Skip to content

Top Navigation

Parents Parents
  • GETTING PREGNANT
  • PREGNANCY
  • BABY NAMES
  • BABY
  • TODDLER
  • BIG KID
  • FUN
  • HEALTH
  • PARENTING
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAY
  • News & Trends
  • Raising the Future
  • OUR MAGAZINES
  • Podcasts
  • Kindred
  • MORE

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Pin FB

Explore Parents

Parents Parents
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 22 Chore Ideas for Every Type of Kid

      22 Chore Ideas for Every Type of Kid

      Find a chore your kid loves to do, and start a habit of wanting to help out that'll last a lifetime. Read More Next
    • Top 5 Mom Friend Problems—And How to Fix Them

      Top 5 Mom Friend Problems—And How to Fix Them

      Parenting is so much easier with good pals. Learn to overcome friendship hurdles and bond with women who get you. Read More Next
    • How to Sleep Train Toddlers and Big Kids

      How to Sleep Train Toddlers and Big Kids

      Do you struggle to put your kiddo to bed—or keep them there? Read on to find out how to sleep train toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids. Read More Next
  • GETTING PREGNANT

    GETTING PREGNANT

    See All GETTING PREGNANT
    Your Chances of Getting Pregnant, During Every Phase of Your Cycle

    Your Chances of Getting Pregnant, During Every Phase of Your Cycle

    When sex coincides with your most fertile days, your chances of getting pregnant increase. Get to know each phase of your cycle to help you conceive (or avoid) a pregnancy.
    • Ovulation
    • Reproductive Age
    • Maximizing Your Fertility
    • Pre-Pregnancy Health
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Dealing With Infertility
    • Genetics
  • PREGNANCY

    PREGNANCY

    See All PREGNANCY
    9 Signs That Labor Is Approaching

    9 Signs That Labor Is Approaching

    Anxiously awaiting your baby’s arrival? Learn to recognize the signs of approaching labor, which signal that your little one might make an appearance soon.
    • Signs of Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Week-by-Week
    • Giving Birth
    • Labor & Delivery
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Complications
    • Fetal Development
    • Gender Prediction
    • Baby Showers
  • BABY NAMES

    BABY NAMES

    See All BABY NAMES
    These Baby Names Are Predicted to Be Popular in 2022

    These Baby Names Are Predicted to Be Popular in 2022

    From Bridgerton to travel destinations, learn what's inspiring the baby name trends of 2022.
    • Baby Girl Names
    • Most Popular Names
    • Names by Origin
    • Twin Names
    • Baby Boy Names
    • Names by Religion
    • Celebrity Baby Names
  • BABY

    BABY

    See All BABY
    How to Decode Your Baby's Cough

    How to Decode Your Baby's Cough

    Caring for a baby with a wet or dry cough? Listen for wheezing, hacking, or barking first, then read on to find out what's normal and when it's time to worry.
    • Newborn Care
    • Crying Baby
    • Health
    • Baby Development
    • Safety
    • Gear
    • Breastfeeding
    • Diapers
    • Sleep Issues
    • Feeding
    • Nursery
  • TODDLER

    TODDLER

    See All TODDLER
    • Preschool Activities
    • Behavior & Discipline
    • Toddler Development
    • Milestones
    • Potty Training
    • Starting School
    • Health
    • Safety
    • Childcare
  • BIG KID

    BIG KID

    See All BIG KID
    How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents

    How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents

    Mean kids aren't just a middle-school problem. The trouble has trickled to the youngest grades. Learn how to spot it—and how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school.
    • Education
    • Health
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Bullying & School Problems
    • Child Development
    • Safety
    • Manners & Responsibility
  • FUN

    FUN

    See All FUN
    17 Budget-Friendly Kids' Birthday Party Ideas

    17 Budget-Friendly Kids' Birthday Party Ideas

    A fun celebration doesn't need to cost a pretty penny. Throw a memorable bash with these clever cost-cutting kids' birthday party ideas.
    • Birthdays
    • Indoor Activities
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Printable Coloring Pages
    • Kids' Entertainment
    • Best Toys
    • Holidays
    • Family Vacation Ideas
  • HEALTH

    HEALTH

    See All HEALTH
    All About Coronavirus COVID-19: A Concerned Parent's Guide

    All About Coronavirus COVID-19: A Concerned Parent's Guide

    Here’s everything you need to know about the disease that originated in Wuhan, China.
    • ADD & ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Autism
    • Cold & Flu
    • Coronavirus and COVID-19
    • Cough
    • Down Syndrome
    • Emergency Aid
    • Fever
    • Medication & Vitamins
    • Obesity
    • Rashes
    • Stomach Aches
    • Vaccines
  • PARENTING

    PARENTING

    See All PARENTING
    The Stay at Home Guide for Parents

    The Stay at Home Guide for Parents

    Everything you need to thrive at home as a family.
    • Positive Parenting
    • Parenting Style
    • Celebrity Parents
    • Family Dynamics
    • Divorce
    • Home
    • Adoption
    • Just for Mom
    • Money
    • Toy Recalls
    • Stroller Recalls
    • Moms Run the World
    • The Stay at Home Guide
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    • Family Recipes
    • Baby Food
    • Toddler Finger Food Recipes
    • Hints & Tips
    • Healthy Eating
    • Birthdays
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Meals
    • Food For Pregnant Women
  • HOLIDAY

    HOLIDAY

    See All HOLIDAY
    44 Fun Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids, Preschoolers, and Toddlers

    44 Fun Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids, Preschoolers, and Toddlers

    Spend an afternoon making these Valentine's Day cards, decorations, and edible projects. Bonus: Each one can double as a homemade gift for someone special!
    • Christmas
    • New Year's
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
  • News & Trends
  • Raising the Future
  • OUR MAGAZINES

    OUR MAGAZINES

    See All OUR MAGAZINES
    • Parents
    • Parents Latina
    • Ser Padres
  • Podcasts

    Podcasts

    • We Are Family Podcast
    • That New Mom Life Podcast
    • Pregnancy Confidential Podcast
  • Kindred
  • MORE

    MORE

    • Newsletters
    • Contests
    • #ParentsIRL
    • Adulting
    • First Year Playbook
    • Celebrate Your Way

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Family Life
  3. Holiday
  4. Halloween
  5. Parties
  6. How to Throw a Halloween Block Party

How to Throw a Halloween Block Party

By Taryn Mohrman,  Amanda Kingloff and Amanda Kingloff and Taryn Mohrman October 22, 2013
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Halloween decor
Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Before you take your little ones trick-or-treating, throw them a frightful backyard Halloween party with our fun and spooky ideas for eats, treats, and games!

Start Slideshow

1 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The Kids Are All Fright!

Invite the neighborhood kids over for a pre-trick-or-treating Halloween bash! Encourage the kids to come dressed in their costume so they can head out to go collect their candy together!

  • Shop baby and kids' Halloween costumes

1 of 19

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Invitation: Eye-Catching Card

Lure guests to your Halloween party using our eerie invite! Glue different-size googly eyes onto the front of black bifold cards, write a quick message inside, and deliver to guests before the bash.

2 of 19

3 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Craft: How To Make No-Carve Mummy and Bat Pumpkins

Pumpkin carving can get pretty messy. Here's a fun, no-carve way to craft mummy and bat pumkins.

3 of 19

Advertisement

4 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Decor: Paper Lantern Pumpkins

Hang orange paper-lantern pumpkins on the ends of shepherd's hooks to guide guests down the pathway to the party.

4 of 19

5 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Game: Mystery Bowls

Fill separate bowls with baggies of pudding, cold pasta, and peeled grapes, then cover each bowl with black felt and place bowls on a table. Have kids take turns closing their eyes and sticking their hands into the bowls to feel the different "body parts" in each one.Tip: Take pictures of kids' expressions as they reach into the bowls; send them as party favors after the night is over!

  • Shop Halloween decor 20% off or more

5 of 19

6 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Game: Bone-a-fied Scavenger Hunt

Paint a bunch of large dog bones white and one orange, then hide them around the backyard. Start a timer and send kids out to find the bones. The child who finds the orange doggy treat wins a special prize, but be sure to give the rest of the kids a Halloween treat for looking!

6 of 19

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Game: Build a Haunted House

Have party guests build their own mini haunted houses out of leftover cardboard boxes. Wrap a few big boxes in black paper and create windows, doors, and a roof with yellow sticky notes. Turn it into a contest to see which team can make the tallest house!

  • Click here to buy black paper from Discount School Supply.

7 of 19

8 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Game: Ghostly Bowling

Put a spooky spin on backyard bowling with these tricks. Wrap a black basketball in gauze and add large googly eyes. Dress up recycled soda bottles like ghosts by gluing white batting to the top of each bottle lid. Kids can take turns rolling the ball into the "ghosts" to score points.

8 of 19

9 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Decor: Going Batty

Cut pieces of wide black florist ribbon about 10 inches long and make a knot in the center of each piece. Attach adhesive googly eyes to each side of the knot and attach to a piece of wire.

  • Find the Halloween decorations you need

9 of 19

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Decor: A Spooky Street Sign

Use black paint to write Halloween-theme street names such as Witch Way, Goblin's Gorge, and Pumpkin Place on pieces of scrap wood, then nail the pieces at various angles to a 5-foot-tall garden stake. Stick the stake in the ground or into a large planter.

10 of 19

11 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Decor: Boo Brooms

Make your own letter stencils using contact paper. Adhere them to the flat surface of the broom's bristles, then fill in with orange spray paint. Lean the finished brooms against the fence in your front yard for a playfully scary message.

11 of 19

12 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Decor: Pumpkin Dress-Up

These decorated pumpkins are simply smashing! To create some "pumpkin people" of your own, stack two to four pumpkins and press a 3/4-inch dowel through the center. Raid your child's costume and crafts bins for accessories you can use to glue or pin to your pumpkin people.

12 of 19

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Game: Balancing Act

Challenge trick-or-treaters to walk the plank without falling into the spider swamp! Lay a 2x4-inch wooden board over layers of tulle and cheese cloth. Let kids practice tip-toeing across one at a time to avoid the "swamp" below them.

To make the swamp: Toss a handful of oversize spiders, made from painted foam balls and chenille stems, onto the ground near the plank. The more spiders there are, the ickier the whole thing looks!

13 of 19

14 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Food: Apple Monsters

Dress up your apples using various candies to look silly or frightful for Halloween. Cut a wedge from each apple as the mouth, then give fall's favorite fruit a Halloween makeover!

14 of 19

15 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Food: Creepy Chili

For an easy dinner dish that's fun and filling, float a piece of bat of spider-shaped cheese on top of a kid-size serving of your favorite chili recipe.

15 of 19

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Food: Halloween Veggies

Kids will forget they're eating good-for-you foods with this healthy tip! Arrange cauliflower, carrots, and yellow peppers in the shape of a candy corn and serve with a side of hummus in a pumpkin dish. Don't be afraid to dig in yourself!

16 of 19

17 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Food: Ghostly Hot Cocoa

For a warm dessert, dress up guests' hot chocolate with a tiny swirl of whipped cream. Add candy eyes and a Junior Mint mouth for a ghostly feel!

17 of 19

18 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Craft: Trick-or Treat Bag

Download a spooky tree image and type Trick-or-Treat or another fun Halloween message into the frame. Print the picture onto iron-on transfer paper, and transfer it to both sides of a simple canvas tote. This easy craft can help you distinguish your kid's bag from her friends'!

18 of 19

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 19

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Halloween Cupcakes

Easy witch and Spider cupcakes the kids can help make.

19 of 19

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Taryn Mohrman,  Amanda Kingloff and Amanda Kingloff and Taryn Mohrman

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 19 The Kids Are All Fright!
    2 of 19 Halloween Invitation: Eye-Catching Card
    3 of 19 Halloween Craft: How To Make No-Carve Mummy and Bat Pumpkins
    4 of 19 Halloween Decor: Paper Lantern Pumpkins
    5 of 19 Halloween Game: Mystery Bowls
    6 of 19 Halloween Game: Bone-a-fied Scavenger Hunt
    7 of 19 Halloween Game: Build a Haunted House
    8 of 19 Halloween Game: Ghostly Bowling
    9 of 19 Halloween Decor: Going Batty
    10 of 19 Halloween Decor: A Spooky Street Sign
    11 of 19 Halloween Decor: Boo Brooms
    12 of 19 Halloween Decor: Pumpkin Dress-Up
    13 of 19 Halloween Game: Balancing Act
    14 of 19 Halloween Food: Apple Monsters
    15 of 19 Halloween Food: Creepy Chili
    16 of 19 Halloween Food: Halloween Veggies
    17 of 19 Halloween Food: Ghostly Hot Cocoa
    18 of 19 Halloween Craft: Trick-or Treat Bag
    19 of 19 Halloween Cupcakes

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Parents

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • From Our Sponsors this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithParents.com is part of the Parents Network. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Parents. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.parents.com

    Sign in

    View image

    How to Throw a Halloween Block Party
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.