. Bring some water with you, and
snacks if they allow them. Wear some comfy clothes and shoes, you may be
walking for awhile.
Some people like to go through the maze on their own, some like to go through
as a group. I haven't gone through too many of these mazes, but for the times I
have, I always go with a group. I am then able to talk to my friends and family,
decide as a group what the next turn is, and it gives everyone the sense of a
group-effort and satisfaction once you finish the maze together.
Although, if you aren't going with your family, and it's just you and some
friends, go ahead and make this a competition, and see who can get through first,
or the fastest.
#17 - Halloween/Harvest Festivals
Halloween and harvest festivals are big events, bigger than your typical pumpkin
patch or corn maze.
Usually these festivals only happen on one day of the year, or on one weekend
only (obviously in October). These events also usually cost some money, so
bring cash.
Halloween festivals are worth it for me because of all the different types of
activities, events, contests, games, music, entertainment, rides, and food there is.
Dad can eat some pumpkin pie, Mom can have a turkey burger, the kids can play
in the jumping castles, and friends can go through the haunted house. Then
everyone can come together for funny Halloween pictures and play some games
together. Then later, mom and dad can listen to a band play while the kids ride or
pet animals, ride some rides, and play even more games.
These Halloween and Harvest Festivals are packed with fun, and you could
really be at one of these all day long and not even know it.
#18 - Go To A Halloween Parade
Whether you are in the parade or watching the parade, don't miss out on it.
Halloween parades are free, so take advantage of it! There's tons of other
Halloween activities you must pay for, so take a break from draining your wallet
and watch a parade.
Some Halloween parades are huge events that get tens of thousands of people
involved. These usually have moving parade floats, bands, costume-wearers,
orginizations, brands, the whole nine yards.
Other Halloween parades are smaller events, and are more for kids to walk in the
parade to show of their costumes. In my home town, we have a costume parade
every year that allows our kids to walk in the parade. Then, when each child
passes the announcer/MC at the main area of the parade, they MC will shout you
and your costume out. "We've got a pretty princess, and here's a cowboy, the
friendly ghost is up next!"
These types of parades are great for the kids because it gets them involved, and
makes them feel important. And like I said once earlier, if you know someone
who takes pride in creating their own Halloween costume, tell them about
parades and go with them, you'll have a great time for sure.
#19 - Spooky Face Painting
"Hey kid, you got a spider on your face!" - "Why thank you for noticing."
Some kids like getting their face painted, others don't. For those who do, go
ahead and paint your face to look spooky this year.
If you are throwing a party, you can have someone paint kids' faces during the
party. If you are at a pumpkin patch, I'm sure they have someone painting faces
somewhere. Also, ask your school what their policy is for painted faces on
Halloween, and show up with a painted face!
Even if your child wants their face painted randomly during the day, let them
paint it themselves. It doesn't matter where you are, or that you aren't at an event
or Halloween party - it could be 2 weeks before Halloween, let them paint their
face.
The washable paint will be gone within hours, and it will bring joy and
satisfaction to any child who wants to get in the spirit of Halloween.
Oh yeah... If you don't want to be pestered into paying $5 or $10 to get your
child's face painted at a fair you are planning on attending, let them know that if
they want their face painted, you can paint it however they want BEFORE you
get there. This will save you some money, and allow you to spend it on other
important things this Halloween.
#20 - Camp Outside / Sleepover
Earlier I talked about ghost stories with the lights off being scary - try being in a
tent outside all night!
Pitch the idea to your kids, ask them if they want to have a Halloween Campout.
You can roast marshmallows, have a mini campfire, tell ghost stories, make
flashlight shadow monsters, and eat candy all night.
It's no doubt that most children will be ecstatic about this idea. Sleep in a tent?
Marshmallows and smores? Ghost stories and candy all night? Count me in!
Even just staying silent in the tent is scary when you start to hear all the noises
around you that you've previously never heard before from inside your house.
If you've ever really thought about the mind of a child, you'd know that at the
end of a long Halloween night of fun, all kids want to do is keep it going. So
instead of forcing them to go to bed early and put away their candy, allow them
to have the best end to their night by camping outside with their entire bag of
candy.
Have some confidence, they'll be asleep sooner than you think, and camping
outside is a perfect end to any Halloween night.
#21 - Go To An Amusement Park
If you are less about chills and more about thrills, a theme or amusement park
could be your answer this Halloween season.
Some amusement parks are actually all done up in Halloween decor, with ghouls
and goblins running around the park. Most amusement parks will at least have
specified Halloween events where kids can show up to the park in their
costumes.
Although theme parks can be on the more expensive side of these activities,
they're still fun, and could be a pleasant surprise when you tell your friends,
family, or kids that you are going.
Surprise your kids one morning. If you know you have nothing to do this
Saturday, wake them up early, and make sure the first words out of your mouth
are "Let's go to Great America!" or "Let's go to Magic Mountain!" or whatever
theme park is closest to you. You won't need to say anything else, as your kids
will get up and out of bed quicker than they ever have before.
One thing I like about some amusement parks during Halloween is their haunted
house rides (or just basic haunted houses). It seems like they really out-do
themselves during Halloween season, which they should!
Some parks will also have special Halloween treats like caramel apples and
pumpkin pie. A visit to an amusement park could be your answer this October.
#22 - Scary Story Prank
Did some of you skip to this chapter after reading about the "talking pumpkin"
prank? This is a classic prank, and will scare your friends out of their shoes, so
make sure you again have a video camera handy.
Here's how the scary story prank works:
First, find a short story (any short horror or ghost story) that has one single prime
scary moment. This should be the ultimate scary part of the story. Maybe
someone gets murdered, maybe a ghost shows up to haunt someone.
It's even better if you find (or write) a story that relates to the people you tell the
story to, or has to do with where you tell the story.
For instance, if you are going to do this prank in a tent at night, find a story that
talks about a group of friends that decided to camp out at night. If you are having
a sleepover at your house, make the story about friends at a sleepover at
Halloween in the house. You can even add little parts of the story to personalize
it. You can include in the story a specific time like 10:07PM, and make sure you
read the story at that time to get your friends even more freaked out.
Now comes the prank part.
Before you start the story, you have to have an accomplice. Make sure your
accomplice knows the entire story. Then, decide together what the perfect scare
point is. Like I said earlier, if someone is getting murdered in the story, that's
your scare point. At this scare point, your accomplice will bring the story to life
and make it real. If you are in a tent, and the murderer in the story walks down
the alley and creeps up to the tent, make sure your accomplice does this at that
exact moment. Someone is bound to say, "Did you hear that?", and that is the
point where your accomplice should run, scream, and act like the ghost,
murderer, or monster in the story.
When done correctly, you'll have your entire group of friends scared out of their
mind.
#23 - Watch A Scary Movie
If you are a homebody, a scary movie makes for a nice Halloween night.
It doesn't matter what type of movies you are into, you are bound to find a movie
to watch on Halloween.
If you are looking for scary movies in general, try "Texas Chainsaw Massacre",
"The Exorcist", "The Shining", and other classics.
If you don't like the horror, and want to go for a basic Halloween movie, try
"Casper", "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", "Halloweentown" series,
"Beetlejuice", and other movies like that.
Or, if you decide you want to watch a movie completely unrelated to horror and
Halloween, that's okay too.
And hey, instead of watching a movie at home, check your local theatre listings
to see if they will be showing a Halloween movie for the Halloween season. Lots
of theaters, especially smaller un-chained theaters, will show Halloween-specific
movies, so go find a showing near you.
As long as it's rated PG-13 or below, you can let your kids watch a Halloween or
scary movie at a theater. And for the horror flicks rated PG-13 and above, you
can leave the kids at home with a babysitter and have a date night (or guys'
night, or girls' night out).
#24 - Make Halloween Treats
The only thing better than Halloween treats is WARM Halloween treats.
There are thousands of easy baking recipes for Halloween treats, so take the time
to make some this year.
Have an ode to the pumpkin, and make some pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake,
and pumpkin bread.
Make some chocolate chip cookies, some brownies, and some rice crispy treats.
Do some research for other 'easy Halloween recipes', and you'll have tons to
choose from that can be done easily and quicly (and that don't cost much!).
Instead of waiting for mom to bake a cake, or make some cookies, or make any
type of treat, make this Halloween treat-making a family activity. One of my
favorites to make with the family is rice crispy treats. There are only 2 real steps
to this treat, and it's fun to eat something you made just minutes ago - especially
for kids.
If your children want to join in on the fun, let them make some treats
themselves! Obviously you wouldn't leave them on their own in the kitchen with
the stove and oven on, but there are actually lots of easy recipes made
specifically for young cooks and bakers. Have some confidence in your kids, and
they'll have more confidence in themselves.
#25 - Make Rootbeer Floats
One of my all time favorite drinks, the rootbeer float.
Want some soda? Sure. Want some ice cream? Definitely. Want a root beer
float? Wooooooooh yeahhh!
For some reason, when you combine soda and ice cream, it doubles the
excitement in everyone.
Make it a point one night after dinner to make rootbeer floats. Make sure you
have rootbeer and vanilla ice cream. Better yet, have an assortment of ice cream
and an assortment of soda.
Whether you are with family, the kids, or friends, let everyone make their own
floats. Let them combine chocolate ice cream with orange soda - does it really
matter - go for it!
Then, once the soda runs out, add chocolate syrup, cherries, sprinkles, gummy
worms, and other fun treats to the ice cream, and have ice cream sundaes.
#26 - Halloween Maze Solving
When I was a little girl, I loved creating mazes. If I remember correctly, at one
point I wanted to become a professional maze-maker.
This is a fun activity for kids of all ages, and will pass the time during the days
leading up to the excitement of Halloween night.
First, if you don't feel like making your own mazes, there are hundreds of
Halloween maze books, both at book stores, and online. Buy a couple maze
books, and you will be entertained for hours.
If you do want to take the plunge into maze building, it's a lot easier than you
think. Just take it one line at a time, one turn at a time, one curve at a time, and
one spiral at a time. It might take a little while before you get some good mazes
drawn, but you'll get better as you get the hang of it.
I always like to start with some sort of imagery. In the maze above, the
preliminary drawing started with a basic outline of a pumpkin with a stem. Then
the eyes and mouth were added. After that, lines were created from the stem into
the pumpkin. Take some turns, have some paths lead into 2 or 3, and some that
lead into a dead end.
Just make sure you don't close of your maze or create an ultimate dead end. If
you need to, draw the maze first in pencil, and then trace over it with marker or
pen. Then when you get better, you will be able to create mazes in permanent
marker quicker and easier.
#27 - More Scary Places
We've talked about haunted houses and cemeteries, but can you think of any
other scary places around town?
Sometimes it's the places we least expect to be scary that are the creepiest of
them all.
I remember walking around my old school yard one evening, and hearing the
creak in the swingset, the breeze of the leaves in the trees, and the creepy-
sounding bugs. I wouldn't have imagined the place I used to attend every day
could feel that spooky at night.
Are there any large areas of land, fields of grass? Local baseball fields work as
well. You can visit a park, and even that is scary.
When visiting places like this, you must be in the mood for scary times. If you
go with a group of people that have the mindset of "well this place isn't scary",
you should leave them at home, and bring people who are actually in the mood
and in the spirit of spookiness near Halloween.
Make a list of other scary places, and better yet, bring a video camera! Film you
and your friends, and the different places you visit during the
afternoon/evening/night. Make sure you film/record everything, and watch it
later on as a group. Find out if there was actually a ghost, or if there is anything
you can see in the video that you didn't see while you were actually experiencing
the moment.
Sometimes it's not the actual visit of scary places that makes you scared, but the
watching of the video later on. You might see something in the video you didn't
see earlier - like an animal, a light in the distance, or even a ghost!
#28 - Go To A REAL Haunted House
My town has 3 huge abandoned houses at different parts of the town. There are
REAL cobwebs and spiderwebs, REAL spiders, REAL sounds coming from the
floor and attic. One of these places actually has raccoons and other little
nocturnal animals roaming around in there.
Now, if a house looks haunted, but is not abandoned, and people actually live
there, stay the heck away. Start creeping around someone's home, and you'll
have an epic police chase ending with you in jail.
Make sure the house is completely abandoned before getting near it. And even if
it is abandoned, I wouldn't recommend barging in, as that is breaking and
entering, and if caught, the night could end with you in jail as well.
I would suggest taking a nice walk around the entire property, then get closer.
Look in the windows, find out if there are animals or anything moving inside the
abandoned house. Read curses and tell ghosts to show themselves. This should
be fun, but also very scary.
Besides actual houses, depending on where you live, you'll find old barns and
warehouses that don't belong to anyone. Go check these places out, and find out
if they are really haunted.
#29 - Watch A Halloween-Specific Play
First and foremost, Halloween plays are nothing like regular plays. So if you are
not normally a play watcher, you may still enjoy a Halloween-specific play.
You can find lots of plays around your area. Some plays will be produced
profesionally by big theatres, while other plays can be as small as the 6th grade
class of your local middle school.
If you have a child, or know a child that is going to be in a play, go ahead and
watch it and support them. It's cheap, it's important to the person in the play, and
it can actually be very enjoyable.
However, if you don't have or know a kid in a play, ditch the locals and go for a
professional Halloween production. I find that Halloween plays are even scarier
than movies, because it's not just on a screen, it's live right in front of you. You
get to feel the fog, smoke and mist as it seeps of the stage. You hear the music
being played directly in front of you. In some plays, the actors and actresses will
occasionally interact with the audience and be just a couple feet away from you -
creepy.
Last tip for plays on Halloween: IF you are 18 or older (this tip is for adults
only), I always suggest you find the nearest "Rocky Horror Picture Show", and
go see it. One of the craziest things I've been to, 100% audience interaction, lots
of singing, dancing, scary scenes, funny scenes, and really there's no other
explanation I can give other than to WATCH IT. You can then tell others you've
been to a Rocky Horror Picture Show, and you'll have that interconnective bond
with other RHPS watchers that others haven't gotten to experience.
#30 - Go Out To Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
This Halloween activity is easy: EAT OUT.
Halloween can take up a lot of your time, which makes it hard to get things
done, like cook dinner.
When Halloween gets the best of you, and you are stressed out with crafts,
games, parties, events and more, take an hour or two out of your day and go out
to breakfast, lunch, or dinner with your family.
The best part about eating out on or before Halloween is that lots of restaurants
and places have added Halloween dishes, desserts, and DEALS (3 Ds, I like it).
Seriously though, one place I went to last year was giving out free pumpkin pie
to anyone who ordered an appetizer! Another place had a special time each
Sunday in October where kids eat free (of course with the purchase of a meal
from the parent(s)).
Even if you can't find any special dishes or great deals at restaurants, it shouldn't
stop you from eating out anyway. Pick a fun place to eat out as a family (or a
group of friends), and make it a point to go there today. Whether it's breakfast,
lunch, or dinner, eating out this Halloween season will take the load off, and
give you a little bit of a reward for the hard work you have done to make
Halloween truly festive.
#31 - Go To A Buffet
This Halloween, you can ditch the other restaurants and hit your nearest buffet!
I love to eat, there's no doubt about it. If you love to eat, you'll get your money's
worth at a buffet. Now, if the people you are going out to eat with are light
eaters, and are the type of people who can't finish a regular sized meal, then you
might not want to go to a buffet, as it's a rip-off if you are a light eater.
I'm not too sure as to what special deals and dishes buffets have for Halloween,
but that doesn't matter, it's all about the food for this Halloween activity. Go
stuff your face, you deserve it.
Most buffets I've been to range anywhere from $12 to $25 per person, and up to
$50 per person for those super-buffets with signature dishes and food.
You don't have to break your wallet with a buffet. Make sure you know how
much the buffet costs before you go there, as well as what types of food they
have. I always hate paying for a buffet, only to find out the only thing they have
is endless spaghetti and soft-serve yogurt.
#32 - Host A Halloween Party
There is absolutely no reason for you not to throw a party this Halloween.
You have all the crafts to make your house look as Halloween as ever, and all
the party games you'll need. The only other thing you need is people to come to
your party.
Invite your family, invite your friends, invite your neighbors. Tell everyone you
want to come about your party, and tell them what kinds of things will go on
there. Go ahead and brag about the mountain of prizes they can win, the contests
they can enter, the scavenger hunt, the haunted house, the food, and the candy
and treats.
You don't need to go overly-crazy with your party planning, but at least have the
necessities. Hot/warm food, cold food, snacks, treats, soda, and water is a must.
At least a couple games and contests throughout the night is a must. Halloween
decorations are a must. Also, make sure you have enough music to last the entire
party. Nothing is worse than running out of music and having to replay that same
Halloween CD over and over (ahh!).
Be prepared, have extra everything, and above all - let your neighbors know
about your party. Let them know it may be loud from 6PM to 10PM, or
whatever time your party starts and ends. This will ensure that they don't get
angry with the noise and file a noise complaint with the boys in blue.
#33 - Free Halloween Events
So many people only go to paid Halloween events, yet there are hundreds of free
events they are missing out on. Don't be this person, and take advantage of the
free events in your area this year.
When October comes around, check that newspaper every day for free events,
free carnivals, free haunted houses, free parties. Sometimes your local
announcement channel on the TV will post Halloween events, so check on that if
you have it (mine is channel 1, other's are on random channels like 354).
Do your research online, and look for free events close by. Listen to your local
radio stations, and they will announce parties and free concerts you can attend.
Some free events I've attended in the past have been: Harvest festivals, fall fests
for kids, Dia de los muertos (day of the dead) events, Halloween fun fairs,
Babies First Halloween Party, Haunted Lantern Tours, midnight pumpkin fests,
and many more - ALL 100% FREE.
Don't pay for another Halloween event until you find free events first. I've found
that many free events are even better than the paid ones.
Thanks For Reading!
Thanks so much for reading!
My job for this book was to provide you with my favorite crafts, games, and
activities for Halloween, and I hope you were able to get a lot out of this book.
I love saving money, and that's exactly what I try to do when creating my own
crafts and projects. Same goes for games - who wants to buy electronic
Halloween games for $100s when you can make your own for pennies?
I truly hope you have a fun, safe, and spooky Halloween this year. Make sure
you implement some of these crafts, games, and activities into your own
Halloween schedule, and have a great month of October.
If you like free books, consider joining the 99for99books.com club, and get free
book promos, launches, and other book goodies.

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Halloween

99 Ideas for Crafts, Games and Activities

By: Jenny McKraft

NO RIGHT TO REDISTRIBUTE MATERIALS: You agree that you will not

DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES: The information presented

THIS BOOK IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY: While every

This book is in no way endorsed or distributed by any service, website, brand, or

Here's how the book is laid out:

First, you start with 33 Halloween Craft Ideas, with detailed

Let's start with something easy!

In order to make these spooky cutouts, you will need:

Start by drawing a simple sketch on a piece of paper. Draw a bat, a witch,

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After making dozens of these, you'll have a Halloweened-out closet full of

Here's what you need:

It works like a basic pumpkin/jack-o'-lantern. You then insert the candle/light,

Here's what you need:

Finally, use the hay/pompous grass/fake straw to enhance the illusion of a

Here's all you need:

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Here's what you will need:

All you need for this banner is:

Here's what you need:

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This craft requires a little creativity and "outside-the-box" thinking. Instead of

Here's what you need:

Here's what you will need:

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Here is an absolute favorite of mine - the stair shadow stencil.

All you need to make this is:

Here's what you need:

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All you need is:

Here's the trick and strategy to realistic-looking cobwebs:

Here's how the game works:

Ahh yes, the ol' classic bobbing for apples - or WORMS?

You can do this one of two ways.

"TP! More TP!"

Here's 3 popular fortune telling games to play on Halloween:

I tend to like to play this game THIS way instead:

For the dart-throwing-able:

The classic relay race - classic.

- Spin around blindfolded, then must sit on a balloon to pop it.

Another fun way to play this game:

Capture the flag? How about capture the ghost?

Here's how the game works:

For instance, let me give you some examples: