Halloween is not just about the best Halloween costumes or Trick or Treating, there are actually a lot of fun Halloween games and activities that you can do with your kids throughout October.
From pumpkin carving to dress up games, baking and crafting, there are a huge range of spooky activities to help you get creative for Halloween. With the weather getting colder too, they're great ways to keep the little ones entertained indoors when you might be struggling to get out in the rain and wind.
You could even swap out watching a kid-friendly Halloween movie for a cosy reading session with the best Halloween books for children.
Halloween games and activities
1. Pin the spider on the web
This is just like Pin The Tail On The Donkey but replace the donkey with a spider web and get your little one to try and put the spider in the middle of the web. Simple, but effective, this is a great learning game for your tot, but will also be fun for your older children. Replace the pin with a spider sticker, for safety reasons. You can always do pin the tail on the cat or pin the bowtie on the skeleton too.
Credit: HGTV on Pinterest.
2. Spider slime
What toddler isn't fascinated with slime? If you haven't tried it with your tots yet (we don't blame you), but Halloween could be a good time to make an exception. You can make slime yourself and some sort of Halloween themed confetti to a bowl and stir, or buy some Halloween themed slime online. They'll be fascinated with isn't gooey texture for hours.
3. Ghost bowling
Wrap some paper around some skittles and draw ghostly faces on them. Alternatively, just stick some googly eyes onto stacked toilet rolls. Split up into two teams and see who can knock the most skittles down – it’s a great one to boost your toddler’s co-ordination skills and is lots of fun. Just move anything fragile out of harm’s way before the game begins!
4. Pumpkin drawing
Pumpkins don't always have to be carved! You can use paint or washable felt tip pen to decorate a pumpkin. As well as being a fun game for your toddler, the whole family can get involved with a prize for the most creative design. You can even stick stickers onto the pumpkin.
5. Dress the Mummy
DISCLAIMER: You’ll need lots of toilet roll for this! If you can face cleaning up the mess afterwards, a mummy making game is great fun. Let your toddler run riot with the paper, wrapping it around you like a mummy.
6. Pumpkin hunt
If your toddler is a fan of egg hunts at Easter then they'll love this. Hide a few pumpkins around the house and garden and set your little one the challenge of finding them all. You can even create some clues to help them, or make a map with some treasure at the end. This is a good alternative to trick or treating if your little one is still too young.
7. Ghouls and ghosts dress up
It wouldn’t be Halloween without spooky costumes, which is why one of the best ways to celebrate Halloween with your toddler is offering him a huge chest filled with dressing up options to go crazy with. They don't just have to be Halloween costumes either, you can add in some Disney costumes too.
8. Broomstick race
Split into teams and see who can race on a broom from one end of the garden to the other the fastest. Throw in a few capes and some witches hats for added effect.
9. Bobbing for creepy crawlies
Fill a bucket with water and throw in some fake creepy crawlies that your toddler can catch using a small fishing net or even just a large spoon. You can them count them together and award prizes.
10. Beastly Biscuits
Using an easy to follow recipe, you can bake some spooky Halloween biscuits, all you'll need is some cookie cutters to shape the biscuits! You could even just do round biscuits, and decorate them with spider webs or as pumpkins.
11. Paper plate pumpkins
Another easy indoor Halloween option for toddlers if you don't want real pumpkins, simply get some paper plates and orange paint and let them design their own pumpkin plates! These also make cute decorations for years to come.
12. Spider races
All you'll need for this one is a couple of straws and plastic toy spiders. The first one to blow their spider across the finish line is the winner!
13. Halloween heads up
Write down lots of different Halloween themed items on post-it notes and pop in a hat. Get one person to pick one from the hat (without looking) and make them stick it to their head. You all have to give clues to that person while they try to guess what their word is.
14. Bean bag pumpkin toss
Another great homemade Halloween game for toddlers. Cut out two pumpkins and make the mouths on each different sizes and shapes. Stick the pumpkins on top of each other, or either side if they don't balance, then get some little bean bags and see who can throw the most into the pumpkins mouths.
15. Halloween face paint
Halloween face paint is fun and will get your tot into the spooky spirit in no time!
Halloween craft ideas
Halloween isn’t just about dressing up, there’s lots of potential for some brilliant crafting, too. All you need is some basic craft items such as paints, pom poms and googly eyes, and a few household products you can recycle such as toilet roll tubes and cotton balls.
16. Creepy crawly handprint
All it takes to make this creepy crawly friend is a sheet of paper, some black paint and a pair of stick-on googly eyes.
Credit: Miss Amy's Classroom on Instagram.
17. Monster tubes
Your child can craft themselves a very own scary monsters with the help of some toilet roll tubes, paint and card. They can be painted any colour to create different coloured monsters, and give children a chance to be creative.
Credit: Unknown on Pinterest.
18. Woolly ghosts
Either cut out a ghost shape on paper or let your child make their own cost shapes with the cotton wool balls. Then just add black card for eyes and a mouth!
Credit: Super Mommy Club on Pinterest.
19. Q-tip skeleton
Cut some Q-tips in half and leave some whole, and let your little one create their very own skeleton. You can print a skeleton face, use a sticker or draw it yourself.
Credit: Recycled Crafts on Pinterest.
When is Halloween?
Every year Halloween falls on the 31st October, which happens to be a Tuesday this year. Throughout the month of October, you can get into the spooky spirit by playing different Halloween games and enjoying some crafts.
Do I need to play Halloween games with my toddler?
Your child might be too young to take part in a few of the Halloween traditions, such as Trick or Treating, so playing games at home is a fun way to still take part in Halloween. They're also a fun way to keep children entertained if you're planning a Halloween party too.
Emily Gilbert is the Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and has written for the website and previously the magazine for six years. Specialising in product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases in the parenting industry.