A pumpkin carving contest is a great ice-breaking activity that will also keep the kids busy until all the guests arrive. Give each child a small pumpkin and child-friendly carving utensils. Or, provide paint, brushes, glue, yarn, and magic markers for a less intense decorating challenge. Remember to play Halloween-themed music in the background like Monster Mash, Ghostbusters, or a collection of eerie sounds.

Here are a few more Halloween party games and crafts you may want to try:

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• Guessing Game – Fill a large jar (such as a canning jar) with candy corn or orange and purple lifesavers. Ask the children to write down the number of pieces they believe to be in the jar. As a group, count the pieces of candy. The child whose guess is closest to the actual number gets to take home the jar of candy.
• Pumpkin Bowling – Gather four 2-liter plastic bottles to use as bowling pins. Fill each with a little bit of water to add some weight. Use a small, round pumpkin as the bowling ball. Have the players take turns rolling the pumpkin to try to knock over as many bottles as possible on each roll. Award points to each player based on the number of bottles knocked over, and give a prize to the player with the highest number of points at the end of the game.
• For added fun, turn the plastic bottles into “Poltergeist Pins.” Push a 4”-5” Styrofoam ball down over each bottle’s cap. (If needed, use a little bit of hot glue to help secure the Styrofoam balls in place.) Drape scraps of white sheet over each bottle and ball. Secure the sheets at the bottlenecks using string. Use a black marker to add eyes to each.
• Bobbing for Apples – A classic Halloween favorite! Fill a large metal or plastic washtub with cold water and a bunch of apples (at least one per player). With their hands clasped behind their backs, players take turns trying to fish an apple out of the tub using only their teeth. Players can either all bob for apples together (the first one with an apple out wins!) or individually (the player who gets their apple the quickest is the winner!).
• Halloween Bags – Purchase plain orange, yellow and purple gift bags, buckets, or pillow cases and lay them out on a table. Provide markers, puff paints, stamps, glue, yarn, and stickers so the children can decorate their very own trick-or-treat bags! For something a little different, cut ghost and pumpkin shapes out of sponges and provide paint to dip them into. The children can sponge their designs directly on their bag.
• Mummy Wrap – Divide your guests into teams of two and give each team a roll of crepe paper. One team member will be the mummy and the other will be the mummy wrapper. Set a timer for 20 minutes and let the wrapping begin. Award a prize for the best mummy!
• Spider Web – Hide a prize for each child in a different part of the party area. Tie the end of a different colored ball of yarn to each prize. One by one, run the balls of yarn over, under, and around the objects in the room. Make sure they are all intertwined, creating a web effect. When the strands are about 10 to 20 feet long, cut them and tie a name tag to the end. When it’s time to play, lead each child to their name tag and have them untangle their strands to find their prizes. This is a great activity for teamwork, as players will discover they need to help each other to get all their strands untangled!
• Paper Plate Mask – Use scissors to cut eye holes in a paper plate. Staple one end of a paper towel tube to the bottom of the paper plate. Supply a variety of construction paper so the children can cut out the necessary items for their chosen mask – red fangs for a vampire, green stem for a pumpkin, black hat for a which, for example – as well as mouths and noses. Glue them onto the masks. When completed, the children can hold the masks up to their faces with the cardboard tube.
• For an alternative, use a rubber band instead of a paper towel tube. Cut a rubber band so it’s one long strand. Fasten one end to one side of the mask and the other to the other side. When completed, the children can put the mask on their face and the rubber band will hold it in place around their head.

• Movie Time – To settle the party down a bit, lay out a variety of blankets, overstuffed pillows, bean bag chairs and couch cushions and pop in a movie! Some excellent child-friendly Halloween movies include:
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966, unrated)
• E.T. (1982, rated PG)
• Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005, rated G)
• Casper (1995, rated PG)
• Monster House (2006, rated PG)
• Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005, rated G)
• Hocus Pocus (1993, rated PG)
• Ghostbusters (1984, rated PG)
• Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh (1996, unrated)
• The Little Vampire (2000, rated PG)

Halloween Party Favors

Give each of your guests a plastic pumpkin to take home filled with candy, a spider ring, a skeleton keychain, and other Halloween party favors. Or take a group photo during the party and send one home with each guest in a Halloween picture frame. For a more personal touch, order a set of personalized stickers or bag tags for each guest. At Birthday in a Box, you’ll find great personalized favors such as these:

Bag Tags can be printed with one line, like a name.

Buttons can be printed with names or a brief message.

Stickers can be printed with a name or a message.

• Mother's Day Pamper Card
• Painted Coffee Mug for Mom
• Coffee Filter Flowers
• A Romantic Evening for Mom & Dad
• Breakfast in Bed
• Mother's Day Checklist
• Mother's Song (Poem)

More Holidays...

• Spring Fun Ideas
• Earth Day
• Father's Day
• 4th of July