Kids Need Their Own Halloween Bash
The theme ideas you’ll find on Party Themes Galore are all curated for adult parties (though they can often be tailored for kids’ parties, too)…except for this one. This theme is a stand-alone because it’s only for kids: a kids Halloween party! Whether you have your own kids, whether you teach kids, or whether you want to throw a party for somebody else’s kids, there’s no purer joy than watching raw excitement on kids’ faces when they engage in something fun. So make your kids Halloween party one that they’ll always remember!
How to Throw a Kids Halloween Party
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means I may earn commission if you click through the link and finalize a qualifying purchase. This does not affect the price in any way.
1. Create the Scene with Cute Halloween decorations
Look for cute Halloween decorations like smiling Casper-inspired ghosts and friendly black cats cuddling pumpkins. You can hang garlands, put up window stickers, inflate balloons, string up banners, and go all out on the cuteness scale. There is no such thing as overboard with kids party decor! At the same time, kids aren’t picky either – they just want to have a good time. So don’t feel like you have to go extreme, either – a few fun touches are just fine!
There are lots of fun decorations and things you can acquire – including inexpensive ones – that perfectly set the scene. Decorations can be as expensive or inexpensive as you are comfortable with. However extensively you choose to decorate, make sure you consciously and sustainably spend however much you are comfortable with. And remember that you can DIY everything; you don’t have to purchase anything so long as you have a little time and motivation to set the scene. Grab some construction paper, supplies, YouTube Halloween DIY craft decor, and go to town! Just keep the decorations rated C for Cute, not adult-level Creepy.
- Mini wood ghosts or pumpkins
- Festive Halloween Balloon Bouquet
- Cute ghost pumpkin LED light strand
- Halloween Party ‘Boo’ Confetti
- Halloween bats confetti
- Macramé Ghost Garland
- Halloween felt ball garland with ghosts, bats or ‘boo’
- Halloween dog or cat garland
2. Prepare Crafty Halloween-themed Food and Beverages
Time to get crafty and plan an exciting snack menu! It can be easy to break the bank on delicious treats, but don’t hesitate to reach out to other parents to pitch in potluck style if that’s more feasible for your time or budget. Just make sure you let them know when you initially invite them! And regardless, be aware of any invited guests’ dietary restrictions so you can provide at least one or two decent food/drink options for them as well.
Which tasty treats might your little friends enjoy? Here are just a few fun recipes to get you started:
- Apple mummies
- Ghostly Halloween fruit dip
- Hocus Pocus Halloween punch
- Halloween cupcakes
- Halloween cookies
3. Plan a Playful Playlist
What music or video will your young guests love most? Will they enjoy seeing a fun movie in the background, such as Scooby Doo? Or will music or soundscapes better suit the atmosphere? For music, younger kids may especially enjoy this playlist of animated Halloween songs for kids. For a calm, spooky ambiance, play this Halloween classroom soundscape. This instrumental Halloween screensaver provides a fun background video with playfully spooky music. The looped music can quickly get repetitive but you could keep volume low for background music only or just as easily mute it with only the fun visual for a thematic touch. Be sure to check out plenty more options for Halloween kids songs and soundscapes, whether streamed or from the library.
4. Lure Children with Irresistibly Sweet Scents
Depending on how young your guests are, burning candles probably isn’t the best choice for a kids Halloween party. Open flame just doesn’t tie in well with things like paper streamers and potentially projectile napkin wads. But there probably aren’t many kids who won’t enjoy the smell of cupcakes or brownies! So if you can arrange for it, don’t do your baking ahead of time. Go ahead and mix batter beforehand if possible, but wait until shortly before your party to pop those treats in the oven! Your guests will love walking in to the smell of baked sweets.
5. Plan Halloween Games and Activities
Get ready to prepare some awesome activities! Games and activities are optional for adult parties but mandatory for a children’s party. Unless your space has enough safe/appropriate climbing materials and a room full of toys to rummage for two hours, you probably need to engage your young guests in at least somewhat-structured activities for the entirety of the party (except for when they’re eating). You can afford to skimp on the food variety and decor, but don’t skimp on cool Halloween activities! Here are some fun digital downloads to print:
- Kids Halloween games bundle with 20 games
- Kids Halloween games bundle with 30 games
- Halloween bean bags for bucket toss challenge and/or party favors (this is a physical item)
- Halloween scavenger hunt
- Large Halloween colouring poster
- Pass the candy game
- Kids Halloween bundle with 5 activities
A more creative, self-directed cousin of games is crafts. You can just as easily engage your cute little ghouls in pumpkin-painting or sticker art. Remember to prep the area with plenty of drop-cloths and the like if you plan to incorporate anything messy, of course.
6. Establish Guest Participation: Make it a Costume Party!
Kids love to dress in costume. They’ll take advantage of any opportunity to wear it when the occasion allows! So give them another opportunity to wear their Halloween costume at your party. Remember to wear your own costume as well, and encourage other parents to do the same! Even the most costume-shy executive dads are usually much more likely to throw on their secretly beloved Chewbacca suit when it’s for a kid-related event.
7. Don’t Let Them Leave…Without Party Favors, That Is!
If you don’t have kids, here’s a secret all parents know: we abhor party favors. Why, you ask? Because they are small and have no logical place within your kids’ toy hierarchy, they quickly accumulate from various birthday parties throughout the year, and they end up all over the house for us to step on. But it’s so fun for kids to leave a party with some kind of memorable token!
The key is to provide party favors that kids will love and that parents will appreciate enough to tolerate being strewn around their house. One example is a mini pumpkin that kids can decorate and then take home. This is acceptable because the pumpkin will eventually rot and so will have to be relegated to the outside at some point. Ta-da, no clutter! But for long-lasting souvenirs, here are some other less-annoying, cute-enough examples:
- Halloween mini bears
- Halloween rubber ducks (50)
- Halloween rubber ducks (12)
- Jack-O’-Lantern mini basketballs
- Neon ghost ring lollipops (bonus because edible but not your typical Halloween candy)
- Halloween character finger puppets
- Pet Ghost in a Bottle
- Felt bats
Checklist of Items for Your Kids Halloween Party
This is a list of all of the physical things you need for this party:
- Cute Halloween decorations
- Halloween-themed food and drinks, including delicious-smelling ready-to-bake treats
- Planned music or video and speakers/screen to play it
- Halloween games, activities and/or crafts (plus clean-up/protective materials as needed)
- Mini pumpkins for decorating, optionally
- Your own Halloween costume
- Party favors
Checklist of Steps to Host a Kids Halloween Party
1. First, establish that your efforts aren’t in vain by confirming with parents that their kids can come on any chosen date:
- Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well
- Choose guest list and establish minimum number of kids you’d like host (to make it worth your effort)
- Six weeks out, confirm families’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s)
- If your preferred minimum number of families confirm interest and availability, have them secure the calendar date for your awesome Halloween party!
2. Then, proceed with the fun planning!
- Schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep (securing and/or making food/drinks, setting up games, etc.)
- Create invitations with all of the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
- Order any party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to prepare and set up)
- Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
- In your planned time slots, DIY any party supplies and decorations
- In your planned time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
- In your planned time slots, set up/decorate with any supplies and decorations
- In your planned time slots, prepare food/drinks accordingly
3. Day of Party (in your amply planned time slot):
- Complete any last-minute food/drink prep for things that don’t keep as long
- Set up any quick/easy last-minute games/activities and decorations
- Prepare ambience (music/video, aromatic baked goods)
- Get dressed in your Halloween costume
- Once everything’s ready, meditate or do whatever you need to do to get in a good head space if you aren’t already: relaxed, energized, and excited. Kids easily pick up on others’ energy, so don’t let any stress or distractions dampen your mood or theirs!
Lastly: Focus on Fun and Staying Flexible
Parties are meant to be fun for the host, of course, but a kids Halloween party is really for the kids. So do best by them and make sure you have a positive mindset and are a truly happy host! Even if there are mishaps or kid-tastrophies (as there almost always are), make the most of it and roll with the punches. A party doesn’t have to be perfect, even if we do our best to make it awesome, but our flexible mindset and positive attitude will go a long way. So channel your inner child and have a blast with this one! You will know the party was wonderful when kids don’t want to go home at the end. It will both melt your heart and remind you that your good efforts to give them a great time were well worth it!
If you want to explore more Halloween-themed parties, check out these others: