It is a day of spiders, bats, ghosts, and other things that go bump in the night. It is a time to dress up in fun costumes, bob for apples, and collect candy from neighbors and friends. It is Halloween, that fall holiday for both kids and the young at heart.
Most historians trace Halloween back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a day in which it was thought that the barrier separating this world and the netherworld was especially thin, allowing for spirits to pass freely into this world. Celebrants dressed up in costumes to scare away these spirits, and large bonfires and other celebrations were held to commemorate the fall harvest. When the British Isles became predominantly Christianized, Samhain became All Hallows Eve, the night before the festival of All Saints Day, which is on November 1. Eventually, the name was shortened to Halloween, with many of the ancient traditions of Samhain finding new expressions in games, costume parties, and other activities celebrated just for the fun of it.
More Information on Halloween
• The Real Story of Halloween — a page from the History Channel on the history and traditions of Halloween
Great Halloween Games
A great Halloween party is impossible without some fun games. Here are some of the most popular Halloween games for children.
MUMMY WRAP
• Establish a starting point and finish line for a footrace.
• Divide the children into teams of two and give each team a roll of toilet paper or white crepe paper.
• ??One kid must wrap the other with the paper just like a mummy, making sure not to wrap the head. They should also wrap the arms separately.
• Once wrapped, the “mummy” must hop to the finish line without tearing the wrapping. First one to the end wins!
MONSTER FREEZE DANCE
• Cue up Halloween/spooky music to play while the kids dance.
• Start the music and let the kids dance.
• Stop the music periodically, at which point everyone must stop moving.
• Those who do not “freeze” are out. Keep playing until there is only one kid left, who is the winner!
MAD SCIENTIST LABORATORY
• Fill several bowls with foods that might mimic different body parts. Grapes or olives can be “eyes”; a banana peel can stand in for a “tongue”; raw liver is a good “heart”; cold, cooked spaghetti can double as “brains” or “intestines”; carrot sticks can be good “fingers.”
• Blindfold a child and lead them one at a time to put their hands in each bowl, having them guess what “body part” is being felt.
HALLOWEEN PICTIONARY
• Make a list of Halloween-related words, and then write each of them on a small piece of paper. Good terms to use include black cat, ghost, jack-o-lantern, skeleton, witch, candy, haunted house, vampire, bat, trick or treat, spider, monster, and others.
• Separate kids into two teams and have a chalkboard or whiteboard available.
• Beginning with one team, have one member come to the front, draw a term, and then try to illustrate it on the board without writing the word or speaking it. The rest of the team has a time limit of no more than two minutes in which they must guess the term. If they get it right, they get a point.
• Alternate teams until one of them gets the predetermined winning number of points.
MUSICAL TOMBSTONES
• Cut out two pieces of gray paper that can be stapled at the top to resemble a tombstone. Have each kid decorate their own tombstone as they see fit.
• Set up a row of chairs as you would for musical chairs, having one less chair than the total number of kids.
• Play some Halloween music and have them circle the row, carrying their own tombstone. Stop the music and have the kids rush to fill the chairs. The kid who cannot sit in one is out.
• Take away one more chair start the music again. Continue the process until there is only one kid left. Have each child who gets out hang their “tombstone” on one of several chairs you have set aside and then sit in the chair.
• The last kid left is the winner.
More Halloween Games
• Amazing Moms: Halloween Fun — a page with Halloween crafts and games that are great for kids
• Apples for the Teacher Halloween Games — teachers will find this page on Halloween games and activities especially helpful
• Family Fun Halloween Games — several Halloween games for kids are available on this Disney-sponsored site
• Halloween Fun from Primary Games — a bunch of online Halloween games that are great for kids
• Party Game Ideas — dozens of great Halloween game ideas for kids and adults
Written by Michael S. Atwood