Halloween: 14 “bloody” good ideas to celebrate with the family

1. Create a haunted mansion

Decorate your home with a variety of spooky items. Dangle spider webs from the walls or add an old telephone in the living room. You can also integrate old photos from the early 1900s to create a gloomy atmosphere. Add plastic spiders, skeletons or tombstones outside. Make these items yourself, or purchase them in major department stores.

2. Plan a horror movie night

Nothing says Halloween like watching a horror movie! You will obviously need to adapt your film to the age of your children. Dim the lights and crank up the volume for guaranteed shivers! Candy and popcorn are encouraged.

3. Go pumpkin picking

Take a stroll in a pumpkin patch. It’s a great outdoor family activity. Spend some time walking through the paths and pick a few orange squashes to decorate at home or incorporate into your recipes.

4. Decorate pumpkins together

You can decorate pumpkins using paint or markers. You can even carve witches or bats directly on them. There are specially designed tools to help you with this creative project.

5. Design your own costume

Nothing like creating your own creepy costume to help you stand out on Halloween night! Use old clothes that you haven’t worn in a long time and modify them to your liking. A trip to a second-hand clothing store won’t set you back much and help you add original items to your costume.

6. Hold a Halloween bingo night

Take out the old bingo game that’s been gathering dust in the closet and adapt it to a special Halloween version. Replace the numbers on the cards with Halloween images. When the photo of the pumpkin or ghost is drawn, complete a line to win.

7. Cook using fall flavours

Prepare a creative family dinner featuring Halloween as a theme. Mummified hot dogs served with a Halloween fruit punch containing gummy worms will surely please the kids.  For dessert, bake delicious pumpkin muffins or an apple pie. The internet is teeming with inspiring recipes. Of course, you should get the kids involved in planning dinner, too.

8. Build a pumpkin bowling game

To get some exercise in, create a lighted outdoor bowling lane. Knock down the pins using small pumpkins. You’ll soon understand why this game was meant to be played outdoors!

9. Play hide and seek in the dark

Once you’re in your costumes, turn off the house lights and play hide-and-seek in the dark. One person counts to 15 then must look for the other members of the family. You can add fluorescent lights to create a more festive mood.

10. Dress up your pets

Dress your kitty up as a ghost, or turn your pooch into a superhero! Let your imagination run wild and include your pet in the Halloween fun. Choose a theme for the night and include your four-legged companions.

11. Tell scary stories

Tell the story of someone who experienced bizarre events with ghosts. Some of these stories are based on true events and historical facts.  Have each family member take a turn telling an eerie tale that will send shivers down your spine. Dimming the lights is a must! Make sure you adjust the scare-meter according to your audience.

12. Find monsters

Hide drawings or plush toys of monsters, like Dracula, inside or outside of the house. The kids must find them and are rewarded with candy when they do.

13. Create Halloween placemats

If your little ones are the creative types, ask them to create their own Halloween placemats. They will love putting their creative minds to the test!

14. Embark on a haunted journey

Create a haunted path in your home or in the backyard and decorate it like a horror movie set. You can even turn it into an obstacle course to ramp up the excitement.

Happy Halloween to all!