Kids Halloween Party Ideas - Have a "Howling" Good Time!

For kids between the ages of 8 and 12 years old, a good 'ole fashioned, fun back yard, costume party can be a howl!

Invite Ideas: Basic Black Invites: Black Construction Paper & Chalk Cut Paper into Tombstone, Bats, and witches hat shapes Use chalk to write party details. Haunted House Invites: Black Construction Paper Scissors Purple, Orange and Green Tissue Paper. Draw a simple outline of an old, rickety house. Use scissors (or with parental help) exacto knife with cutting board underneath; 3 sides of a door, and windows. Or cut out "shutters of windows" Tape different colors of tissue paper to back of house over the windows and doors - write invite info on the inside of the flaps of doors and windows. Games / Activity Suggestions: Mummy Wrapping: Materials - TP Split kids into teams of 3 or 4 people. 1 Person is the "Mummy" the others are the wrappers. All you need is cheap TP (toilet paper). First team to completely cover their mummy wins! Face Painting: Materials - Poster Paints or Water Colors. New, fine paint brushes. Spider Search: Materials - Kite String, dollar store plastic spiders and prizes of your choice. Cut long lengths of string - 1 for each guest. Paint the tips of the string, 1 color per guest. Paint matching color dot on each of the spiders. Create a tangled web among trees or bushes. Each kid is assigned a color. Have them start at the colored tip, have them try to follow the web until they reach their matching colored spider. Paint a Pumpkin: Materials - small or medium sized pumpkins, tempra paints, paint brushes. Just as fun as carving, but much safer. Do this in the beginning of the party, so they have time to dry! Witches Broom Limbo: to funny "scary" music mix String Candy Necklaces: Soft candy (jelly type work well too), colored marshmallows, cheerios, elastic, embroidery needles, masking tape. Tape one end of the elastic with the tape to prevent any candy from coming off, have kids carefully string candy, tie off when complete. Bubble Blowing Contest: Ghoulish green colored gum - two or three pieces per kid (if they can handle it). Biggest bubble wins! Mummy Bandage Race: Materials - Old Sheets, scissors, red paint. Cut longish "bandages," splatter some red paint prior to party. Traditional 3 legged race, use the "bloody bandages" to tie ankles. Scariest Movie Trivia Contest: For the parents that may hang out to help or enjoy.... (My examples will date me!) Who had a bucket of pigs blood poured on them? Carrie What movie made the steps by Georgetown University Famous? The Exorcist Name of boy behind the hockey mask? Jason in Halloween Have a howl, enjoy the season, make the "scary" so exaggerated, its funny not frightening! Know the kids you are having, and whether or not certain treats will work. Don't feel the need to overload on the candy - there will be more than enough opportunities throughout the week of the holiday in most schools and neighborhoods. Suggested Menu: Bowls of Guts (Macaroni and Cheese) Scary Sandwiches White Bread cut in shape of "ghosts" PBJ filling 2 Raisins for eyes Cut-off Fingers (Hot dogs cut in 1/2 with Ketchup) Eyeballs (Deviled Eggs - use blue food coloring for yolk filling) or Peeled Grapes Ghouls Grub (Your favorite Trail Mix with Gummy worms thrown in) Frankenmellows Marshmallows on popscicle sticks. Melted Choc Chips to dip one side of marshmallow for hair. Skinny Pretzle sticks broken smaller - "bolt ears" on each side of Marsmellow. Green food coloring paste (a little) goes a long way, for Frank's face. Small Candies for his eyes. Black edible decorating pen - dots for eyes and crooked mouth. Goblin's Teeth Green Apples, Peanut Butter and mini marshmallows Slice Apple into 8ths (keeping skin). Spread peanut butter on one side of each apple slice place small marsmallows between two pieces of apple and peanut butter - looks like a Goblin Smiling at you! Graveyard Cake Any Flavored Cake Green Icing with Green food colored Coconut mixed in (grass) Milano Cookies Chocolate or Black Fine Icing tubes "RIP" on Milano, push into cake to create tombstones. Gummie worms and other "buggy" candy to decorate around he cake. Apple Cider / Apple Juice