Are your kids too cute to spook? If your little ones aren't ready to trick or treat, try these fun indoor Halloween activities that even the littlest pumpkins will adore.
Indoor Halloween Activities
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Play Hide the Bones
What You Need:
- plastic mini bones
- 1 small bucket for each player
- 1 watch
How to Play: Designate an area of the home or room to play in. Have the kids wait in another area or room while you hide the bones. Once hidden, give the kids three minutes to find as many bones as they can. The child with the most bones in their bucket gets to hide them for the next round.
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Play Scat the Cat Flannel Board Story
What You Need:
- felt board
- tag board
- glue
- assorted colors of felt (black, yellow, red, blue, green)
- pencil
- scissors
How to Play: Scat the Cat is the story of a black Halloween cat who was tired of looking like everyone else so he changed his colors. But when none of the other colors worked for him, he changed back to black, realizing it was the best color for him.
To tell the flannel board story trace and cut out different colored cats and glue them to tag board. Each time Scat changes colors, add a colored cat on top. Take them all off to return Scat to his original color.
This flannel board story can also be adapted to tell the story of Gary the Ghost.
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Decorate Halloween Cookies
What You Need:
- baked sugar cookies cut out into Halloween shapes
- frosting
- food coloring
- assorted sprinkles and candies
- plastic spoons or wooden craft sticks
What to Do: Fill several small cups or bowls with Halloween colored frosting. Stick a plastic spoon or wooden craft stick in each cup or bowl. Have the kids frost the cookies and top with Halloween colored sugars, Halloween-themed sprinkles and small chocolate candies.
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Read Halloween Stories
A great way to get kids involved is reading festive stories. Even if you've got really little ones, you can find Halloween stories that are more sweet than spooky.
Check out 5 not-spooky Halloween books for little kids here.
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Sing Halloween-Themed Songs and Play Finger Games
Even babies can get in on the Halloween fun! Sing these songs and play these finger games with your little pumpkin:
- I’m a Little Spider (to the tune of I’m a Little Tea Pot)
- Five Little Pumpkins Finger Play
- Bats are Sleeping (to the tune of Frere Jaques)
- I’m a Little Pumpkin (to the tune of I’m a Little Tea Pot)
- Halloween Haunt (to the tune of A Hunting We Will Go)
- Five Little Scarecrows Finger Play
- Three Little Witches (to the tune of 10 Little Indians)
- The Pumpkins are Here (to the tune of the Farmer in the Dell)
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Make Halloweeen Jigglers
What You Need:
- Halloween-themed plastic candy mold
- 1 box of orange-flavored gelatin
- 1 box of grape-flavored gelatin
What to Do: Spray the mold lightly with cooking spray, prepare gelatin as directed, pour into molds. Refrigerate for at least three hours. Pop them out when set, and serve up this festive treat!
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Paint Paper Plate Jack O' Lanterns
What You Need:
- paper plates
- glue sticks
- scissors
- orange paint
- paint brushes
- Black construction paper
What to Do: Have the kids each paint a paper plate orange. Cut triangles and half-moon shapes out of the black construction paper. Once the paint is dry, have the kids glue the cutouts onto their orange plates to create the jack-o-lantern face.
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Play Dress-Up Freeze Dance
What You Need:
- fun Halloween music
- music player
- costumes
What to Do: Get the kids dressed in their Halloween best for a Monster Mash of their very own. Gather everyone together and play your favorite Halloween song. When the music is paused, everyone must freeze until the music starts again.
