31 fun Halloween party ideas and games for kids

As the air becomes crisp and the leaves turn from bright green to burnt orange, we prepare for a holiday unlike any other—Halloween. Candy corn, carved pumpkins, haunted house décor— these little details get us in the Halloween spirit. Halloween is the only time of year when it’s not only acceptable to dress up in costumes and ask neighbors and friends for free candy, but encouraged. It’s what kids’ dreams are made of.

This year, to celebrate all the chilling, thrilling, and sweet treats Halloween has to offer with the little ghouls and goblins in your life, explore our 31 haunted Halloween party ideas for kids.

How do you throw a Halloween party for kids?

When planning a kid-friendly Halloween party, consider the age range of the children you’re hosting. Then, choose an age-appropriate Halloween party theme, complete with fun games and scares that’ll give the little ones a good time, not an upsetting one! From there, plan for about two to three hours of party time, a handful of games to keep the kiddos entertained, and festive snacks that everyone can enjoy. A Halloween party tip? As far as invitations go—send them about two to three weeks before the event. Halloween gets busy!

For toddlers, it’s best to keep the monsters to a minimum. Instead, lean into the kid-friendly side of the holiday by offering silly games, pumpkin decorating, and encouraging non-scary Halloween costumes, like superheroes or animals. If you’re hosting not-big but not-little kids in the 5-8 age range, adding a few spooky elements will excite them! Hang haunting ghost decorations from the ceiling and glow-in-the-dark cobwebs—but leave the extra-scary décor for the tweens. Everyone has a personal scare meter, but tween parties are where you can really lean into the spookier side of Halloween: monster cutouts, animated jump scares, and creepy music to set the scene.

Once you’ve chosen an appropriate time, duration, and level of hauntedness for your Halloween bash, choose decorations, treats, entertainment, and of course, fun invites to match. Let the fun begin, and the (kid-friendly) haunted Halloween party ideas flow.

Decorating your kid-friendly Halloween party

Halloween isn’t just about dressing yourself up in a costume. It’s also about dressing your home in Halloween decorations. Decorating your home is one of the best ways to set the tone for your kid-friendly Halloween party. You can opt for classic décor or experiment with a theme to focus your decorations and encourage a more interactive event. Whether you want easy Halloween décor ideas or you’re willing to put in a little extra time and effort, getting matching décor is the way to go. Visit your local arts and crafts stores, or peek at the Paperless Post Party Shop and get the spooky party started.

1. Yard décor

Deck your front yard with plenty of pumpkins, bales of hay, and a friendly scarecrow at the entrance to welcome your guests. Place fake tombstones and protruding skeleton hands on your lawn for a spookier moment, or slightly creepy cobwebs and hang toy bats from your trees.

2. Classic décor

Dress your space in timeless Halloween imagery and classic colors—bat balloons, plastic spiders, cobwebs, skeletons, cauldrons, pumpkin string lights, Halloween window clings, and whatever else your tiny guests will love.

3. Monster mash

Display cut-outs of your favorite monsters, such as Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, mummies, or werewolves—this will make your party feel lively, despite your living-dead guests.

4. Mad scientist

Decorate your space with beakers and test tubes filled with food-coloring-dyed liquids or neon-green slime—you can also use brain-shaped Jell-O molds to create creepy, delicious décor your guests can eat. 

5. DIY décor

Get crafty! Paint your own pumpkins in seasonal colors, carve spooky jack-o’-lanterns, use construction paper and string to make a cute bat garland, and more!

Tasty treats to serve at your Halloween party

If you’re wondering how to throw a spooky Halloween party that will be a thriller for the kids, don’t forget the treats. Just as the perfect Halloween cocktails are key to adult Halloween parties, the best kid-friendly Halloween parties are all about the treats (not the tricks). When planning your party menu, be aware of any potential food allergies and sensitivities—use Guest Questions on your invitation to gather specific dietary requests your guests may have. Include healthy snack options like assorted veggie platters, Halloween-themed fruit arrangements, and other light bites to cut down on sugar. That way, none of your guests fall victim to the Sugar Crash Monster.

To account for kiddos at the party—or those who trick-or-treat on Halloween night—with special dietary needs, place a teal pumpkin on your snack table or front lawn. As part of the Teal Pumpkin Project, a teal pumpkin signifies you have non-food goodies everyone can enjoy, from creepy-crawly toys to DIY crafts and more.

Take a look at some ideas for Halloween party treats below.

6. Frightening foods

Light-hearted frightening Halloween treats are the cherry on top of any bash.

Trick your kids into eating something other than Halloween candy by using cookie cutters to create Halloween-themed sandwiches. With bat, ghost, or witch-hat-shaped cookie cutters, your standard PB&J, ham and cheese, or turkey and Swiss creations become exciting Halloween party food. For another mummy-approved Halloween treat, make mummy pizza bites. Cover mini bagels or English muffins with pizza sauce, then place mozzarella strips horizontally to create a mummified look. For the finishing touch, add two sliced olive “eyes” on top and serve on Halloween Frights plates.

7. Terrifying treats

 

Along with bowls of candy corn, lollipops, and your favorite fun-size candy bars, consider serving your guests a few of these unique Halloween-themed treats.

Ever eaten a spider cookie? Place pretzel sticks along the sides of an Oreo cookie to create creepy-crawly spider legs. Then, use icing to place M&M eyes on top for a delicious 3-in-1 treat. Another fun idea is puffed-rice pumpkins: Halloween-ified traditional homemade Rice Krispies Treats, dressed up in orange gel food coloring in a melted marshmallow mix, then shaped into spheres. To complete the pumpkin look, place a pretzel stick on top as the pumpkin stem. 

Looking for something creepier? Make witch finger cookies, a scary version of fan-favorite sugar cookies. Add green food coloring to your sugar cookie mix, then roll your dough into “fingers.” Place an almond sliver at the tip (where a fingernail would be), and use a knife to create creases along where the knuckles would be. Once these cookies are baked, you can add strawberry jam along the almond fingernail edges for an even eerier effect.

Halloween party games for kids

 

If there’s one thing kids love more than Halloween treats, it’s Halloween party games (or it’s an even 50-50 split). Either way, to better entertain your little party-goers, introduce some competitive fun with one or more of the following Halloween party games. Halloween charades, a kid-friendly scavenger hunt, and classic party games will always be a hit. 

Indoor Halloween games

8. Bobbing for apples

Bobbing for apples has remained a popular fall party and Halloween party game for generations. Not only is it challenging and hilarious (for both participants and spectators), but it’s also ripe with Halloween-themed possibilities. Make the game a bit more sanitary by challenging guests to grab apples using plastic skeleton bones instead of their mouths. To put a spin on this classic competition, draw scary faces on your apples with edible markers, or replace your apples entirely with fun-size candy bars.

What you need: A bag of apples, a large bucket, plastic skeleton bones, and edible markers

Best for: Ages 5+

9. Mini masquerade

Invite guests to wear Halloween costumes with a mask— a fitting and fun twist to a Halloween theme. Then, host a mini masquerade filled with monsters, ghouls, and goblins. For this party theme, guests can vote on who has the coolest or scariest disguise, and the winner can be crowned best masquerader. Even the adults can participate in the fun!

What you need: Masquerade masks, paper (voting ballot), pen/markers, and a cardboard box (voting ballot box)

Best for: Ages 3+

10. Mystery box 

This game will leave your guests shrieking (with laughter, that is). Start by cutting holes into the side or top of closed cardboard boxes. Then, have your kids reach inside and guess what’s hidden in each box. Surprise your party-goers with strange, slimy, or gooey hidden items!

What you need: Cardboard boxes, peeled grapes, cold and cooked spaghetti, mashed banana, baby carrots, Jell-O, and other slimy foods/items

Best for: Ages 2-10 (with toddler supervision)

11. Pin the tail on the black cat

This classic game can adapt to so many different Halloween versions, such as “Pin the eyeball on the zombie,” “Pin the fangs on Dracula,” or “Pin the screws on Frankenstein.”

What you need: A large poster of a black cat without a tail (or: a zombie without eyeballs, Dracula without fangs, Frankenstein without screws), paired with the animal or character’s missing piece/part, and a blindfold

Best for: Ages 5-10 

12. Zombie musical chairs

For this twist on a classic game, ask all the kids to show off their best zombie impression as they walk around the chairs. The last one without a seat is officially undead and out of the game!

What you need: One less chair than your number of party guests, a speaker, and a Halloween playlist

Best for: All ages

13. Pass the pumpkin

A Halloween take on the classic party game Hot Potato. Gather all the little party-goers in a circle and hand one of them a small pumpkin—ideally one that fits in their hand. Have one person controlling the music—a Halloween playlist, of course—and as soon as they start playing the fun tunes, each kiddo has to pass the pumpkin in a circle as quickly as possible. When the DJ turns the music off, whoever is holding the pumpkin is out. Continue this until only one person remains!

What you need: One small pumpkin, a speaker, and a Halloween playlist

Best for: Ages 5-12

Outdoor Halloween games

14. Kiddo-sized maze

 

For the ultimate backyard adventure, set up a kiddo-sized corn maze. Don’t worry—you don’t need to plant a field of corn beforehand to take advantage of this fun pastime. Instead, purchase bales of hay to use in place of cornstalks. You can even stack them on top of one another to suit your tiny guests’ heights!

What you need: 10+ bales of hay (depending on height and length of the maze)

Best for: Ages 5-10

15. Pumpkin sweep

Head to the yard, hand out the brooms, and divide all the kids into teams. The goal is to sweep your team’s pumpkin across the finish line first. Given they aren’t quite round, this is a challenging and fun fall activity!

What you need: Broomsticks, small pumpkins, and tape for a makeshift finish line

Best for: Ages 5-10

16. Mummy race

Don’t just walk like an Egyptian—run like a mummy. To hold a mummy race, wrap your guests’ legs in white tissue or toilet paper. Then have them race to the finish line without ripping their tissue paper. Whether your little mummies make it to the end intact or not, they’re bound to have an unforgettable experience.

What you need: Tissue or toilet paper and tape for a makeshift finish line

Best for: Ages 5+

17. Run like a ghost race

A festive take on a classic relay race activity, a ghost race is like a potato sack race–except the participants design their potato sacks to look like personalized ghosts! Once designed, the potato sacks become their ghostly vehicles, and all participants hop-hop-hop to the finish line.

What you need: Potato sacks, a marker, and tape for a makeshift finish line

Best for: Ages 5+

Halloween games for toddlers

18. Pumpkin bowling

What kiddo doesn’t love bowling? Make it a Halloween activity and substitute heavy bowling balls with pumpkins, and complete the festive vibe with plastic bowling pins and bales of hay. Bonus points if the bowling pins are ghost-themed!

What you need: Medium-sized pumpkins, plastic bowling pins, a few bales of hay 

Best for: Ages 3+ (with toddler supervision)

19. Witches’ potion sensory bin

Grab a large bin and combine cornstarch and water in a 2:1 ratio, which creates oobleck—a fun sensory experience for kids that turns solid when you squeeze it, but liquid if you play with it slowly. Color the mixture with orange food coloring and drop some Halloween-themed toys of varying textures. Let the kids play with the haunting mixture, experimenting with different colors and textures!

What you need: A large bin, cornstarch, water, food coloring, Halloween toys such as plastic spiders, rubber snakes, rubber eyeballs, and more

Best for: Ages 3-10

20. Pumpkin beanbag toss

After adults carve the jack-o’-lanterns, line them up on the lawn for a silly game of beanbag toss…into the pumpkins’ haunting mouths!

What you need: Carved jack-o’lanterns and small bean bags

Best for: All ages

Halloween games for the classroom

21. Haunted scavenger hunt

A great mess-free game for younger students is a haunted scavenger hunt! Use our printable scavenger hunt sheet, complete with a list of fun Halloween toys and figurines to hide in your classroom! Whatever each student finds, they keep—but keep a few extras for those who may not find a spooky prize.

What you need: Printable scavenger hunt sheets, small Halloween toys, figurines, crafts, and candy, and good hiding spots!

Best for: Ages 5-12

22. Monster Mash freeze dance

Freeze dance—the party game everyone knows and loves. Make it a Monster Mash with the classic song, and add more Halloween tunes to a dedicated playlist to set the spooky scene. Gather everyone on the dance floor, and have someone pause and play the music. Whoever doesn’t freeze when the music stops is out! Have everyone play as many rounds as they’d like—you know what they say: dance ’til you’re dead…

What you need: A speaker and a Halloween playlist

Best for: Ages 3-10

23. Halloween word search

Get students familiar with Halloween keywords the best way you can: have them do a word search! You can find plenty of fun, printable Halloween word search templates online. Word searches are a fun way to help kids read and write, and also encourage them to have a little fun while they learn. Fill a small cauldron with Halloween-themed prizes for everyone who finishes, and watch as the fun unfolds.

What you need: Halloween word search sheet, pencils, small Halloween toys and figurines

Best for: Ages 6-10

Halloween party activities

Bring more thrills to your Halloween bash by treating guests to some unique Halloween party activities.

24. Halloween costume parade

 

Make way for adorable ghouls and goblins strutting their stuff down the Halloween runway with this easy and silly party activity. The parade gives kids a chance to show off their costumes while grooving to their favorite spooky tunes, and it gives parents a chance to snap extra photos for a later walk down memory lane.

25. Host a magic show

For a Halloween party full of tricks, hire a magician to perform a magic show. Your guests can delight in real-life magic right before their eyes—and they may even get to assist the magician with specific parts of the act!

26. Do the Monster Mash

Get all your mini monsters moving with a haunted Halloween dance party. Inspire Dracula to do the Dougie, Wolfman to wiggle, and Frankenstein’s monster to floss with a soundtrack of groovy Halloween songs, including:

• “Monster Mash” 
• “This Is Halloween” 
• “Ghostbusters”
• The Addams Family theme song

27. Go trunk-or-treating

 

Get creative with a classroom costume party by organizing a trunk-or-treat event in the school parking lot. Parents can decorate their car trunks with classic, themed, or DIY Halloween decorations, while kids trick-or-treat from car to car.

Trunk-or-treating also provides a fun alternative for those who live in neighborhoods where houses may stand further apart, or areas that aren’t ideal for walking from house to house.

28. Show and tell

Show and tell gives each child a chance to show off their costume and talk about why they chose it. Kids can also present a favorite Halloween item, such as a toy, a costume prop, or a scary book or movie.

29. Kid-friendly spooky movie

If you’re looking for a way to end the night, a classic family Halloween movie is perfect for getting your little guests to wind down after the fun. Our favorites are “Frankenweenie,” “Hotel Transylvania,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and “The Addams Family.” Get creative with themed treats to keep the spirit high. You can even hand out party favors for each guest to indulge during the movie or to take home.

30. Spooky storytime

For the little kids, hire a storyteller to recite their favorite Halloween tales (with silly voices, of course!) This is a perfect way to keep them rapt while the adults prep the next party activity. For non-scary books, try “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” or “Room on the Broom.” If you want to frighten them (just a little), you can opt for “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything” or “Ghosts!: Ghostly Tales from Folklore.”

31. Make your own slime

 

If your kids and their friends are DIY types, they’ll love this workshop on ooey-gooey Halloween slime, and you can package the creations for them to take home, too.

Halloween party invitations for kids

Choosing the right décor, food, games, and activities for your kid-friendly Halloween party will guarantee a fun, safe, and not-too-spooky event. To make sure that your boo crew experiences the thrill, spread the word with kid-friendly Halloween party invitations.  

At Paperless Post, find invitations for all month’s festivities, from Halloween bashes to pumpkin carving contests to Halloween birthday parties. Plus, you can customize your invitations’ text, style, and backdrop to match your spooky party’s vibe. Not sure how to word your Halloween invite without causing a fright? We’ve got you covered.

Kids’ Halloween parties FAQ

ALT: The front and back of a pumpkin-shaped Peanuts Halloween invitation, with Snoopy lying on top of a jack-o’-lantern and Woodstock in a witch hat on the front and text reading ‘SMASHING good times’ on the back, next to a black envelope with a lavender liner patterned with bats and Woodstock flying on a broom, against a lavender backdrop.

What games can you play at a kids’ Halloween party?

Your game choices depend on partygoers’ ages. For toddlers, a pumpkin beanbag toss is perfectly festive and safe with supervision. For kids in the 5-8 range, consider hosting a ghost potato sack race—perfect for the little ones who have so much energy and don’t know where to put it! For tweens, mummy races and pumpkin bowling really lean on strategy… and all parents know, tweens are always right!

How do you make a Halloween party not scary for little kids?

Instead of leaning into a haunted theme, use classic, non-scary décor such as pumpkins and hay bales. Ask parents to have their kids arrive in non-scary costumes (animals, superheroes, etc.) and host a costume contest to incentivize everyone to show up and show out!

What are good indoor Halloween party games?

Great indoor party games include apple bobbing, pin the tail on the black cat (or any Halloween monster), pass the pumpkin, zombie musical chairs, and many, many more! Our complete list of Halloween games covers how these games work, the supplies you need, and the age range that suits them best.

How long should a kids’ Halloween party last?

The length of your kids’ Halloween party depends on your partygoers’ ages. While younger kids might get tired of socializing fairly quickly, other ages—typically 8+—have the energy to hang out all night long. Just ask the parents first!

Paperless Post makes finding party invitations a treat

Whichever Halloween party game, treats, or theme you choose, the bash isn’t complete without the perfect invites to get every party guest excited. Gather your boos and ghouls for your spooky, kooky, and unforgettable events this October with Halloween party invitations—or browse non-Halloween kids’ birthday party themes for every October birthday. With our customizable options, you can change your invitation’s text, style, and backdrop to match the party’s unique theme. Finally, create or import a guest list and send all your invites in one click. It’s so easy, you’ll think it’s magic.