25+ Ways to Scare Up Some Halloween Fun

Get ready for Halloween fun with crafts, treats and games that will keep kids busy all month.

Create a mini ghost garland by tying tissues or cheesecloth squares over mini Styrofoam balls; add eyes and string for hanging. Find directions at jennakateathome.com.

Get in the fall spirit by visiting a pumpkin patch, where you can choose the perfect pumpkin to carve, or get lost in a corn maze. Check out Atlanta Parent’s list of Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes Near Atlanta.

Make easy monster cupcakes! Spread green frosting on the tops of chocolate cupcakes, flattening the top with a spatula. Add chocolate sprinkles for hair. Place candy eyes and chocolate chip “bolts” on the side of each cupcake. Find directions on hersheyland.com.

Decorate with spooky paper lanterns: Embellish orange, black and white paper lanterns (find online or at your local party store) with eyes, noses and mouths cut from black paper to create pumpkins, witches and ghosts.

Replace candy giveaways with treats kids love: balloons, rubber creepy-crawlies, sidewalk chalk, mini yoyos or puzzles.

For a Halloween treasure hunt, hide small toys or candy throughout your house or outdoors. Give kids a map or a list of clues for finding the location of each one.

Bring on the board games! Solve a whodunnit with a game of Clue Junior, 5-Minute Mystery or Crack the Code. Available on amazon.com for $14.99+.

Make handprint spiders by having kids dip their hand into a shallow tray of washable black paint and pressing it on a paper plate. Press another handprint in the opposite direction to make eight legs. Glue on two (or more!) googly eyes. Check out 2pawsdesigns.com for full instructions.

Swap scary stories. Read an age-appropriate spooky book together, or challenge your kids to create their own tales, then read them aloud to the family.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a crunchy, tasty snack! Rinse well and toss them with two tbs. melted butter or oil and salt to taste. Roast on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Make a tasty witches’ brew by mixing orange soda, ginger ale, pineapple juice, pour into cups and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream – find the full recipe at thegingeredwhisk.com.

Set up a spider race using straws and plastic spiders. Kids compete to be the first to blow their spider to the finish line.

Go bobbing for doughnuts – use ribbon or string to hang doughnuts from tree branches, and challenge kids to snag one without using their hands. First to finish theirs wins!

Light up your porch with painted jar luminaries from craftsbyamanda.com. Paint the outside of mason jars with a light layer of acrylic paint; let dry and add jack-o-lantern features with a permanent marker. Add battery-operated lights and enjoy!

Go reverse trick-or-treating by taking candy or treats to a local retirement home (ask permission first) or have the kids make cards to give to older neighbors or relatives.

To make Monster Rice Krispies Treats, cut a pan of basic treats into rectangles, then insert a wooden stick. Dip the treats in Wilton Candy Melts and place on parchment paper. Add candy eyeballs and let harden. Find the complete recipe at theidearoom.net.

Replace your porch light bulb with an orange or red one and play spooky music from a hidden speaker to create a creepy welcome for trick-or-treaters. Find great playlists on your favorite music app.

Have fun with fizzy pumpkins! Place baking soda and food coloring inside hollowed-out mini pumpkins. Add vinegar and watch the fun! Find instructions on science-sparks.com.

Cut headstones from cardboard or Styrofoam and decorate with paint to make your yard extra-creepy.

Make painted fingerprint pumpkins! Cut a pumpkin shape from contact paper and press it onto a canvas. Let your young artist fill in the space with fingerprints, then peel away the contact paper. Find full instructions at onelittleproject.com.

Add a bit of spooky décor to your house by cutting ghostly shapes from frosted window film and placing in the windows. Or cut pieces of contact paper with jagged edges to resemble broken windows.

Play a game of ghostly bean bag toss: Cut a large ghost shape from white foamcore or heavy cardboard. Cut out eyes, nose and mouth shapes; players compete to score the most points.

Make a platter of Marshmallow Bones! Use melted white chocolate to stick two mini-marshmallows on the ends of a pretzel stick, then dip in the white chocolate to coat. Kellyleighcreates.com has full instructions.

Create a kid-friendly charcuterie board: Use cookie cutters to create deli meat and cheese bats and ghosts. Add crackers, a few sweets and “pumpkins” – press a small piece of celery into the tops of peeled clementines.

The candy guessing game never goes out of style: Fill a clear container with candy corn, Halloween M&Ms or other small candies, and challenge kids or party guests to guess the quantity.

For a quick and easy easy mummy trick-or-treat carrier, wrap a plastic sand pail with strips cut from an old sheet and glue in place, then add oversize googly eyes.

To create monster stick puppets, flatten a cupcake liner and glue it to a piece of cardstock, then trim out the circular cupcake liner. Cut details from colored construction paper and glue them onto the liner to make a face and body. Glue a craft stick to the back. Find full instructions at: iheartcraftythings.com.

Make sparkly monster slime in an array of Halloween colors using glitter glue and liquid starch (available in the laundry section of most grocers). Find full instructions at theidearoom.net.

Door decorations make a statement! Some of these websites feature instructions on how to make your own, or let them inspire your creativity. Get inspiration at eastcoastcreativeblog.com, homejelly.com and homemadeheather.com.