Halloween [1] isn't cancelled in 2020! Even though it feels like a mean prank to parents everywhere that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year [2] and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party celebrations are cancelled in Disney parks [3], there are still tons of ways to make the spooky holiday special for your kids [4].
From pumpkin decorating contests and scary movie marathons to trick-or-treating scavenger hunts, there are so many activities your family can do together leading up to and on Oct. 31. Scroll through some of our favourite ideas for at-home Halloween [5] fun with your little boos in 2020.
Have a Family Halloween Party
Even if you're only two people, a party is a party! Get out the decorations, make all of the themed snacks and drinks, turn up "Monster Mash," and dance in your costumes.
Trick-or-Treat at Home
Whether in the yard or inside the house, hide wrapped candies all over the place and set your kids loose with their trick-or-treat buckets. Don't forget to hide some of the candies you like, because the parent candy tax [7] is more important than ever in 2020!
Decorate Halloween-Themed Cookies
Get some ghost, cat, and pumpkin cookie cutters and bake your favourite recipe, then let the kids go nuts with the frosting and sprinkles once they're cooled off. Or, if store-bought is more your jam, grab one of these already baked haunted house cookie kits [9] and have your kids create personalized masterpieces. Then, display them in the kitchen so they're readily available for munching!
Design a Halloween Snack Board
Whether sweet or savory — or both! — is your jam, snack boards are the most fun current trend to get in on, especially during the spooky season. Create a Halloween-themed charcuterie board [10] with your kids' faovrite meats, cheeses, crackers, and more; or create a sugary candy board and pick at it during a movie as a treat!
Have a Spooky Movie Marathon
Cuddle up on the couch with snacks and blankets, and queue up some of your family's favourite spooky — and not-so-spooky! — Halloween [11] movies. You can also check your local listings to see if anywhere near you is hosting a drive-in Halloween movie event. If so, cosy up the car, dress up in matching Halloween pajamas [12], and bring your own themed snacks!
Host a Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Get out the paints, carving supplies, decorating kits, and — if you're feeling daring — the glitter. Spend some time decorating pumpkins with your kids and host an anonymous vote afterwards for the best pumpkin – winner gets a prize! Too much competition? Forget the vote and take fun photos of each family member with their pumpkin instead.
Create a Halloween Scavenger Hunt
One-up in-home trick-or-treating with a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt [14]. Write out clues and place them all around the house, starting your kids off with the first clue that eventually leads up to a grand prize at the end. The prize could be candy, another fun treat, a new Halloween book [15], or anything else that your kids would enjoy.
Host a Drive-by or Sidewalk Costume Parade
Organise a costume parade with your neighbours or close friends — one that doesn't involve congregating or touching! Dress the kids up and hop in the car, following a predetermined map of houses of neighbours or friends, so that everyone can see each other's costumes. Or, if you have a smaller group, you could have all of the kids mask up and stand in a line down the sidewalk or along a big yard, then one family at a time can walk around from a distance, looking at everyone's costumes.
Have a Virtual Halloween Party
Invite all of your family's friends for a virtual Halloween [16] party. Show off costumes, have everyone make a Halloween-themed treat to enjoy "together," play a fun game, vote for the best costume — there are so many possibilities, and it'll all be fun! You could also do a virtual movie viewing with just a few of your kids' friends in which you start the movie at the same time and let the kids chat through it while on the call.