Best Halloween Toys for Kids

　　Halloween Games for Kids

　　While adults may be jumping on the Halloween bandwagon, first and foremost Halloween is a kid’s holiday. Besides trick-or-treating and costumes, Halloween parties are one of the many activities that kids can look forward to each Halloween. If you are thinking of jumping in and hosting your own kid’s party this year, one thing that you will need to think about is the games.

　　Candy gets all of the attention when it comes to Halloween, but its joys are sadly short-lived. If you’re looking for something that’ll extend the Halloween fun for the whole month of October (and possibly beyond), look no further than some of the best Halloween toys.

　　The greatest Halloween toys run the gamut. Some are little pick-me-ups that you can dole out in the run-up to Halloween to get kids excited. Others are small and can be slipped into a spooky basket or a goodie bag at a class party. Still others double as boredom-busting Halloween crafts or activities, guiding them through decorations that you can proudly display all month long. For Halloween toys for babies and toddlers, there are stuffies and construction sets that are sure to grab their attention (without frightening them too much). But teens and tweens want something more complicated, including strategy-based board games that may have Halloween themes, but can really be used all year.

　　Here we’ve rounded up our favorite Halloween toys of 2022, which include everything from trendy toys like pop fidgets and Squishmallows to Good Housekeeping Institute Toy Award winners. You’re sure find something to please everyone in your boo crew.

　　When planning kid’s party games, keep in mind that many games will only have one winner. So be sure to play enough games that every child can be a winner, or consider providing second and third place prizes to help avoid hurt feelings. If you don’t want to use candy for prizes, Halloween party favors and small toys also make great prize ideas.

　　Ghostly musical chairs

　　Almost everyone is familiar with the game of musical chairs, so you probably won’t need a detailed expression of the rules. All you need is one chair less than the number of kids attending the party (so 9 chairs for 10 kids, for example). Cover the chairs with white sheets and paint some eyes and mouths on them to make them look like ghosts. Line the chairs up or arrange them in a circle. To play the game, play some music while the children walk around the chairs. When the music stops, the child left without a chair is out. Remove a chair, and keep playing until there is only one child left.

　　Dress the scarecrow

　　If you have some of dad’s old clothing lying around the house, this is a fun game for kids. Divide the children into small teams, and give all teams some clothes for their scarecrow. Jeans or overalls, flannel shirts, boots, gloves, and a straw hat are typical, though you can use whatever you have on hand. One child in the team is the scarecrow, and has to stand still while the others of the team put the clothes on. The first team to complete a scarecrow is the winner.

　　Meet my mummy

　　For this one, you will again want to divide children into small teams and have one child volunteer to be the mummy (preferably a child who was not the scarecrow if you play both games). Give each team a roll of toilet paper, and have them wrap their mummy with it (you can also use rolls of streamers in Halloween colors if you would prefer). The first team done wins.

　　Pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern

　　Create a large pumpkin out of cardboard, or make one out of construction paper and pin it to a bulletin board. Paint or glue eyes and a mouth on the jack-o-lantern, leaving the area where the nose should be empty. Cut out several yellow triangles, writing the child’s name on the front and placing a small piece of double-sided tape on the back. Blindfold children and have them attempt to pin the nose where it belongs. To make the game more difficult, spin the child in circles several times before having them pin the nose on.

　　Almost any child’s party game can be converted to a Halloween game with a little creativity. Of course, leave plenty of time for snacks and the ever-popular costume contest.

　　Kids Halloween Costume & Halloween Party Ideas

　　Halloween is all about the spook-tacular, so spook everyone this year with kids Halloween costume and party ideas. Your kids will love scaring people with their Halloween costumes, and you’ll love throwing the spookiest party around the block. Here are some ideas for that big Halloween celebration.

　　A. Really Spooky Kids Halloween Costumes

　　Not every kid strives to live like royalty when Halloween rolls around. Here are some spook-tacular ideas for kids Halloween costumes:

　　Blood-sucking vampire.

　　Here’s one way to scare Grandma after trick-or-treating. Buy a regular vampire suit (available at kids Halloween costume stores), vampire teeth, and fake blood. Have your kids put on the costumes, slip in the fake teeth, and dribble fake blood around their mouth. Watch onlookers freak out as your kids trick-or-treat and scare elders.

　　Flesh-eating zombies.

　　Tikes will squeal when they wear these kids Halloween costumes. Buy zombie masks and old clothes for preparation. Shred the clothes with a cheese grater and knives and have your kids put it on. Put on the zombie masks and watch your kids Halloween costumes get spook-tacular.

　　Human-eating werewolves.

　　Things get a bit hairier with these werewolf costumes. All you need is werewolf masks and fake blood. Have your kids put on the masks, dribble fake blood on their mouths, and have onlookers howling at the moon this Halloween. These kids Halloween costumes are definitely spook-tacular.

　　B. If you are hosting a Halloween party for your kids? Here are some ideas for turning that party sinister:

　　Cobwebs, spiders, and brooms.

　　These party ideas will spook most guests. Line tables with cobwebs, placing spiders on the netting. Put a couple of brooms by the door covered in cobweb netting for an extra spook-tacular effect.

　　Buggy foods and bloody drinks.

　　These spooky party ideas are a macabre touch to the perfect Halloween party. For food, buy gummy worms, decorated with fake insects. For drinks, add red food coloring to your favorite drink for a bloody effect.

　　Contests and Competitions.

　　Here are innovative party ideas that involve all party guests. Have guests dressed in costumes and have Halloween-themed competitions, such as bobbing for apples or a Best Costume contest. Have guests whack a pinata with a witch broom. Award winners with spook-tacular prizes such as plush zombies, witch brooms, candy, or cute accessories.

　　Hold marathons.

　　It’s up to you to come up with ideas, but one great example is holding a movie marathon. Play classic Halloween movies all night while munching on candy and popcorn. Everyone has fun and gets scared by some classic moments too.

　　Whether you’re looking for spook-tacular kids Halloween costumes or holding a big party, there are many ways to make this holiday creepy. Use your own original ideas too – don’t be afraid to try it out! Halloween is all about you and your kids having fun. Also remember that even though this holiday is about kids Halloween Costumes, treat-or-treating, and holding spooky parties, it’s also about staying safe. Put on those costumes, whip out those party ideas and have a great — and safe — time partying.