COVID-Friendly Halloween Without Any Compromises
October 22, 2021
For those who follow our blog, you know I love all holidays and go all out! This time of year is truly my favorite, and I always take the extra steps to make sure each and every holiday is amazingly special for our kiddos. I look forward to creating the best memories. Last year, we kept things safe with some fun social distancing games and at-home events for Halloween, and we may just keep some of the fun things we loved as annual traditions!
I wanted to create a Halloween party that embraced the fun and excitement of Halloween with no compromises on the excitement and the experience due to COVID.
So today, I’m walking you through our Halloween events last year. We ensured the safest, best, and most amazing time, without sacrificing and compromising for our kids. But all of these fun events can become part of a regular annual Halloween event!
Keeping Halloween Safe in COVID Times
Many neighborhoods canceled trick or treating last year for safety and health reasons. To solve this dilemma, we created a mock “trick or treating” event for our own kids. With the Delta variant hanging around, it may be a good idea for some families to continue being cautious.
Last year, our kids walked down the street as usual to go trick or treating. The parents had costumes and took turns running ahead of the crew and to set up stations on the sidewalk in front of our neighborhood houses. We handed out treats and had some Halloween fun!
It does seem like a lot of extra work, but we did not want our kids to feel they missed out on the best part of Halloween. Luckily, our kids are young, so one street with 6 houses was a really good run!
But the Halloween festivities didn’t stop there for us! We made our way back to our house for some more Halloween fun – and we would love to continue this tradition for years to come!
Social Distancing Games for Halloween
After our kids had their mock “trick or treating” experience, we went back to our home for dinner and some other Halloween activities and fun.
So this is where we got creative with how to make COVID Halloween one our kids would not forget.
Each parent was assigned two doors in the house…bathroom doors, bedrooms doors, laundry door, etc….you get the idea. We were responsible for decorating the exterior of the door, and providing a treat for the kids.
I asked everyone to go the extra mile and come up with a fun trick or activity to do behind the door. So our kids ran around the house, knocking on the doors. The parents were behind the doors to give out a Halloween treat.
We were all so excited to pull off this fun Halloween event!
Here are some fun social distancing games we had behind the doors for the kids to engage in.
1. Spider Web Maze
We had an oversized spider web maze that the kids climbed through to get to the treat. You can also use regular rope or even toilet paper to create the maze. Don’t forget the fun decorative spiders to hang on the web.
We also decorated with these fun glow stick spider jars we made! They were SO easy to make, and they make a really big impact for a spooky evening of Halloween fun!
2. Apple Bobbing
A classic game, yet a Halloween activity that has lost its popularity over the years! Well, we brought it back! For COVID-friendly apple bobbing, provide each kid with a separate bucket of apples.
3. Halloween Cookie Decorating
Behind one door, we set up a table with Halloween cookies and decorating supplies. You can really let the kids use their imaginations and create some fun and spooky Halloween cookies. Provide some pictures of ideas they can use to help get their Halloween creativity juices flowing.
4. A Good Old Halloween Scare
Come on parents! This is your time to go all out. Dress up in a scary Halloween costume and jump out when the kids knock on your door. If you do not want to dress up, scare them with some ghosts or ghouls. Be creative!
5. A Haunted House (or Room)
If you are feeling very ambitious, decorate the room as a haunted house. Make sure to play some haunted music and have the kids walk through the room to get to their treat.
6. What’s in the Spooky Bucket?
Again a classic that is losing its popularity! Blindfold the kids and have them place their hands in the buckets to guess what is inside. Use pasta for worms, grapes for eyeballs, etc…You get the idea! This activity is fun and silly for all!
7. Haunted Movie Theater Night
To conclude our special Halloween night, we set up our own movie theater on the lawn with tons of blankets and pillows. Of course, we featured a Halloween kids movie.
This is a good time to let the kids indulge in all their fun treats while celebrating Halloween.
Safe Trick-or-Treating Tips
The main goal is to have fun and stay safe. So if you are trick-or-treating (or giving out candy) this year, stay safe with these tips:
- Wear a Mask – Remember, superheroes wear masks and save lives!
- Get Creative – Throw candy from a safe distance, set up a fun candy station with pre-filled cups or bags, provide a hand sanitizing station, create a fun hide-and-seek or scavenger hunt type candy game in your yard. The possibilities really are endless, so have fun with it!
- Kids’ Choice – If you feel it’s just not possible for you to go out safely, let your kids pick out their favorite candy to have at home.
Final Thoughts on Social Distancing Games for Halloween
There are so many ideas to make this Halloween special, despite COVID. Pinterest is great for inspiration. Have fun, and bring back some childhood memories while you create some for your kids.
Your party can be as extravagant or as simple as you want. The idea is to celebrate and create some happiness.
The pandemic has robbed us and our kids of so many fun traditions and routines. Let’s make sure we all have a fun, memorable holiday while being safe and healthy.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
