Vagaluz's tips for making this Halloween extra special for children

For children, Halloween is filled with magic and fun. Indeed, Halloween can form a big part of our childhood and our memories of childhood later in life. At Vagaluz, we would like to give you some tips on how to make this Halloween extra special for your child.

Don't miss out on all our ideas for a happy Halloween!

Make Halloween decorations with your children 

Halloween does not just need to be about the 31^st October. Decorating our homes is one way we can start the Halloween celebrations. Although we can easily buy decorations, making Halloween crafts is a great way to spend time with our children. A couple of fun ideas are to make spiders out of children’s hand prints or witches out of paper plates. Older children could crochet a spider’s web, or knit a simple pumpkin. For younger children or those who have limited time, simply drawing or colouring Halloween pictures will brighten up your home and entertain your children. Of course, we must not forget about carving a pumpkin but, if you would like a pumpkin that will last much longer than a few days, why not consider buying a plastic one which has a light in it or a ceramic one which you can put a candle in?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Enjoy being outdoors with your children at Halloween

With all its vibrant colours, autumn is a great time for children to get outdoors and appreciate nature. In October there are a number of Halloween-related outdoor events. Why not have a look at all the Halloween events organised by the National Trust (if you’re in Scotland, have a look at the National Trust for Scotland) to find an event near you? The National Trusts have set up some fantastically spooky activities in beautiful surroundings. For instance, at some properties, you can dress your child in his or her Halloween costume and take him or her on a pumpkin trail. There are also walks teaching adults and children about bats or owls, pumpkin carving events, trails through ancient homes and Halloween crafts, to name but a few of the Halloween adventures that will delight children and parents alike.

Host a fun Halloween party for your children

If you are reluctant to take your children trick-or-treating in the cold, you could host a Halloween party instead. Games like bobbing for apples or wrap the mummy (have children use toilet paper to wrap another child) are bound to be a hit. You can also give traditional party games a Halloween theme. For example, pin the tail on the donkey can be adapted to pin the wart on the witch! Musical statues can be transformed into musical monsters. Children will dance to music but when the music stops, they must freeze but in a scary, monster pose. Those who do not manage to stay still have to leave the dance floor. The last monster standing is the winner.

Children will love the gruesomeness of a Halloween box. Simply cut a hole in a box, big enough for a child’s hand to fit in but small enough so that no one can see inside. Fill the box with different foods or household items and tell children that they must put their hand in the box and guess what body parts are inside. You can let your imagination run riot, but some suggestions for the contents of the box are wet tortillas for skin, dried apricots for ears, peeled grapes for eyes, a peeled tomato for a heart and steamed cauliflower for brains!

After all the excitement, one way to end the party and calm the children is to have them sit on the floor, lower the lighting and tell them some age-appropriate spooky stories. Party bags with some ghoulish delights can then be distributed.

We all want our children to have fun at Halloween. We hope that these ideas will inspire you and help you to make Halloween a very special time for your child. Whatever you do to celebrate the witching season, we wish you a Happy Halloween!