Everyone’s favorite spooky period is just around the corner… and you want to make the upcoming holiday exciting and really fun for all. Here are some amazing activities to do with your tiny tots, or the kids you’ re taking care of if you’re a babysitter or nanny, to celebrate the spookiest season; get ready for a lot of messy fun!
Carve and decorate pumpkins.
Pumpkin carving is a favourite activity for most kids and it can be a great family tradition. Pumpkin carving can be scary with ghosts and monsters, or a bit more fun with goofy faces and giant smiles. And if your to-do list is full, your babysitter or nanny can walk around the local pumpkin patch with the kids, and bring home a few pumpkins!
*extra tip: Cutting with a knife and toddlers just don’t go well together. But there are so many ways to decorate pumpkins – you can use some glitter glue, buttons and beads in order to create silly or spooky faces. You can also create bats, witches and ghosts!
Make some Halloween paper lanterns.
Lantern making is a fun and super easy crafting idea.
*extra tip: Instead of placing a candle inside your lantern, use a LED candle or a Christmas light string. You don’t have the fire risk, but you still get that flickering, festive result. Or you can paint your lantern with some glow-in-the-dark paint!
Prepare lots of Halloween snacks.
Cooking with children is always a recipe for fun. Spend time in the kitchen together preparing cupcakes with frightening faces on them, pumpkin bread or other Halloween recipes for kids.
*extra tip: Banana ghosts are a favourite Halloween hit – just take a banana, and use mini chocolate chips to add eyes, a nose and a mouth!
Explore the origins of this amazing, spooky holiday.
How much do your children really know about the origins and traditions associated with Halloween? You can read together some books and stories about the interesting history of this holiday. And you can always ask your babysitter or nanny to explain the Halloween spirit to your little ones with games or art projects.
*extra tip: Reading happy Halloween books can introduce toddlers to friendly ghosts, funny witches, and other cute, not-scary characters.
Decorate the children’s rooms.
Hang witches’ hats from the ceilings, put broomsticks on walls, use drawing and paintings that your little ones have created… If your kids are older than 5 years old, you can get a little spookier with monsters and mummies.
*extra tip: Orange and black are the most popular colours for Halloween decorations. But you can also use some deep purples or yellows.
Visit the London Zoo.
This Halloween, fearless young adventurers can enjoy a fantastic range of Halloween-themed activities, dress up as their favourite characters, make mysterious masks, and carve out creepy pumpkins. There’s enough to make everyone scream with delight!
*Location: Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY.
Enjoy a scary movie night.
There are plenty of not-too-scary Halloween movies that younger kids will love. Choose a good film, take some popcorn, and get ready to have a whale of a time!
Host a spooky soirée with Halloween games.
How about hosting a pumpkin-carving contest? Or playing a mummy game? Yes, some scraps of toilet paper can easily make the world’s easiest mummy! Just have your little guests race to see who can wrap their friends in toilet paper the fastest.
Go to the Science Museum.
The Science Museum is welcoming budding scientists to the “Little Lab of Horrors”! Children can take a look at some of the museum’s spookiest objects, investigate some scary science and have a hair-raising experience!
*Location: Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD.
Talk the kids’ nanny into this Halloween spirit mood! When you can’t be around, make sure they are enjoying a festive time together, full of out of the box activities! Alternatively, you can always find a trusted babysitter from Nannuka to spend creative “Halloween” time with the kids, crafting and performing tons of… spooktacular ideas!
Happy Halloween!