Game ideas and activities for your Halloween party

If you want to keep it indoors this spooky season, check out these family friendly activities

Why Do We Carve, Pumpkins for Halloween?.Modern Halloween is derived fromthe Irish festival, “Samhain,’ which marksthe passage from summer into winter. .During the traditional bonfires of the festival, it was believed that evil spirits lurked in the surrounding shadows. .To ward off these evil spirits, rudimentaryfaces were carved into hollowed-out turnipsand placed in windows and alongside roads. .They also used the turniplanterns to light the way fortravelers and good spirits. .This Irish tradition was latercarried over to America byimmigrants in the mid-1800s.Pumpkins quickly became the staple for carving, as they wereabundantly available and theeasiest fruit to work with. .From there, pumpkins grew intoa multi-million dollar industry, withJohn Howden developing the idealcarving pumpkin in the 1960s. .The Howden pumpkin is the most popular Halloween pumpkin, as its thin flesh and shallow ribs make it perfect for carving.

The countdown to Halloween has kicked off.

If your spooky season plans involve a cozy night in, you may want to consider some Halloween-themed games. We’ve rounded up a few that the whole family will love.

Trunk or Treat

Whether you’re gearing up for a night on the town, having people over or staying in with the kids, trunk or treat is a great way to start off Halloween night. Decorate your trunk and allow trick or treaters the joy of seeing your creative designs while snagging some candy.

Scavenger Hunt

Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt? Halloween scavenger hunts are perfect for all ages — especially if there’s a prize to win at the end. Online shops like Etsy and Sunny Day Family have great print outs for $1.49. Or you can check out this DIY version on YouTube.

Pumpkin mini golf

This idea is a twofer. These pumpkins are great decorations, but they also serve as spooky mini golf holes. Set them up in your back yard or even around the house. You can buy pre-cut plastic pumpkins or carve them yourself.

Bingo!

Halloween Bingo will always be a hit. These free printable designs are perfect to get the party started. Kids can use their favorite candy as bingo chips, and be sure to have a prize at the end.

Halloween Bingo

Credit: Crazy little Projects

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Credit: Crazy little Projects

Cauldron Toss

A spooky play on beer pong, the cauldron toss includes mini cauldrons filled with your drink of choice and tiny candy pumpkins.

Cauldron Toss

Credit: Playground Parkbench

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Credit: Playground Parkbench

Mummy bowling

Any plastic bowling set can be transformed into a frightfully fun Halloween version of the game. You’ll just need some gauze bandages (or toilet paper) and some googly eyes.

If you want the pins without the work, Amazon sells their own version of monster pins for $25.99.