5 Halloween Activities for Kids

Whether you and your kids will be staying home because of nasty weather or the pandemic, here are five halloween ac-tives for kids to make the spookiest night of the year less scary…but every bit as fun as usual!

Fishing for Candy

Of all the fun things to do with kids at Halloween, this cool game manages to incorporate two of your favorites: fishing and candy! If you’re looking for original halloween activities at home, sit on the sofa with your kids and cast out onto the floor for sweet fun size treats using just a few sticks from the yard, a bit of string, tiny magnets, and metal paper clips that you’ll push through pieces of wrapped Halloween candy. You’ll love to taste your fresh catch of the day, just like when out on the water! And speaking of, be sure to pack some candy for your fall boating adventures!

Bake Halloween Candy Cookies

You’ve probably already bought candy, and probably too much of it too. One of the most delicious halloween activities at home is to turn those surplus sweets into Halloween candy cookies by stuffing fun size Snickers or mini peanut butter cups into your favorite cookie batter recipe. Once baked, you and your kids will have a new way to taste and celebrate Halloween.

Halloween Candy Scavenger Hunt

Why should the Easter Bunny get all the scavenger hunt glory? This year, stay safe at home and play a halloween candy hunt. Have each kid pick their favorite candy and then, using only those brands/bars, hide ten of each inside and out. The first kiddo to find all of their candies wins and gets to eat as much as they want (okay, maybe not, but reward the winner with an extra piece of Halloween candy!) Here are more indoor activities for kids who love the great outdoors.

Pumpkin Stress Balls

If you’re looking for Halloween activities for kids that will pay dividends long after the candy has been eaten, make pumpkin stress balls! When hybrid/online school lessons gets to be too much for parent and child alike this fall, squeeze cute jack-o-lantern stress balls made from orange balloons with triangular eyes and teeth drawn on with a black marker, and filled with corn kernels.

Room by Room Trick or Treating

If October 31 is a total bust this year, move the trick or treating indoors. Setting up a candy station inside each door of your home and having your adorable costumed kiddos parade through the house, knocking on doors, and collecting their candy (have different choices at each door to mimic the diverse haul they’d normally get from the various homes outside) is one of the most fun things to do with kids at Halloween, and the next best thing to traditional trick or treating.

Discover more fun things to do on weekends in the fall with your kids!


Jeff Bogle

Jeff Bogle

Jeff is a dad of teen daughters, avid traveler, photographer, and freelance writer. He’s penned stories on family travel, outdoor recreation, the environment, parenting, and more for Fodor’s, Reader’s Digest, Parents Magazine, Good Housekeeping, PBS, and Esquire, among other publications. Find him on his blog, OWTK.com and on Instagram @OWTK. Jeff is also the publisher of the quarterly literary zine, Stanchion