One of the first things to bear in mind is the age range that will be attending your party. Naturally, if you’re throwing a costume party for teenagers you can go all out with the spooky, creepy, and even gory decorations. However, if your party is for toddlers you’ll want to make the theme silly rather than scary. The last thing you want is sending the children home with nightmare fodder along with their goody bags! Although Halloween is often enough of a theme in itself, you could also narrow it down a bit by choosing a theme like ghosts and ghouls, enchanted animals, or zombies. Film and fantasy characters are always a good choice, and let you use that Lord of the Rings costume you’ve been saving.
Sending out Invitations
After you’ve chosen a date and a theme, you can get to work with the decorations. Although it’s often assumed that a Halloween party will also be a costume party, this isn’t always the case. You don’t want any children to feel left out if they’re the only ones showing up without a costume, so be sure to make the dress code and theme clear on your invites.
Decorate your Home
You can really go wild with the decorations for a kids’ Halloween party. Make this a family activity, getting little hands involved with making fun crafts. A Halloween party could also double as an autumnal-themed party, so think of using natural decorations like pumpkins of varying sizes and autumn leaf collages along with your cobwebs, spiders, and black cats.
Stock up on Tempting Treats
As Halloween is traditionally a holiday that’s just as much about the costumes and folklore as it is about the treats, you’ll naturally want to plan some great themed snacks for your party. You can keep it simple with black and orange cupcakes, or opt for more elaborate snacks served up in witch’s cauldrons or with graveyard and spiderweb embellishments. Eyeball cake pops, anyone?
Plan Activities
Finally, you can start planning the activities for your Halloween bash. This, like the overall theme, will depend on the age range attending your party. Bobbing for apples is a fun traditional party game, or you could try pinning the bandages on the mummy or following clues to find a ghost pirate treasure chest filled with prizes. And if you’re having a costume party, naturally it makes sense to hold a contest for best costume. You could make it the type of contest where everyone’s a winner, with prizes for “funniest costume” or “most realistic witch hat.” Above all, have fun with the theme and don’t be afraid to get creative!