Sigh. Another holiday, pandemic-style. We were all hoping (both in 2020 and now in 2021) that by October life would start returning to some level of normalcy. Although things are looking brighter in California as more people get vaccinated, our family is not ready to go full-force into the craziness of trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. So, we decided to host a backyard party instead, in the hopes of recreating some traditional Halloween fun from the safety of a controlled group activity at our home. Activities include a Trick or Treat parade, bubbles, sing-along, dinner, and an outdoor showing of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – Dress Up Day Parade!
Orange you so excited?
Click below for more details about the:
Food
We served pizza and asked our guests to bring side-dishes to share.
Pizza may have been the main course of the evening, but the sides were eerie-sistable! Prepare some healthy Halloween-themed snacks, like a skeleton-shaped veggie plate or deviled egg brains (brit+co).
Don’t forget the drinks! Surprise your guests with some eye-catching eyeball punch (BBC).
And, of course, there is the candy. That counts as “food,” right?
Decorations
You can’t have a Halloween party without some spooky decor. I try to buy decorations that are recyclable and/or reusable to reduce cost and waste. Make sure to check out your local thrift shops for some previously loved decor. Here are some ideas to bring some “boo” to your backyard.
DIY Tombstones
I cut large tombstone shapes out of a broken plastic storage tote and googled
“Funny Epitaphs.” Using a sharpie, I copied my favorite Disney Villian tombstone designs, as well as a few others (the pi one was for my husband who loves everything pi).Beware – the tombstones looked great in the yard that day/night but my superb artwork was quickly washed away when the sprinklers turned on the next day 🙁
Other Wicked Decorations to Consider
- Fake Spiderwebs & Spiders
- Halloween Paper Lanterns
- Halloween Paper Plates, Cups, and Napkins
- Witch Legs for Under a Playhouse
- Items for the Scavenger Hunt (see activities below!)
Fa-boo-lous Activities
As I’ve learned over the years, every party with little kids must have a two key elements – 1) snacks and 2) a variety of activities. Kids lose interest quickly, and the more entertained they are the happier! An activity doesn’t have to be anything extravagant either – just a swing set and some art projects are enough to keep my little ones busy for hours (so mama can relax and enjoy her candy if you know what I mean!).
1. Trick or Treat Parade (Backyard Version)
Set up backyard trick-or-treating with your pod. Each family hosts their own table and is encouraged to bring table decor and candy to pass out to kids as they pass by and “trick-or-treat” at their station.
Because we are in a pandemic, or because we just like wine, we decided to add some adult fun to this activity too! Each table was also encouraged to bring a bottle of wine to share and as kids came to the tables to trick-or-treat for candy, the adults could do a little wine tasting. Maybe a little wine and a little candy?
We meant this as a safer way to trick-or-treat but it ended up being a really fun way to host a Halloween party. See this diagram for more ideas on how to lay it all out in your backyard, a park, or any outdoor space and have Halloween fun at a safe “social distance.”
2. Backyard Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Play Halloween bingo/host a scavenger hunt around the backyard. We printed off a few pages of a Halloween-themed bingo offered online (or make your own!). The kids had a grand ol’ time “finding” backyard ghosts and pumpkins. You could also do this around your neighborhood!
Click here to print out your own Halloween scavenger hunt or bingo sheet designed by Fly Little Dragon. Don’t forget pens/markers and something hard to write on. Our little ghouls and princesses looked adorable with their pens and clipboards running around to find the next item on their list.
3. Art Activities and Bubbles!
Our kiddos love art.
Provide an art station (with adult guidance) for kids to decorate their own pumpkins or goodie bags, put on tattoos, or even DIY face paint! (Side note: don’t you just love our kid’s interpretation of these pumpkin eyes? I was pleasantly surprised that she’d turned them 90-degrees to make them almond-shaped like ours :D)
Then top it all off with a bubble machine blowing bubbles everywhere. Bubbles make the gathering 100% better and more magical.
4. Outdoor Halloween Movie Screening
Once the sun goes down, pop some popcorn and queue up your favorite PBS Kids show’s Halloween special. Our current fave for our under-fives is the “Dress Up Day Parade” episode from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Throwdown some poufs or blankets and enjoy the show!
As a kid, my mom would hand sew our costumes every year. I got so excited for Halloween I would plan months in advance! This tradition and excitement followed me into adulthood and now I plan our family’s costumes as soon as I can. Of course, my toddler has some say on the family costume (we have been Frozen themed for two years in a row…), and next year I may have a second child’s opinion to consider, but either way I am 100% willing to do whatever it takes to encourage the magic of Halloween for my family – pandemic or not.
What are your family’s Halloween traditions? Were they impacted by the pandemic? Share in the comments below!
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
Angelica (she/her) is of Cebuano(Pilipinx)-descent and was born and raised in Huchiun Ohlone territory (the East Bay Area--pay your Shuumi Land Tax!), where she also now resides with her partner and their toddler. She loves to spend her time sipping on boba and dirty chai lattes (sometimes together), and eating pescetarian goodies at BIPOC-owned cafes and restaurants.
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