Explore vintage Halloween games and some new ones.
Steps
1. Vintage games — 1912.
Check out the supplement SUPP_Vintage Halloween Games.pdf for vintage games from 1912 before Halloween became popular for the kids. Try one or more of the games. Adapt if necessary.
2. Today’s games.
Review the supplement SUPP_Today Halloween Games.pdf for games that we play today. You’ll notice the games are centered around children. Try one or more.
3. Just add the twist.
Many everyday games can add a twist so they work better for a Halloween theme. This includes scavenger hunts, hide and go seek and puzzles. Play tag while IT is on a broomstick, make home base a pumpkin, hide glow-in-the-dark spiders to find and more. Some are in the specific play section below. Think of your favorite non-Halloween game. How can you adjust it to fit with the holiday?
4. Indoors or outdoors.
Depending on where you will be playing, you may need to adjust the size and / or materials of the games. For example, if you want to play Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe, you’ll want to use small decorative pumpkins inside while full-sized ones will work fine outdoors.
Specific Play
5. BINGO.
Change up the cards and play a game of BINGO — Halloween style. Check out the supplements for some cards below.
6. Silhouette play.
Play with silhouettes to tell a story. Use a story you already know or make one up. You can be funny or scary, but stick to a Halloween theme.
7. Graveyard hunt.
Create a graveyard in an empty lot or even your back yard. Add the scare with spiders, snakes, lanterns, music, etc. Hide prizes for everyone to find. Be sure to make and enforce a limit so one kid doesn’t end up with ten prizes while another has none.
8. Costume relay.
Instead of having everyone come in costume, use them for your games. You might pack a couple suitcases with the same items in them and let the teams race down, dress in the costume, do something silly (perhaps take a photo too), undress, replace everything in the trunk and then let the next member of their team do it. You also might treat it like a scavenger hunt and the teams have to find pieces of a costume from clues with the first team that returns with everyone wearing a piece of the costume winning. What other costume relays can you imagine?
9. Bob for apples.
Put apples in a tub of water and try to bite one. If you don’t like the water (or it’s too cold), tie them to string and hang them in a doorway instead.
10. Sensory game.
Using SUPP_Sensory Foods.pdf, create one or more touch sensations. Make it a game by:
- Guess what each item is by touch or what it represents
- Hide items in the food that link to prizes or points
- “Fear Factor” by blindfolding people and have them eat different items (touch plus taste)
11. Piñata.
Make or purchase a pinata for a Halloween party would be great fun. Instead of handing out filled treat bags, just hand out the bags and let everyone work for the treats.
12. Printables.
Check out the supplements for more games or find some online. You can also find games on sites like Ravensblight.
13. Don’t stop!
There are directions for many Halloween-themed games online. Try at least one new game this holiday season.
Supplements Available
SUPP_Halloween Bingo.pdf
- Cards for a Halloween version
SUPP_MB_Today Halloween.pdf
- Current games you can play with a Halloween theme
SUPP_MB_Vintage Halloween.pdf
- 1912 Halloween games
SUPP_Sensory Food.pdf
- Items you can use to simulate body parts and more for touch
SUPP_Silhouette Play.pdf
- Silhouettes you can print and play with
SUPP_TTT Halloween.pdf
- Halloween designed Tic-Tac-Toe board
SUPP_WF_Grimm.pdf
- Word Find: Grimm creatures
SUPP_WF_Halloween.pdf
- Word Find: Halloween items
SUPP_WF_Supernatural.pdf
- Word Find: Supernatural creatures
SUPP_WORD_Halloween.pdf
- Make words from these sayings
Sites to Explore
- home-school-coach.com/halloween-in-the-1950s-1960s
- familycrafts.about.com/cs/halloweengames/a/halloweengames.htm
- family.disney.com/halloween-games
- www.bluesuitmom.com/family/activities/halloweenparty.html
- www.party411.com/PlanYourParty/Holiday/Halloween/HalloweenPartyGames.aspx
- www.kidactivities.net/category/Holidays-Halloween-Games.aspx
- www.education.com/results/?q=halloween
- ravensblight.com/papertoys.html
- www.parents.com/holiday/halloween/games
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