Halloween in a pandemic is going to be….interesting. Heck, every day in a pandemic is interesting!
No one knows what we’re doing, but we’re still living life and moving forward, figuring it out one crazy day at a time, trying to make the best of things.
And, let’s be honest, we’ve all lost something this year…some lost family and friends, some jobs and homes, and all of us have lost our sense of freedom. We can’t go do whatever we want anymore, or eat wherever we want or even go into a place without a mask on. We have to follow more rules, and all for a good reason.
Thus we might not be able to do pumpkin patches or haunted houses or even trick-or-treating, or if we can, many of us still won’t. So, we gotta find something else to do to still have fun.
For our kids.
For ourselves.
For all of humanity.
Jk I’m sure there will still be people out there trick or treating as if their lives depend on it, but I’m one who is planning to be home with my little one doing other fun things.
So…what do we do???
We get up and find something else to do. We be an example for our kids about going with the punches. Even the gut-wrenching ones.
There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re missing out on fun and just sitting at home doing nothing at all. So, let’s do something!
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Be the most festive you’ve ever been.
When there are disappointments, put your all into something else and make it great. If you haven’t been big on dressing up or decorating in years past, this is the year to do it big!
Refocus your attention on what you CAN do, instead of what you can’t.
Here are some fun ideas for different age ranges:
Toddlers and young children:
1. Crafts, crafts, crafts!
Do them every day of October, or wait until Halloween to do a bunch and have it be a full day of creating things. Grab some on Amazon by clicking one of the pictures below:
2. Candy Scavenger hunt
Have a Halloween Hunt in your own backyard, or at a nearby park (if open and not crowded) and instead of hiding eggs with candy, hide candy, or even little bags of candy. You can do this inside the house, too!
3. Dress up for a drive
You could go for a fun drive all dressed up in costumes. Or maybe this year, your kiddo can get two costumes instead of just one, to add a little more fun to it.
4. Bake
Kids LOVE helping in the kitchen! Spend part of the day cooking, whether it’s yummy pies, pumpkin seeds, apple crisps, etc.
5. Carve pumpkins
Maybe this year wait until Halloween day to carve the pumpkins, to take up some time doing an activity.
6. Drive-by costume party
Treat it like a covid birthday and invite friends and family to drive by wearing their best costumes, and then go and drive by your kids’ friends’ costume drive-bys too! Try to schedule it at a certain time and cooperate with the other parents so each kid can feel the excitement of being seen by their friends and feeling special.
Related: Why It’s Important To Take Time For Yourself As A Mom
Older Kids and Teens
As kids get older, they often become more difficult to please, so maybe it would be best to ask for their input and see if they get excited about ideas of what to do. But surprises are fun, too.
1. See number six above this.
A drive by costume party would be fun for older kids, too!
2. Make your own “corn maze.”
This one may a little far fetched, but if you can do it, then do it! And of course, have the kids help!
If you already have a cornfield, then you have it easy!
If not, grab some cardboard and paint and create your own scenery and have a backyard maze to run through. Go to the nearest feed store and pick up a few barrels of hay (be careful, they are messy!) and make some scarecrows to go right on top.
3. Get LOTS of pumpkins
Buy more pumpkins than usual of all sizes (even the ugly ones) to set up a backyard pumpkin patch.
4. Go all out with decorations
Get Strobe lights and spider webs and make your home a haunted house for yourselves. Have each kid decorate a room and have a vote on whose was the scariest.
5. Binge the best Halloween Movies
Movie day all day! Watch all the favorites and have caramel corn and candied apples and all kinds of fun junk.
6. Bon Fire and ghost stories
What teen doesn’t like fire? And roast some marshmallows while you’re at it. I know I could eat s’mores everyday.
NOTE: Please be safe and responsible with fire. Get a fire pit here:
7. Play a murder mystery game
Or some kind of fun game to get smiles flowing.
I hope these ideas were able to help spark some fun in you for your kiddos.
And don’t forget to let your silliness out!
Just because we can’t do what we’re used to doesn’t mean that we can’t still give our kids a good time for a favorite holiday.
You got this, parents!
Best of luck and happy halloween!
Let me know which idea you like best in the comments below!
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