Are you looking for some awesome ways to spend Halloween with your toddler this year? It may be just around the corner but there’s still plenty of time to organize a fun-packed day for you and your little one.
Figuring out what to do with a toddler to celebrate the spooky holiday isn’t always easy. Their bedtime means they’re often in bed before trick or treating starts and they’re too young to join in with many of the spooky festivities. So, what can you do with a toddler at Halloween? Here, you’ll discover 10 great ideas you can try out.
1. Carve Or Decorate Pumpkins
Pumpkin carving is the number one Halloween activity for kids. However, you may find your toddler gets a little freaked out by the scary carvings! So, instead of going down the traditional Halloween themed carving route, why not try something a little different?
You’ll find lots of inspiration online through sites such as Pinterest. There are literally hundreds of pumpkin carving tutorials you can follow, many specifically with toddlers in mind. From creating cute Disney character pumpkins, to creating funny faces – there’s an idea to suit everyone.
Alternatively, you could also choose to simply decorate the pumpkins rather than carve them. Again, lots of ideas can be found online to give you a little inspiration.
2. A Home Party
If you want to do something big for Halloween this year, why not consider throwing a home party? This can be done during the day, so it doesn’t mess up your toddler’s bedtime. You can invite all of their friends or invite your own friends and family to join in the fun.
With a party, you can decide how extravagant you want it to be. No matter what your budget, there’s a Halloween party theme to fit it. Consider serving up Halloween themed treats – just be careful not to give your toddler (and any other toddlers attending the party) too much sugar. The last thing you need is to be dealing with a group of hyperactive toddlers on Halloween!
3. Take Them To An Assisted Living Residence
OK, so this may not sound like an exciting way to spend Halloween with your toddler, but it’s a great way to teach them about helping others. There will likely be festivities planned for the day and your toddler will receive the additional benefit of meeting new people. This is great for their social skills and it’s also nice for the residents too, many of which may not usually receive visitors.
Just be sure to call ahead if you do plan on going to your local residence. Some may not accept visitors unannounced so it’s always better to check.
4. Look Out For Daytime Halloween Festivities
Waiting until after dark to celebrate Halloween with your toddler isn’t always practical. It could mess with their usual bedtime routine, which in turn can cause you days of sleepless nights. Plus, many toddlers get scared going trick or treating in the dark due to people dressing up in scary outfits. So, it’s a much better idea to look out for daytime Halloween activities instead.
Check your state to see what type of Halloween activities are on offer. Some even host Halloween themed parades, while community centers and libraries often have Halloween themed kids’ activities you and your toddler can partake in.
5. Create A Halloween Sensory Bin
A fun way to celebrate Halloween without leaving the house is to create a Halloween themed sensory bin. We’ve talked about the benefits of sensory bins for toddlers before, but this Halloween version is especially fun.
You don’t need too many things to get started. You can find instructions for a Halloween sensory bin here. What’s great about this idea is that it keeps your toddler occupied for ages, giving you plenty of opportunity to start dinner or take care of a few chores before the main festivities start.
6. Create A Halloween Keepsake
Halloween is a holiday people love to celebrate each year. So, why not help your toddler to create their own little keepsake? This can be brought out year after year, making it a great sentimental idea.
It could just be something simple like creating a paper pumpkin to represent each member of the family. These can be used as little ornaments and later laminated to keep forever. Of course, this is just one idea, but there’s hundreds of craft-based keepsakes you could create together.
7. Host A Halloween Photoshoot
Make Halloween extra-fun by hosting a special photoshoot. It’s likely your toddler isn’t going to want to stay in their Halloween outfit all day. In fact, it may not last more than an hour! So, it’s a good idea to capture the memories while you can.
You could turn it into a full family photoshoot, giving you adorable photos, you can look back on in years to come. Why not dress your toddler up in different outfits too to add to the fun?
8. Surprise Family Trick Or Treating
If you live quite a distance from family members, why not pay them a surprise visit? You can take your toddler trick or treating at their house and watch their surprised faces as they open the door. Obviously, if the relatives you plan on visiting have kids of their own, you might want to try and find out their plans before travelling for a surprise visit, otherwise you could be the one left surprised if nobody is home!
9. Create Halloween Cards
If your toddler isn’t really in a party mood, why not set them the task of creating a Halloween card? It’s not a traditional thing to do, but it will keep them busy, it’s a fun activity and it gives you something you can save as a memento. If you want to keep them extra busy, why not set them the task of creating cards for their friends or for every member of the family?
Obviously, you’re likely going to need to help them with this. You could cut out different Halloween themed shapes to stick onto the card, and your toddler could be in charge of decorating them.
10. Enjoy An Halloween Egg Hunt
Another great non-traditional idea is to organize a Halloween egg hunt. Just like at Easter, you could hide the eggs around the home, or the garden, ready for your toddler to find. All you’ll need is some hard-boiled eggs and you can decorate them by drawing spider webs and spiders on them. Your toddler will more than likely simply enjoy collecting the eggs, but you could also give them a reward if they manage to find all of the eggs you’ve hidden.
Conclusion
So, there you have it – 10 ideas to help you and your toddler celebrate Halloween this year. Whether you plan on trick or treating or staying indoors during the spooky holiday, there’s something above to suit you.
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