Tips For Throwing A Kids Halloween Party

If you are looking at holding a Halloween party for the kids this year, here are some ideas for throwing your own spooky Halloween Party at home.

Date and Guest List
The first thing you need to do is pick a date and time for your party, and who you will invite. This will depend on the age of your children.

Invitations
It's best to send invitations by snail mail or hand. Be sure to set a firm start and end time, and give parents a good idea of what activities will be going on, so they can choose appropriate costumes. Have fun with the invites and make them at home getting the kids involved in the design.

Theme
There are plenty of Halloween party themes to choose from. Along with spiderwebs and black and orange decor the fun ways to turn your home into a haunted house—perhaps focus on a second theme. Kids will enjoy a spooky magical forest or a not-so-scary monster-themed bash. For a younger crowd, a circus theme is a fun idea, and a good way to let younger siblings in on the fun by having them be the animals. Ask guests to come in costume and then hold a costume contest. Adult helpers should get into character too.

Fancy Dress
Obviously the fancy dress theme is halloween, get everyone involved in dressing up even the adults and the cat and dog.

Decorations
Cast a spell on your home with handmade Halloween party decorations to set the scene for the party. Set aside a weekend afternoon to craft a few goodies and have the kids lend a hand.

Games
Plan active games for the beginning of the party and quiet games to help the kids calm down before their parents come to pick them up. Younger kids may enjoy bobbing for apples or playing pin the stem on the pumpkin. You can mix up games with crafty activities, like making Halloween masks and quieter games like pass the spooky parcel. Scavenger hunts keep older kids focused and occupied. And don't forget the old gross-out box that always keeps kids laughing. Fill some boxes with things like spaghetti for intestines, ketchup for blood and peeled grapes for eyeballs. Blindfold players and have them stick their hands in the box and guess what's inside. Spooky music helps rev up the anticipation.

Music
Buy a CD of eerie and Halloween-appropriate tunes or pick a suitable playlist from Spotify. With the right background music, your decorations will seem to come to life. We recommend playing "Monster Mash," "Witch Doctor," and "Ghostbusters" to get the party started.

Spooky Tea
Make a spooky tea - Think spider web buns, zombie finger hot dogs and ghost-shaped biscuits.  There are lots of ideas and recipes online but keep it simple as kids can be picky eaters.

Take Pictures
Preserve the fun by taking lots of pictures. Designate a friend to be the photographer to take one thing off your plate. Take posed pictures of each guest and set up a photo booth with a backdrop and props in a corner of a room.

Trick or Treat Bags
Trick or treat bags are a must for kids' parties, but you don't have to blow the budget. A trip to poundland in October will yield plastic spiders and other fun Halloween props that make great bagged party favours and throw in some halloween sweets as treats.