Halloween Games

Halloween games for kids and adults

Whether you’re a teacher looking for holiday-related classroom games or a parent hoping to entertain your children on a rainy October day, Halloween games and activities offer fun for all ages.

The key to choosing a successful Halloween game or activity is finding something age-appropriate. This is especially important for children, who tend to get frustrated easily if a game is too hard yet grow bored quickly if it’s too easy. However, adults may also vary widely in knowledge and skill, so knowing your audience is the surest way to find a game or activity that will entertain them.

Halloween Games for Kids

Most children’s games and activities are associated with a particular level or age group (e.g., “preschoolers” or “ages 5 and up”), but these are merely guidelines based on traditional developmental stages. Before selecting any game or activity, read through the instructions and materials and make sure they are appropriate for your children’s particular knowledge and abilities.

The best Halloween games for kids tend to be ones that keep them active and on the move — young children get especially antsy when asked to sit still. Try a Halloween version of touch tag in which one child is given a cape and designated as the vampire. He or she must then try to “bite” (i.e., catch) the other children on the wrist to turn them into vampires. When a child is “bitten,” he or she takes the cape and becomes the vampire.

Another Halloween twist on an old favorite is musical cobwebs. Use white crayon or marker to draw cobwebs on large pieces of black construction paper, then spread these around the room. Have children walk from cobweb to cobweb while you play “Monster Mash” or other Halloween music. When the music stops, children must rush to the nearest cobweb. To keep kids from being eliminated, allow them to share cobwebs, but remove a cobweb each round so that at the end, all the kids must crowd onto one piece of paper.

Adult Halloween Games

It’s not just kids who can enjoy Halloween games! Adults, too, can add some spooky fun to their Halloween get-togethers. Halloween party games are a great way to break the ice and add a little structure to your Halloween party.

Like kids, adults can get frustrated if a game is too hard and bored if it’s too easy, but unlike kids, they have a broader range of knowledge and more developed skills on which to draw. Also, they can play more complex games and don’t usually mind sitting down for periods of time.

Some great adult Halloween games include horror movie trivia, in which guests divide into two or more teams and answer questions based on classic horror movies. Another variation is horror movie charades, in which members of a team act out scenes from the famous movies while their teammates try to guess.

If you want a game around which you can center your entire party, try hosting a murder mystery evening. Guests are given characters ahead of time and asked to dress up appropriately; then, someone is “murdered” at the party, and guests have to figure out “whodunit”. There are many versions available online and in stores. Just bear in mind that the game is meant to take precedence over other party activities, such as eating and socializing.

Other Halloween Activities

If you’re looking for things to do with a smaller group, or for ways to get out of the house for a while, look into local haunted houses or corn mazes you could visit. Get outside to make Halloween treats like candy apples or create a bunch of scary Halloween masks to hang on the door. And don’t forget about pumpkin carving — this traditional activity is great for families, and it’s sure to please!