19 Easy and Fun Halloween Activities for Families

Inside: Celebrate the spookiest time of year with these 19 simple, fun Halloween activities the whole family can enjoy during the month of October.

Do you feel excited for Halloween or “booing” with dread (sorry, had to go for the pun).

Or maybe you feel caught in-between, where you want to have fun and make it special for your family but don’t want to overdo, overthink or overspend. I hear you!

Holidays, even the “low-key” ones like Halloween, can bring about a bit of stress and that’s the last thing you need. You want to provide ways your family can celebrate and have fun without pressure to do the Pinterest-worthy decor and complicated plans.

The 19 Halloween activities below can be done in the space of one evening or all October long. These ideas are in the spirit of simple, good old fashioned family fun that cost little to nothing!

Fun Halloween Activities for Families

Pumpkin carving

The easiest, least expensive way to have some Halloween fun as a family? Carve pumpkins together. No special tools required (although they can be helpful). Grab an old tablecloth or newspapers, set up a table in your backyard or in your garage (this can get messy) and, carefully, design and carve. A sharp knife and a little bit of creativity go a long way for this traditional Halloween project.

Put together a Halloween puzzle

Working on a puzzle together is such an enriching family activity and a great pastime. A 500-1000 piece puzzle is a good number for a group, as family members or guests come and go, they can all help out. Set the puzzle up on a table where it won’t be disturbed and it’ll be completed in no time — a family accomplishment everyone can be proud of (check out this spooky fun “scary portraits” 500 piece puzzle).

Read Halloween books

There are tons of scary (and cute) Halloween books kids can enjoy. A visit to your local library is the best way to stock up on holiday-themed books. Consider a book exchange with friends if you want to swap books while having a Halloween gathering.

Create Halloween art

Channel your inner artist and have everyone contribute to your very own, family-made art book. Use printable coloring pages or enjoy a free art lesson by Art for Kids Hub or a directed drawing by Deep Space Sparkle, two awesome art resources.

Decorate the house

Create a spooky vibe at home with simple Halloween decorations such as posters, banners, and candles. Let kids in on the action by allowing them to put up something in their bedrooms such as pumpkin, bat, or ghost battery-operated string lights from Amazon.

Get cozy with Halloween-themed blankets

Gift each family member a soft, cozy Halloween throw blanket to use for their beds or on the sofa for movie night.

Assemble a haunted gingerbread house

Not just for Christmas gingerbread houses anymore, edible house kits can be done during Halloween too. This is a fun Halloween activity for the whole family to enjoy. They are often available at Trader Joe’s, Target, or your local grocery store chain.

Tip: Use a hot glue gun for the main pieces and icing for the decor. Eating the house pieces usually isn’t very tasty anyways!

Use an old box to create a haunted house

Grab some stickers, markers, and tape and have the kids design their own haunted house with an unused medium to large size box. I recently had a delivery and saved the box for just this purpose. Use cotton balls and tissue for ghosts and battery-operated tea lights for ambiance.

Bake and decorate cookies

This is another winter holiday tradition that is fun for Halloween too. Sugar cookies work best for decorating or you can buy decorating kits from the grocery if you don’t want to purchase all the extra icing, etc. separately.

Boo your neighbors

This has become a fun idea in recent years when neighbors “Boo!” each other with surprise goody bags on their doorstep. Use a small basket or Halloween gift bag, fill it with candy, a baking kit, stickers, a fall-scented candle, mini water bottles (or wine :), etc. and drop on your neighbor’s front door.

Here are cute free printables from The Spruce to use for your Boo Basket.

Wear Halloween pajamas

Not just for Christmas, gift the kids cute Halloween PJs for extra bedtime fun this time of year. Cozy up for family movie night or outdoor stories wearing festive sleepwear.

Have a family movie night

Cuddle up with your blankets and popcorn for one of the coziest fun Halloween activities: family movie night.

Family-friendly Halloween movie titles

• Casper
• Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest
• Disney’s Zombies
• Hotel Transylvania
• The Addam’s Family (2019)
• The Book of Life
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Toy Story of Terror

Tell spooky stories

Grab a flashlight and blankets and gather around an outdoor fire to swap kid-friendly spooky stories. Make up your own or have a round table story share (everyone takes a turn adding to the story). If you don’t have an outdoor option, sit on the living room floor with blankets, pillows, and candles.

Need some story inspiration? Here’s a roundup of shareable campfire stories from the Kampgrounds of America (KOA) blog.

Host a Halloween scavenger hunt

Set up an indoor or outdoor scavenger hunt. Check out Sunny Day Family for an easy, ready-to-go Halloween scavenger hunt with printable clues.

Play a Halloween music mix

Get the party started with my curated spooky playlist!

Take a family neighborhood walk

A fun Halloween activity the whole family can do (the dog too) is simply taking a walk. Go at night to take in your neighbors’ Jack O’ Lanterns and spooky decor.

Do a Halloween craft

There are tons of craft options out there. Colored paper, stencils and stickers can be all you need or get a little more sophisticated with Made With Happy adorable Halloween projects for kids.

Check out a pop-up Halloween store together

At least two or three Halloween stores pop up during the month of October where we live. Spirit Halloween is one with locations nationwide. Have fun checking out the over-the-top decorations and tons of costume ideas for adults and kids. Warning for kids who scare easily!

Visit a pumpkin patch

The most classic fun Halloween activity of all — a visit to the pumpkin patch. Even in the hot October weather we can have here in San Diego, everyone loves to pick pumpkins and drink apple cider at a local farm. If you have true fall weather for this activity — I’m jealous!

My hope for you is that Halloween is fun and (maybe just a little) spooky without any stress to make it over the top. Treats, laughs, and family time is all you need to celebrate this time of year.