How to throw a Halloween party for kids

The spookiest night of the year is approaching. Fortunately, Halloween scares and attractions evoke more joy than anxiety and are beloved by children. This new tradition, similar to the Polish St. Andrew's Day celebrations, has become a permanent fixture in our culture. It offers a range of activities, from colorful costumes and pumpkin decorating to candy collecting.

Celebrating Halloween is a lot of fun, so throwing a Halloween party for kids is a great idea. Decorate your apartment, choose costumes, and create a spooky atmosphere!

We make Halloween decorations

To throw a Halloween party, start by planning the decorations. You can make them together with your child or purchase ready-made accessories from a store. The most important rule when decorating is to stick to Halloween colors. Orange and black are the hallmark colors of Halloween. Along with these, you can also use purple, associated with magic and witches; green, the color of zombies and toxic potions; and small amounts of red, which is useful for decorations related to vampires, devils, and other monsters. It's best to make your own Halloween decorations. Carve pumpkins from orange cardstock and bats from black. You can make garlands from smaller shapes and stick larger ones directly to the wall. Other Halloween motifs include ghosts, witches, vampires, and other scary creatures. Chilling creatures like spiders, bats, and black cats can also decorate your home. A decoration worth purchasing is an artificial spiderweb with small plastic spiders. For a small price, you can decorate anything with it—windows, doors, and furniture—turning a cozy home into a space full of menace and mystery. Complete the look with autumn-themed decorations that will introduce plenty of orange and a seasonal atmosphere.

How to Make a Halloween Jack-O-Lantern

Pumpkins are, of course, the most important Halloween motif. You can't leave them out of your Halloween decorations, especially in the form of a spooky jack-o'-lantern, which is traditionally placed at the entrance to your home. It's best to make a pumpkin lantern yourself from a large vegetable, but you can also use ceramic figurines with candles inside. However, if you decide on the first option, follow the steps below.

Step 1 - Drawing the pumpkin's face

First, we need to design the pumpkin's face. Traditionally, it consists of characteristic triangular eyes and a toothy smile. You can, of course, give it a different expression, such as a friendly smile, but create a design that can be easily carved into the pumpkin's thick wall.

Step 2 - Carve out the pumpkin

The second step is to cut off the top of the pumpkin and then use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds until the pumpkin is empty. While cutting off the top is quite difficult and is best left to parents, extracting the seeds is a task for small children's hands.

Step 3 - Cut out the pumpkin's face

In step three, all that's left is to cut out the lantern's eyes, nose, and teeth, which will allow the candle flame to shine beautifully through. This is a difficult task, so it should be done by parents or older children who can handle a blade. After cutting out the walls, insert a candle inside and display the pumpkin in a visible location. Tip: If the pumpkin will be in a child's room, insert an electronic candle or a string of battery-powered lights instead of a regular candle.

What Halloween snacks?

With the apartment now beautifully decorated, it's time to plan the snacks. Halloween offers a wealth of unique and creative treats. Besides the kids' favorite candy, which is a must-have this evening, you can bake cupcakes or cookies decorated with ghosts, bats, and other fun horror motifs. Food presentation is paramount. It must be funny, scary, and surprising. Jelly with an eye, witch's finger sticks, or donuts with eyes will be the highlight of the evening. Be creative with both the dishes and the way they are presented. Check out all our Halloween food inspirations.

Halloween costumes

Halloween is a day for taming ghosts and monsters by dressing up as them. If you're throwing a party for little ones, the costume theme should be flexible so the kids feel comfortable. Older kids, however, will want to keep their costumes in a darker, Halloween-themed setting, although honestly, we don't know anyone who would be scared by a walking pumpkin or a friendly ghost. Creating a costume doesn't require expensive costumes. Creating a costume from what you already have is much more creative and is fun in itself. You can create a witch costume from a red dress with a picture of a cat. For boys, you can glue cut-out felt bones onto a black blouse to create a skeleton costume.

Terribly fun - Halloween contests and tasks

To keep the kids entertained, organize simple competitions during the party. For participating, kids will receive candy for their pumpkin buckets. Among the many games, you can organize a mummy race, pumpkin decorating, or a costume contest. Check out our ideas for the best Halloween games.

What about collecting Halloween candy?

Despite Halloween's popularity, candy collecting hasn't gained many supporters in Poland. If this is an activity your guests really want, try arranging a short visit with friendly neighbors to stock up on Halloween treats. On the other hand, if you know your local friends enjoy Halloween as much as you do, it wouldn't hurt to drop by unexpectedly and scare them a bit with your cute costumes. If you live in an apartment building, you could hang a note on your staircase asking your neighbors to write down their apartment number, who will gladly give candy to the little ones in costume. Don't forget to prepare your own candy, too; maybe a ghost will visit you too.