31 Last-Minute Ideas for the Best-Ever Halloween Party

Halloween is coming up quickly! Wouldn’t it be fun to plan a last-minute kids Halloween party? If you keep your preparations simple, you can do it! I’ve got you covered with simple kids’ activities, easy Halloween food ideas, last-minute decorations, and no-fuss invitations.
31 Last-Minute Ideas for the Best-Ever Halloween Party for Kids - activity, food, decoration and invitation ideas
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Kids Halloween Party Activities

Old fashioned ideas are sometimes the simplest.

1. You can’t go wrong with bobbing for apples (unless there’s a germophobe in your midst).

2. Dancing to the Monster Mash is lots of fun – especially if you turn it into a game.

Another classic, no-fuss activity is to let the kids show off their costumes.

3. Have a parade (for younger kids) …

4. … or a contest (for older kids). To keep a contest simple and low key, have the prize be a privilege like being first to get a cupcake. That way you don’t have to come up with another thing to have on hand.

5. Another classic activity – decorate pumpkins with stickers or washable paint.
31 Last-Minute Ideas for the Best-Ever Halloween Party for Kids

6. Hilarious giggles will ensue when you play a version of a toilet paper mummy activity like the one I found on Kids Activities Blog. Or, try a few of these eyeball games from Joy in the Works.

7. For your youngest guests, make a Halloween sensory bin, like this easy one from Happy Hooligans. If you have a fairly small group of kids, you could even try amazing them with My Bored Toddler’s fizzing Halloween sensory bin.
8. For a fun active game, you’ll love Monster Dice from Momma’s Fun World. To simplify the prep, you could just put her choices on a couple spinners instead.

9. Preschoolers might enjoy a Halloween book read-aloud, and then making a related craft. I love
this book suggestion and witch collage from Toddler Approved.

10. You might also like my non-spooky, easy craft for Kitten’s First Full Moon.
Consider simple ways to add a bit of Halloween to toys you already have. (Product links in this section are affiliate links.)

11. Put blocks or Lego bricks in a trick-or-treat bucket.

12. Line up a few plastic pumpkins for carrying toys around the room.

 13. Put cheap foam masks on stuffed animals.
14. Place battery powered tea lights in a darkened corner.
15. Set up your kids’ art area with Mini-stampers and some paper.
Finally, in case the ideas you pick don’t capture every child’s attention, or if a child needs some calm-down time, you could have one of these G Rated Halloween movies running in the background.



Kids Halloween Party Food

It’s fun looking at all the clever Halloween-themed food on Pinterest. But
if you’re looking for quick and easy ideas, then think carefully. Do you really
want to be making 20 of those little detailed treats?

Easy – Food as an Activity

Plan something that the kids can help decorate at the party! That way you’re knocking out an activity while the kids do the detailed work.

16. I love these spider cupcakes from Mum in the Madhouse –you can follow her instructions with store-bought ingredients.

17. Or you could let the kids construct their own monster cupcakes like these on the Jenny Evolution.

Easier – Quick Recipes

If you have a little more time, consider a few other simple options.
31 Last-Minute Ideas for the Best-Ever Halloween Party for Kids
18. You could throw together Halloween trail mix, like the one shown here from The House of Hendrix.
19. Or, get your kids crushing cookies for The Resourceful Mama’s  Pumpkin Patch Dirt Cake.
20. For a savory treat, check out The Joys of Boys easy way to make “mummypizza.”
21. Assuming you have someone to delegate dry-ice-fetching and chipping to, these Spooky Fog Drinks from the Kids Activities Blog are equally easy and amazing.

Easiest – Store Bought

 
There’s no shame in putting store-bought goodies out on a Halloween tablecloth and coordinating plates with a pumpkin or other decorative item. The kids will still have fun. Done!
If you want to make it a little more special, you can still keep your preparations fuss-free.
22. Fill a salad bowl full of candy and add a plastic skeleton hand. (affiliate)

23. Label regular food with Halloween names. Pretzel sticks can be witch’s fingers. Call donut holes “eyeballs”, and label salsa as “dragon blood”.  You can get even more ideas like these, plus these free printable Halloween snack labels from i heart arts n crafts.

24. Oh, and I just saw that Meaningful Mama has a free printable to make these spider guts labels for applesauce pouches! They look like they’d be quick to print and cut.

Decorating for a Kids Halloween Party

Lucky for you, most kids overlook decorations. You can easily keep it simple.
(Product links in this section are affiliate links.)

25. I like these paper garlands because they’re inexpensive and would be quick to hang.

26. Ditto with this awesome door cover.

27. Add some creepy cloth or stretch spider web, maybe hang some streamers and balloons, and you’re done.

28. If you have a little more time, this adorable Frankenwindow from Two-dalo is easier than it looks. Especially if you have small children who’d like a little craft project a few days before the party!

29. Another decoration the kids can help prepare is a set of fabric ghosts like this one from Tinkerlab.

Last Minute Kids Halloween Party Invitations

Once you have a general plan, go ahead and send out invitations. Grab some clever Halloween party invitation wording and share it on your social media or via email, or even on paper.
30. If you want to send via email, the easiest way to go is evite. They have lots of free kids Halloween party invitations to choose from, and you can get a link to send via email or your social media of choice. The whole process is intuitive and quick.

31. Another fuss-free option is a printable invitation.  Greetings Island (no affiliate) offers a wide selection of free printable Halloween party invitations. I tested one out, and easily modified it and downloaded the pdf.

Happy Halloween!

The most important thing is to have fun! Spend less time fussing and more time interacting with the kids and their parents. Because, more than anything, THAT is what will make it the best party ever. I wish you a safe and Happy Halloween!
31 Last-Minute Ideas for the Best-Ever Halloween Party for Kids - activity, food, decoration and invitation ideas

6 Comments

  6. My daughter has the book, "Kitten's First Full Moon," and she absolutely LOVES it. We won't be throwing a Halloween party this year, but I'm super excited about the book craft! Pinning this post, as you've offered some fantastic activities and ideas! #madeforkids

    Reply

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