Connect with your family this October with these fun and festive Halloween party themes! Each party includes themed foods, activities, books, and movies. Get your spooky on and really bond as a family!
Something wicked this way comes! It’s October, which means it’s almost Halloween… And you probably know how we feel about Halloween around here! We absolutely love it. There are so many fun costumes, parties, and treats that we just can't get enough of. The best part? Throwing a simple Halloween party with your kids and tweens is an easy way to have fun, bond, and celebrate the holiday.
We have some great Halloween party themes that can be celebrated small, with just your family or a few cousins and neighbors, or turn them into a HUGE Halloween bash and invite tons of friends!
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Kids love themes, and so do we! It makes planning and preparation a lot easier and the whole family gets excited for what’s to come. Each of these Halloween party themes includes a food idea, an activity, books to read, and movies to watch. Plus, all of them are pretty simple to throw together! Seriously, we’re talking a half hour max—but most take way less than that to prepare.
So let’s dive in! Here are 5 Halloween party themes for kids…
This post was originally contributed by Britney from Color My Happy! It's since been updated with even more family fun ideas.
PUMPKIN HALLOWEEN PARTY THEME
When you think of Halloween, you probably automatically think of pumpkins! Here's a fun and easy way to turn them into a Halloween party theme.
PUMPKIN PATCH DIRT CUP SNACK
A sweet treat can go a long way in making memories! Luckily, these are crazy cheap and easy to make and so. darn. delicious. It doesn't matter how old you are, you won't be able to get enough of these dirt cup snacks!
Layer some chocolate pudding in a cup, sprinkle crushed up Oreos on top for soil, then place candy corn pumpkins onto the soil.
Take it a step further by “planting” pumpkin seeds (regular candy corn) the night before, then watch your kids’ faces light up when they see a pumpkin grew overnight! It's such an easy way to make a magical memory for them.
DECORATE A PUMPKIN
Who doesn't love carving pumpkins?! Our kids go crazy when they get to decorate a pumpkin. There are a few different ways you can do this, depending on how intense you want to get and how old your kids are:
- Decorate with face stickers designed for pumpkins.
- Carve them.
- Use paint.
- Pull out glue, markers, and random craft supplies and let the kids go to town.
No matter what method you choose, kids will love this activity and love getting to spend time with you while they do it! If your kids are older, you can turn it into a competition and have everybody vote on spookiest, goofiest, cutest, and so on.
PUMPKIN BOOK IDEAS
If you have younger kids (or older tweens/teens who are still kids at heart), then they'll love this part! Get those older siblings involved and have them read to their younger siblings. They can make it fun by using different voices or talking in an accent the whole time.
Here's just a few of our favorite pumpkin picture books:
- Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
- The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry (great for toddlers!)
- How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? By Margaret McNamara
- Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean
- The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano
Pro Tip: Don't fret if you don't own any books that pertain to any of the Halloween party themes! Check them out from the library, borrow one from a friend, or hit up your local thrift store to find some for cheap.
PUMPKIN MOVIE IDEAS
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a classic all families will love! Alternately, you could watch The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin—especially if you read that book. Don't forget to pop some popcorn and snuggle up on the couch together!
GHOSTS HALLOWEEN PARTY THEME
Ghosts may be spooky for some, but for us, they're fun! Try out these ideas for the whole family to see just how fun they can be.
GHOST TOOTSIE POPS
Did you ever make these as a kid in elementary school? They're simple to make, fun to eat, and keep kids quiet and busy for a while afterward while you read or put on a movie!
Simply take a tissue and wrap it around a Tootsie Pop, securing it with a mini clear elastic. Then use a black marker to draw on eyes and a mouth. Ta-da! That’s it. Seriously, it’s the simplest thing ever! Make extras for decorations around the house or to give to family and friends as a special Halloween treat.
GHOST HIDE-AND-SEEK
This one is so fun! Cut several ghost shapes out of plain paper, then hide them around the house and see how many your kids can find. You could also use the Tootsie Pop ghosts for this game, hiding one per kid and letting them keep the one they find. Make the fun last longer by having your kids decorate the ghosts before you hide them. You can even get the whole family involved by having your older kids hide the ghosts for your younger ones!
GHOST BOOK IDEAS
- Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell
- The Scariest Book Ever by Bob Shea
- How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green
- How to Scare a Ghost by Jean Reagan
- No Such Thing by Ella Bailey
GHOST MOVIE IDEAS
Casper! It might be too scary for really little ones, but it’s mostly funny and light. You can also watch one of its many spin-offs like Casper Meets Wendy (for all you Hilary Duff fans!). The Canterville Ghost and Mostly Ghostly are also other great options.
WITCH HALLOWEEN PARTY THEME
You really can't go wrong throwing a witch-themed Halloween party! Add in an extra fun element by dressing up as them.
WITCH'S BREW DRINK
Get a spoonful of rainbow sherbet and place it in the bottom of a cup. Fill the glass with equal parts Sprite and Green Apple Gatorade. Finally, top with some gummy worms and maybe a fake eyeball (just make sure that they don't eat them if they're a toy).
It's such a simple drink to make, but I can promise you that your kids will have so. much. fun. drinking them! They may even ask for them after the Halloween season. Not that we know from experience or anything… Bonus? You'll love them so much, you may even be willing to make them throughout the year. 😉
WITCH'S KITCHEN ACTIVITY
This feel-and-guess game is so gross and so fun! Put each item in a labeled brown paper bag so kids can’t see what’s inside. Tell them what “potion ingredient” it is, then have them reach in and feel it.
Once they’ve all felt the item, you can ask for guesses about what they think it really is. Be sure to have a camera ready because this game will produce some unforgettable Kodak moments!
Here are some witchy ingredient ideas:
- Zombie Eyeballs (olives)
- Cat Intestines (cooked fettuccine)
- Werewolf Tongue (chunks of banana peels)
- Vampire Teeth (candy corn)
- Witch Fingers (carrots)
- Ghost Poop (cotton balls)
- Wizard Ears (dried apricots)
- Mummy Skin (gauze)
- Ogre Heart (pear halves)
- Bat Brains (raisins)
Don't those all sound so fun?! Nobody can resist a gross game like this!
WITCH BOOK IDEAS
- Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
- Druscilla’s Halloween by Sally M. Walker
- It’s Raining Bats and Frogs by Rebecca Colby
WITCH MOVIE IDEAS
Hocus Pocus is always a top pick! It may be too scary for really little kids, so you could alternately watch Bedknobs and Broomsticks. If you’ve got really brave kids, watch The Witches!
HAUNTED HOUSES HALLOWEEN PARTY THEME
What's more creepy than a haunted house on Halloween? I've got some fun ways to take them from creepy to fun in one of our favorite Halloween party themes!
BUILD YOUR OWN HAUNTED HOUSE
Similar to gingerbread houses at Christmastime, make your own haunted house! Chocolate graham crackers make a great base, then use black edible gel to glue items on.
Some haunted house decorations include:
- Candy corn
- Peeps ghosts
- Reese’s Pieces
- Black licorice
- Nutter Butters as gravestones
- Edible eyeballs
Get creative! Kids will have a blast doing this activity in October rather than the traditional December. Make it a contest to see who can decorate the spookiest house. Or break down into teams and pair the oldest with the youngest for a little extra bonding time. Don’t forget to eat your house when you’re done!
SPOOKY DANCE PARTY
Put on costumes, turn off the lights, get some glow sticks, and have a dance party. You can even dance to a fun Halloween playlist! There are lots of great kids’ Halloween songs out there. Visit your favorite music streamer (Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon Music are some of the best) and search “Halloween Kids.” Or ask your Echo to play “Halloween Disney Music.” That one has been on repeat at our house for a couple of weeks, now!
BOOK IDEAS
- At the Old Haunted House by Helen Ketteman
- Sammy’s Spooktacular Halloween by Mike Petrik
- In the Haunted House by Eve Bunting
- Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara
MOVIE IDEAS
Monster House is probably our favorite Halloween kid’s movie. It’s not too scary, is entertaining for adults, and is lots of fun! Another great option would be The Haunted Mansion.
MONSTERS HALLOWEEN PARTY THEME
They did the mash, they did the monster mash. The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash… Now that you're in the mood, let's talk all things monster for your Halloween party theme!
MONSTER COOKIES
Decorate sugar cookies with monster faces! You can use homemade or store-bought cookies and frosting, whichever you prefer! Simply dye frosting bright monster colors, then grab some items to decorate with.
- Edible eyeballs
- Twizzlers Pull-N-Peel
- Mini M&Ms
- Edible gel
Decorate a whole batch, then share them with your neighbors and family! It'll keep you from eating too many cookies or being wasteful and your family will love giving out their creations.
CREATE-A-MONSTER ACTIVITY
Use playdough and random craft supplies to create your own monster! Pull out googly eyes, pom poms, colorful pipe cleaners (cut to various sizes), jewels, beads, or any other fun craft supplies. Then, let your kids stick items into the dough to create their perfect monster.
This activity is a blast and keeps kids occupied for a long time! It doesn't take much time to set up, either, so we'd call that a win-win in our book.
MONSTER BOOK IDEAS
- Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
- My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
- There’s A Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
- The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
- Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
MONSTER MOVIE IDEAS
The two obvious ones are Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University. There’s also Monsters vs. Aliens, Hotel Transylvania (and its sequels), and Little Monsters.
MEMORABLE HALLOWEEN PARTY THEMES
Themed days make the holidays extra fun. So pick a theme (or do them all) and celebrate with your family! You’ll love the fun, laughter, and memories it creates. As you can see, it doesn't take a lot of time, effort, or money to throw a little Halloween party. Use what you've got around the house and come up with your own theme if needed. Bonding with your family is the most important part!
Which of these Halloween party themes do you want to try first? Let us know in the comments below!
Looking for some more great Halloween ideas?
- Get some GREAT ideas for throwing your own adult Halloween party!
- Make fun DIY Little Mermaid costumes for the whole family!
- Find some new ways to use up leftover Halloween candy.
- Here are some cute and easy DIY Frozen costumes.