Halloween Party: Make it fun, not painful

Halloween Party: Make it fun, not painful

Belinda @ Kids Matter

What child wouldn’t love a Halloween party? For that matter… a lot of parents are quite fond of them as well! But… when you think of “party” do you get the idea of something huge, costing lots of money, and taking up an absurd amount of your time? Maybe that seems like more work than you feel you can afford both financially and time wise. How about if I told you that doesn’t have to be the case? What if you could have a party for 4-8 children for under $50 and it take no more than three hours of your time including the actual party time? Is it sounding better? Well, let’s get started!

Decorations

What do kids love most? BALLOONS! Decorate with streamers and balloons and you’ll have a hit on your hands! Don’t spend money on expensive fancy balloons; just buy ordinary solid color balloons. If you want to decorate them blow them up before the party and draw Halloween characters on them. Balloons and streamers will cost you about $4.

Food and drinks

No need to get all into planning a big feast. It’s a fun holiday and all the kids care about are the sweets! Schedule your party for between lunch and dinner or after dinner on a night when there is no school. Buy the prepackaged decorated sugar cookies. Use your time for preparing games, not baking. Games are much more exciting! Cookies will cost you about $8, more or less, depending on how many you want each child to have. I wouldn’t go more than two a piece, or then you will be dealing with sugar rush chaos! As for drinks, I would stick with something simple like apple juice or the prepackaged kid’s drinks.

Music

You have to set the mood of the party and kids love music! Take a few minutes and visit this link at Dream English Halloween to get some FREE music. If you don’t care for these search the internet for free Halloween music.

Activities/Games

Every Halloween party has to have pumpkin painting! Don’t worry… there will be no messy paint spills to clean up with this one. You can either purchase one pumpkin for each child (approximately $5/each) or double the kids up on the pumpkins. Buy a package of black Sharpie markers ($4) and before the party pre-draw face outlines for the kids to fill in.

Face painting is such a great activity for children. How often do they get to put paint on their faces without getting into trouble? This is really a treat for them! If you are doing your shopping at Wal-Mart pick up their KIDS CRAFT Face Paint Mega Set for $6.57. Don’t forget the brushes if you don’t have any at home. (That’s at most another couple dollars.)

GAMES!!!! The excitement rings throughout your house! Mummy Wrap is a great game the children will love. Grab a roll of toilet paper from your bathroom and some scotch tape. If you are participating in the game the kids will have a ball turning you into the mummy! If you choose not to get in on the game allow the kids to mummify whoever wants to do it. Spooky Memory Game is a free game you can printout from Spoonful. Follow the directions for printing and playing as provided on the website. Find the Eyeball is an icky game and we all know how children love to get icky! Cook a package of spaghetti from your pantry. You can even throw in some food coloring while it cooks. Be sure to over cook the pasta. Drain it thoroughly and coat it with a little vegetable oil so it is really slimy. Purchase a pack of ping pong balls ($3) and with your black Sharpie, draw an eyeball on each one. Allow the marker to dry and the pasta to cool. Drop the eyeballs into the pasta and have the kids find the eyeballs (without looking of course).

Treats

At the close of the party, hand out treat bags filled with yummy candy. Treat bags will cost about $1 or you could use the old fall back… sandwich bags! The candy you choose will probably be the most expensive item for the party besides the pumpkins. I would suggest a bag of Sather’s Kiddie Mix ($4.48) and then some type of little chocolate bars. You want to leave the candy until the end and let them have the sugar rush at home!

Don’t be afraid to use what you have in your home to cut down on the costs. Most of us have paper plates and napkins or paper towels for the cookies. No need to get all fancy, again, the kids only care about the fun and sweets! If you are like me you have a cabinet full of sippy cups to cut down on the messes by the wee little ones or if you opt for the prepackaged drinks that is one less thing you have to think about… cups.

Have a great time with your Halloween party! Laugh, enjoy, and create memories that will last a lifetime!