Halloween Games

No matter how you celebrate Halloween, there will always be a group of people or kids gathering together.  Make the most of that time with some clever Halloween-themed games!  HalloweenExpress.com has made it easy with our list of great game ideas!

• The Monster Lab
• Build A Mummy
• Halloween Hunt
• Hot Pumpkin
• Halloween Relay
• Slumber Party Games
• Halloween Party Games for Kids
• Top 10 Board Games for Kids
• Party Games for Toddlers

The Monster Lab

With a simple story line and some kitchen items, you can create a sensory extravaganza that scares kids into good-natured giggles.

What You Need

- Blindfolds
- Long, thin wooden board (used as the plank)
- Various foods (see steps 3 and 4)

How to Play

1. Here's how it works: The kids are blindfolded and led over a moat to a mad scientist's dungeon laboratory and seated in a circle (any child too frightened by blindfolding can act as the scientist's assistant). There, Dr. I.B. Wicked announces in a hushed voice that he or she will unveil the recipe for the most astonishing creation yet: The Drooler. The children are welcome visitors, he explains, but they must keep their blindfolds on and remain absolutely silent, for human stares and sounds may awaken the beast before it is ready to be brought to life.

2. Blindfold the kids and have them "walk a plank". Set a long, thin wooden board on uneven supports and have an assistant carefully walk the kids across it. For extra effect, have another assistant growling, hissing, muttering and waiting at the end of the plank to take the child to the circle in the middle of the room.

3. Dr. I.B. Wicked begins by passing containers of ingredients for the kids to sniff, explaining how each will be used to make the monster. A few tough-to-guess ingredients that are sure to wrinkle kids' noses include mouse breath (Parmesan cheese), which increases night vision; extract of grasshoppers (pine and nutmeg), which improves long-jumping ability; charred bat's feet (charred wood), excellent for hearing; and owl pellets (dry yeast), great for cunning.

4. Dr. I.B. Wicked explains that he has gotten the monster's bones all together, and that it is just the final assembly of organs and extra features that remains. Pass around bowls of monster parts for the kids to feel and relate the past history of the individual organs: the intestines (oily spaghetti) were a donation from Dracula's private collection; the fur (an old wig) came from Sasquatch; the ears (dried apples) were once attached to a 4,600-year-old Egyptian mummy; 12 fingers (cold hot dogs) are from The Six-Fingered Man; three eyes (peeled grapes) are from a family of Cyclopses; the brains (cooked oatmeal) were borrowed from Frankenstein; the heart (a small balloon full of warm water) is from the Loch Ness Monster.

5. As the monster grows, have a grown-up assistant begin to make growling and waking-up sounds. While you are putting in the last parts, listen carefully for one of the kids to whisper, laugh or scream (if none do, have an assistant make the fateful noise). Yell out, "Oh no, you did it! The monster is waking up!" The assistant then stomps out of the room with a clanking of chains and ferocious muttering.











Build A Mummy


For this game you need at least 5 people.  Divide your group into teams.  There needs to be at least 2 people per team, 3 is better.  And you’ll want to have at least 2 teams.  One person needs to be referee and judge – probably YOU!  Give each team 4 rolls of toilet paper.  They have 15 minutes to wrap one of their teammates into a creative mummy.  The best one, according to the judge – WINS!











Halloween Hunt


We all know about Easter Egg Hunts.  So, turn it around and make it a Halloween themed hunt.  Instead of eggs, use candy or goody bags.  You may want to make a bunch of Napkin Ghosts (link to craft page) or Fuzzy Pumpkins (link to craft page) to hide.  That way the kids can trade in their finds for candy!










Hot Pumpkin

Instead of musical chairs, you pass the pumpkin like a hot potato! Have a group sit in a circle and pass a small pumpkin when the music is playing. When the music stops the child holding the pumpkin is out.  Keep going until there's a winner.











Halloween Relay

Relay Races are always a fun way to get everyone cheering and laughing.  Especially when everyone’s in costume!!  You’ll need some black & orange balloons and at least 5 people.  One person, likely YOU, will be the referee.  Divide everyone else into 2 teams.  Half of each team goes to one end of the room or of the racing space.  The objective is to get across the room, keep the balloon off the ground without using your hands, pass it to your relay teammate without dropping it or touching it, and doing it as fast as possible.  This is a tough one, so GOOD LUCK!!

Slumber parties are a great time to stay up late, eat, play games and watch videos.  One of the best ways to get into the party spirit is to play games so each guest can get to know each other better and have fun at the same time.  Games at a slumber party should be age appropriate and hold the attention of the group.  Friendly competition will add more fun and excitement to the evening’s festivities.

M & M Game (for any age)

• Plain M&M’s
• Envelopes
• Pen & Paper

Divide players in 2-3 teams.  Write out clues to where the M&M’s may be hidden.  Each team receives the same clues in a different order as to not give away the location of the M&M’s.  At each location, place a cup of M&M’s hidden in the designated area.  When a team finds the M&M’s, they take 3 out of the cup and move on to the next clue.  Each M&M is worth certain points, but is not revealed until the end.  The team with the most points wins.

Animal Game (for young players)

• Blind fold
• Small to medium stuffed animals

On the invitation, ask guests to bring their favorite stuffed animal.  When guests arrive, place stuffed animals in a pile.  One by one, let guests take turns being blindfolded and find the stuffed animal they brought to the party.  Whoever picks their stuffed animal wins.

Light as a Feather (for teens)

Turn the lights off and light candles around the room.  Choose a person to be the center of the game.  Have them lay down on the floor with 3 people kneeling on each side of them.  Each person places their first two fingers on each hand and slips them under the person lying on the floor.  All players close their eyes and repeatedly chant “Light as a feather, stiff as a board” while trying to lift the center person without losing concentration.  Do not distract the players and the center person or they may be dropped.  If all directions are followed, this game usually works!

Shaving Cream Fight (for 8 years old to teens)

Halloween is a great season for celebration and fun.  There are many exciting things to do at Halloween and having a party is one of them.  The party should include costumes, food and great decorations, but don’t forget fun games that the guests can enjoy.  Children especially love games this time of year, and many games are available to choose from for the little goblins to have fun with on Halloween.

The “Name Game”

• Orange and black markers
• 3x5 cards
• Safety Pins

Before your guests arrive, neatly print a different name of a Halloween character onto the 3x5 cards.  When the guests arrive, pin a card on their back but do not tell them who it is.

Rules:

1. Each guest can only ask one question per each person in guessing what character name is pinned to their back.
2. Facial expressions and actions are allowed.
3. Only “Yes” and “No” answers can be given.
4. If a guest guesses too quickly, pin a new Halloween character name on their back.

Pumpkin Bowling

• 10 empty plastic liter bottles
• Several 4-6 inch diameter pumpkins
• candy

Rules:

1. The object of the game is to knock over all the pins by making a strike or a spare.
2. Each child gets two tries to knock down the pins.
3. A strike is worth two pieces of candy.
4. A spare is worth one piece of candy.

Pumpkin Penny Pitch

Carve out several pumpkins and line with foil or plastic wrap.  Place pumpkins several feet away and give each player ten to twenty pennies.  Every time the player tosses a penny into a pumpkin, they get a piece of candy.

Many board games have stood the test of time.  Adults are now seeing updated versions of their favorite games that their children are now playing.  Board games are very popular and there is a game for every age.  Playing board games can be fun for adults, children, friends, and sleepovers or just because it brings everybody together.  The top 10 board games are proven fun, so go out and pick up a few for timeless enjoyment.

1. Clue:  This is an addictive mystery game for the whole family.  Investigate who murdered the victim from a cast of wacky characters with deadly weapons.  The game can be played over and over again with different results.

2. Twister:  This is a classic game that is great for a party icebreaker.  A large mat with different colored circles is laid on the floor and players place a hand or foot on certain colors depending on what the spinner directs.  This results in bodies being twisted around to follow the directions.  Many players can play this game at one time. 

3. Pictionary Jr.:  This game is an easier version of Pictionary to accommodate the kids, but the idea of the game is the same.  Players select a card and draw the word on a large tablet of paper on an easel while the other team tries to guess what the word is.  The only change in this game is that the words are easier.

4. Battleship:  Try and sink your opponent’s battleships using naval strategy.  The player’s battleships are hidden from each other and the idea is to determine the battleship’s location and sink it! 

5. Scrabble:  This is the best selling board game of all time.  The aim of the game is to make words out of given letters and letters on the board to score the highest points.  Adults especially like this game because it teaches vocabulary to the kids.

6. Sorry:  Draw a card and follow the instructions to get your game piece from Start to Home as easy as possible. Players can send each other back to the beginning to start over, and for that they are “Sorry!”.

7. Connect Four:  This game resembles Tic Tac Toe with a few changes.  The idea is to get 4 checkers in a row first and preventing your opponent from doing the same.

8. Yahtzee:  Throw 5 dice at the same time and try to get all five combinations first. 

9. Trouble:  A clear globe is in the middle of the board containing dice.  Press the globe and read the dice to go around the board to win.

10. Boggle Jr.:  This is an educational game that is fun for kids and adults.  It includes lettered cubes on all sides that the player must make words out of in 3 minutes!

No one is too young to enjoy playing games at holiday or birthday parties and that includes children that are the toddler age of 1-2 years old.  Don’t forget them in the festivities by including games that they can play with their guests and fellow toddler friends. Remember to keep the games short and simple or the toddler will lose interest and disrupt the flow of the game.  Toddlers will love the fun and activity of party games at the next celebration.

Teddy Bear Hunt

Hide a small teddy bear within the party area for the children to find.  If they come close to finding the bear call out “You’re getting warmer!” or “You’re getting colder!” to help direct them to the bear.  The first one to find the teddy bear is the winner and gets to hide it for the next game.

Power Tower

Have children sit in a circle that has one large cardboard brick in the middle.  Give each child several bricks and have them take turns adding one brick to the existing one in the middle of the circle.  Each child will add a brick and when the tower falls down, applaud and start the game again.  Give a small prize to each child when the game is over.

Parachute Game

This is a great outdoor game for toddlers.  Have children stand around a large blanket holding the edges.  Place a small stuffed animal or ball in the center of the blanket and have the children try to bounce it has high as they can without it bouncing off the blanket.  To add additional fun and challenge, place two items on the blanket and watch the fun continue.

Bubble Fun

All toddlers love bubbles and chasing them around the yard.  Fill large buckets with warm soapy water and add a few drops of food coloring to add color to the bubbles.  Purchase bubble wands at the toy store and dip in water for bubbles the children can pop.  Add inflated white and pink balloons to represent bubbles and have the children bat them around. If the balloons should pop, be sure to pick up the leftover pieces for child safety.

Balls

Playing with balls is always a favorite activity of toddler-age children.  Supplying many balls of different sizes and colors for them to play with will add to the fun and keep them active before cake and ice cream.