Hosting a Halloween party for preschoolers and toddlers is a great alternative to outside trick-or-treating. The key to a successful party for young kids is to have plenty of simple and all inclusive Halloween activities and games for the kids to do. Here are some ideas for Halloween games and activities that preschoolers and toddlers enjoy.
Drop the Ghost Game
Give each child a tissue to make a ghost. Help the child pinch the centre of the unfolded tissue and twist it to make the head of the ghost. Once everyone’s ghost is made, let the kids drop their ghosts from the top of the stairs or throw them into the air. As the ghosts float down, the kids try to catch the ghosts.
Wrap the Mummy Activity
Easily done as a relay race with older kids, choose an older child or adult to be the mummy and have them sit down in a kitchen chair. Let the kids take turns wrapping the mummy with a roll of toilet paper until all the paper is gone. Give the kids washable markers to decorate the mummy and take pictures of the kids sitting on the mummy’s lap.
Pin the Grin on the Jack-o-Lantern Game
On a large piece of paper, draw a picture of a jack-o-lantern with eyes and a nose. Do not draw a mouth on the picture but cut a mouth out of black construction paper. Attach a piece of masking tape to the back of the mouth. Take turns blindfolding the children to see if they can stick the mouth onto the picture of the jack-o-lantern, much like pin the tail on the donkey.
Halloween Eye Spy Activity
Go for a walk outside with the kids and look for Halloween decorations around the neighbourhood. Take turns playing eye spy and describing things such as:
- scarecrows
- black cats
- witches
- pumpkins
- ghosts
- skeletons
- monsters
- vampires
Keep track of how many of each kind of decoration is seen on the walk.
Hot Pumpkin Game
Based on the game hot potato, hot pumpkin uses a small pumpkin and Halloween music. The kids sit around in a circle and pass around the pumpkin to Halloween music. When the music stops, the person holding the pumpkin stands up and makes a Halloween sound for everyone to guess.
Whether it is for a Halloween party or as part of a Fall theme, games are a simple way of including preschoolers and toddlers in Halloween festivities. For more Halloween theme ideas, read Halloween Crafts for Preschoolers and Toddlers and Simple Halloween Scavenger Hunts for Kids.
Angela Krueger - As an adoptive parent and PRIDE adoption trainer, Angela uses her insights to help others on their adoption journey.
