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Kid-friendly fun
The 31st of October is the spookiest night of the year! Bedsheets go missing from linen cupboards, pumpkins appear on shopping lists and trolleys overflow with lollies. While dressing up and door-knocking for sweet loot may be just what you’re little ghouls are craving, we’ve got plenty of ways to keep them safe and entertained… without leaving the house. Check out our 7 spooooky ways to celebrate Halloween with the kids.
1
Don the dress-ups!
Looking for an excuse to don a witch’s hat or vampire cape? Now’s your chance! Dressing up is one of the coolest parts of Halloween (for both young and old!) so it’s time to raid the dress-up basket, op shop or your local costume store. For 2021, the most popular costume predictions are Cruella Deville, Ghostbusters, Monsters Inc, Beetlejuice and Hermoine Granger. Or mummify the kids yourself with bandages from the medical kit!
2
Decorate the house
Dust off the broomstick! You’ll need to zip down to the local variety store to pick up some spooky supplies (unless your Halloween cupboard is fully stocked!). You can also find Halloween accessories in some supermarkets in October. You’ll need plenty of cobwebs, plastic bats, fake spiders and pumpkin heads. Then have fun bedecking the house with haaaaaunted decorations.
3
‘Spooky’ face painting
From crazy clowns to sugar skulls, puppy dogs to pirates, little ghouls get giddy over face painting. But it doesn’t stop there! Give dad some butterfly eyes and a Mario mustache for your grumpy teen. Or be brave and let the kids paint your face… if you dare. Get some great Halloween face painting ideas here.
4
Carve pumpkins
Golden-nugget pumpkins are the traditional choice as they’re bright orange and easy to carve. But you could even use a cantaloupe or watermelon (and eat the ‘guts’!). (1) Slice off the crown and scoop out the seeds. (2) Use a black marker to draw on your face, then carefully carve it out with a sharp knife (this is best left to an adult or older kids). (3) Pop in a tealight and the crown back on top. (4) Display your lit jack-o-lantern on the mantlepiece or porch.
5
Make creepy cakes
What’s Halloween without a selection of sugary treats? Rather than filling up on mini Mars Bars, let the kids get creative in the kitchen and show off their culinary skills with witch finger biscuits or monster cookies! Or simply pick up a box of premade doughnuts, some eyeballs and fangs and have the kids ‘spookify’ them. Even the toddlers can join in!
6
Trick-or-Treat your own house
No kiddo wants to forgo their lolly bag of Halloween loot… yet times have changed and it’s no longer prudent to pound the pavement and knock on neighbours’ doors. Fear not! We have the solution. Let the kids trick-or-treat your own house (and try to scare you and the dog!). Tell them to run a few laps of the yard then knock on the window again! Hee hee
7
A monster movie marathon
Set up a spooooky nest in the living room and kick off a monster movie marathon. Or make your own moonlight cinema and watch movies beside the fire pit in the backyard. Among the Rotten Tomato essential Halloween movies for kids are: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Paranorman (2012), Goosebumps (2015), Frankenweenie (2012), Ghostbusters (1984), Beetlejuice (1988) and Coco (2017). Check out the full list here.
MORE IN-STORE AT EARLY SETTLER
Visit Early Settler in-store and online to get your home and outdoor area party-ready for Halloween. For more ways to celebrate Halloween with the kids, check out these family-friendly ideas.
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