10 Halloween Things To Do With Your Kids This Year
By the time anyone reads this article, it will be September 2nd. Not everyone would agree, but in my world, that means Spooky Szn is officially here, and I consider summer to be over. The other day, I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season and it was magical. The next two months will consist of: (1) lots of decorating; (2) trying to convince my fiancé and step-daughter that we should all wear matching costumes, while they stare at me in disgust; (3) watching scary movies (while Bebe is asleep, of course); (4) listening to Full Body Chills (an amazingly spooky podcast, highly recommend) once the new season drops in October; and (5) figuring what kind of Halloween activities to do with the kids - we have a 1-year-old and a 16-year-old. My soon-to-be husband, the scroogiest man who ever lived, will spend the whole two months telling me it’s not Halloween yet (insert eye roll).
This past Friday, we took the kids to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World. I may write more about it next week, but I’ll just say now that I had a (mostly) fantastic time. My partner and I met at Magic Kingdom while we worked there over 10 years ago - working on Tom Sawyer Island and County Bear Jamboree, to be exact. So, while we’re very happy to not be working there anymore, that place still holds a special place in our hearts. After all, our little Bebe would not be here if he and I hadn’t met all those years ago. The only negative thing about going back was bringing our toddler there. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted to take her to Disney for a long time, but I was a bit overly optimistic about how she would behave during a night event when she’s usually in bed between 8-9 p.m. We ended up leaving around 11:00 p.m. when she started whining, crying, and screaming non-stop. Next time, we are planning on going during the day and leaving no later than 5:00 p.m. The consequences of not having her in bed on time just aren’t worth it.
But Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was only the first Halloween event of the season and there is a lot more to come. Below, I’ve compiled a list of affordable Halloween activities you can do with your family.
Visit a pumpkin patch and let everyone pick out their own pumpkin. Visiting a pumpkin patch during a sunny, crisp afternoon is the epitome of the autumn season, in my opinion. Of course, fall in Florida is not as magical as some other states, but the vibe is immaculate, nonetheless. Last year, we took Bebe to a pumpkin patch dressed as Ursula from The Little Mermaid, and it was super cute.
Visit a corn maze. I’ve never actually done this before, but I want to. I think it would be a lot of fun trying to navigate a corn maze and apparently, some corn maze sites also have pumpkin on the premises. So that would be two birds with one stone.
Throw a Halloween party at your house for close family and friends. The details of the party would be up to you, but if I was throwing a Halloween party, I would ask that everybody wears a costume to the party, I would make (or buy) spooky-themed foods, and there would be candy “stations” for kids to get candy. I’ve heard of families doing something similar to this, as a safer alternative to Trick-Or-Treating.
Have Halloween-themed movie nights (kid-friendly). There are so many nostalgic Disney Halloween movies that I love that would fit this description. Think Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Under Wraps (1997 version), The Haunted Mansion, Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire, The Scream Team, etc. My fellow millennial moms will know exactly what I’m talking about.
Roast some pumpkin seeds. I can’t think of anything that brings me back to childhood more than roasting pumpkin seeds after carving a cute/spooky pumpkin. I think we only did this a handful of times when I was a kid, but I remember loving it each time. The pumpkin seeds are delicious and it’s something the family can do together. Google “pumpkin seed recipes” if you want to spice things up.
Have a family pumpkin carving contest. Just like #5, carving pumpkins is a Halloween must. If your children are old enough to not hurt themselves while carving a pumpkin, holding a contest would be a really fun idea, assuming your family doesn’t consist of sore losers. If your child(ren) is too small, just forget about the contest component and carve their pumpkin for them, in whatever way they want. They won’t forget it. Personally, I would like to make a Taylor Swift pumpkin this year. If I do, I will gladly share the outcome with you all.
Make candy apples. If you want an alternative to pumpkin seeds, this would be it. Or, maybe do both! Candy apples are delicious and there are so many variations of them that you can make.
Visit a “haunted house” or something along those lines, if you think your kids won’t be too scared. This one is out for us - obviously, our toddler is too small, and our teenager would end up making us leave early anyhow. But if they ever want to do this in the future, I would jump on it.
Go Trick-Or-Treating. Honestly, I don’t see a lot of Trick-Or-Treating these days, sadly. But, I know some neighborhoods still go all out, which attracts people from outside of the neighborhood, too. If you feel comfortable with Trick-Or-Treating, I believe it’s a tradition worth carrying on. I Trick-Or-Treated until I was 17 years old and have no regrets about it.
Take a hayride. When the weather gets a little cooler and drier, I would love to take my family on a hayride… it’s a really unique experience, especially if you live in Central Florida. The time outside can boost your mood and allow you to experience some beautiful scenery.
XOXO, Alexis.