What could be more fun for a classroom or church youth group than a spooky Halloween party? While the whole point of All Hallows’ Eve is to have fun getting scared out of our minds, your party planning doesn’t need to be a scary proposition.
In fact, there are tons of great church and school Halloween party ideas available online, from food to games, costumes to door prizes… and so much more. We’ve gone searching for some cool ideas to get your imagination flowing, and we encourage you to explore them yourself. So sit back and scroll through this fun list of party ideas so good, they’re scary!
Plan ahead
Before jumping into any specific party ideas, let’s just take a quick second to discuss the need for good planning.
Any kind of event involving a sizable group of people requires careful planning, organization, and attention to detail. When most of the guests are going to be kids, planning becomes even more important because Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong will go wrong) is always in full effect when young ones are involved.
As you peruse these ideas and come up with scores of your own, take the time to make a checklist and make sure it includes the basics - like recipe ingredients, costume elements, supplies for door prizes, etc. - but also details about what actions need to be taken when, who is responsible to handle them, and how they’re being paid for and arranged.
Delegation is also an important aspect of planning a group event for a school classroom or church group, since trying to take it all on yourself is begging for either burnout or for things being forgotten.
So, once you’ve got your notebook or favorite note taking app ready, let’s start making that list!
Halloween party ideas: Fun
While every party is bound to have an apple-bobbing bucket somewhere, there are actually loads of fun and creative activities to choose from to entertain your little monsters. Here are a just a few out of the incredible list we were able to scrape up from just a few basic Google searches:
- Here are 25 Halloween game and contest ideas that are cheap and easy to put together, and would be great for young kids. If none of those strike your fancy, search for “Halloween party games” and set aside a few hours to get lost in.
- Or, if you want to go really old-school, search online for retro party ideas from the turn of the century. (Warning: your great grandparents were kind of weird…)
- How about some scary movies? Of course, with kids in attendance, you don’t want to make them too scary, so how about Monster’s Inc., Hotel Transylvania, or the old standby classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown? Or, for a slightly older crowd (13+) you could go with some great non-R-rated scarefests like Beetlejuice, Jurassic Park, Jaws, or just about anything by M. Night Shyamalan.
- Set up one or two craft tables with the necessary supplies to make themed crafts. Search online for “Halloween craft ideas” to get you started, but let your imagination go wild!
- Another great option at the craft tables, or as a gift for everyone at the party, is themed coloring books. Bonus tip: you can even order Halloween coloring books with a custom imprint on the back to thank the school, church, or group sponsoring the party!
- Speaking of gifts, how about some cool door prizes and giveaways as rewards for winning certain games, or just part of a grab bag of candy and toys every attendee receives? customizable jack-o-lantern squeezable stress balls make super fun giveaways, and can even be incorporated into “toss” games. For after-dark fun, personalized orange foam Lumiton batons make fun party glow sticks for magical sword fights!
Halloween party ideas: Safety
While you want your party to be fun above all, a wise party planner always ensures safety as well, especially with children involved. Here are some important points to consider, and ideas to help the kids stay safe while they’re out trick-or-treating:
- From pumpkin carving to trick-or-treating, take some time to review basic safety tips and casually make them a topic of conversation at the party.
- To help keep the kids thinking along the lines of safety, consider handing out these personalized Halloween safety coloring books at your party.
Halloween party ideas: Costumes
Most kids already have their costume picked out, probably even months in advance. So chances are pretty good you won’t need to worry about this vital aspect of the festivities.
However, if you want to try something unique and fun, you could set up a Costume Factory at your party, letting the kids create their own costumes on the spot!
- Work with one or more local consignment shops, Goodwill stores, or shelters to borrow a supply of children’s clothes and accessories for the day. Have parents bring in hand-me-downs too.
- Add in a generous supply of crafty odds and ends that can be added to the clothes, face, or hair to customize them even more. Just make sure everything you gather is non-toxic, water soluble, and safe for fabrics.
- As the kids arrive, let them loose on the piles of random clothes and watch hilarity ensue!
You can always offer up some creative suggestions on the spot, too, for kids having a difficult time deciding what to wear.
Halloween party ideas: Food
While candy and sweets is what comes to mind first when we think about eating on Halloween, there’s going to be plenty of that happening that night when little ghosts and goblins head out to trick-or-treat in the local neighborhood.
For your party at school or church, try to keep the menu a little more on the healthy and balanced side. Rather than focusing exclusively on desserts and candy, check out some of these unique and creative recipe ideas that the kids are sure to enjoy:
Adding an element of shock and awe to your table can be hilarious for kids at your party. Below, you’ll find some sources of incredible, tasty, recipes that are designed to gross you out. Of course, it doesn’t all have to be monstrous fun. Some more traditional snacks, appetizers, and meal options that celebrate both the autumn and Halloween can add plenty of substance to your menu.
- Here’s a list of 21 halloween snacks, appetizers, drinks, and dessert options that look like spiders, severed fingers, ghosts, and worm-infested slime.
- Just about anything you can make that looks like or is made with pumpkin, haystacks, or fall-themed ingredients works well.
- A simple Google search for “Halloween recipes” will turn up hundreds of options ranging from Eyeball Tacos to Yoda Soda - most of these fun and nutritious ideas are super simple to make. Bonus tip: Maybe you can even involve the kids and their parents in preparing them?
Of course, your basic chips and dip, veggie trays, sandwiches or pizza can work just as well if you’ve got plenty of other party ideas to work with.
Without a doubt, a well-planned Halloween party can be fun and memorable for your whole school or church youth group. Get started planning now so you can relax and have fun the day of your party!
