How to Throw a Kid-Friendly Backyard Halloween Party
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?
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- Wicked Food
- Boo-tiful Decorations
- Spooky Activities
Top Family-Friendly Activities
Food
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!)
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.”
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.
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.
Outdoor Halloween Movie Screening
Final Thoughts
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.
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