Keep
it simple and keep it safe! Having a group of
children in your house can be like inviting a tornado
inside, so some extra safety
precautions need to be made with children in mind. Constant
adult supervision is an important key. Never leave the
kids unsupervised and never try to hold a children's Halloween
party alone. Always have at least one or two other responsible
adults helping out. Never use real lit candles or other
fire related decorations at a children's party.
Child-proof the entire area of all potential hazards where the children will be.
Party favors, toys and gifts should be rated safe for
the age group of the children invited.
Decide
on a date and time for your children's Halloween party.
Needless to say, if held on a week night, the party will
have to be after school. While an adult Halloween party
can go all night, a children's party should be limited
to two or three hours. A
written agenda of all the activities you will be having is very important.
Below is a very basic list:
You
and your child should greet every guest as they
arrive
Hand out Halloween party favors or goodie bags to
each child
Show the kids the treat table and let them make
their selections
Watch "Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" on
television
Let the kids start and finish a simple Halloween related
craft project
Play an age appropriate Halloween game and hand out
prizes
End the party at the appointed time and thank your
guests as they leave
In
addition to invitations, permission
slips from the parents are very important and should include:
Permission for their child to attend the party
Your telephone number and street address
The date and start/end time of the party
If the kids are required to wear costumes
The guests parents telephone number and street address
If their child has any allergies or takes medication
Blank space to any other important information
Decorations,
props and the like should have a fright level suitable
to the age of the children. Keep it toned down for young
children.
Entertainment -
Children tend to be more interested in games and
actives than they are in having social conversations. We like
to include a simple Halloween craft project, like
decorating their own trick or treat bags, so that the
kids will have something to take home with them. Avoid
projects that require scissors or other sharp tools, or
you can pre-cut any items that need cutting. Don't make the game or
other activities overly complex, difficult or time
consuming for the kids.
Computer
printed Halloween coloring books are a great choice.
There's plenty of spooky clipart available on the
Internet that you can download and print from your
computer. All you have to do is pre-print one set for each child and provide
colored pencils or crayons.
A fun
activity for the kids is to use a plain orange or purple
paper
tablecloth that can be
written on and some colored pencils or crayons to doodle
with. The kids can draw pictures of Halloween related
symbols such as pumpkins, bats, spiders, ghosts, etc.
They can also play a word game writing down spooky
words. You can even make it a contest for them.
For a
great selection of Halloween party games visit
Halloween Games 101. If you
have a contest of any kind, be sure that every child
gets a prize of some type.
Planning
a children's Halloween party can be a lot of fun, but there
some extra steps that should be taken to help make it
successful. The first mistake many parents make when
planning their children's Halloween party is that they tend
to forget that the party is for their child, and not for the
parent.