Halloweening During COVID
Halloween this year may look a lot different than usual and brings up new doubts when it comes to the health of ourselves and our children. Traditional candy swapping via multiple hands and crowded Halloween events may have to be skipped this year. But most of us still want our kids to enjoy the holiday, especially given all of this years stressors and changes. Here are some safe, socially distanced ideas to still ensure loads of fun for your kids (and all other Halloween lovers).
DECORATE YOUR HOUSE TO THE MAX
Decorate your house to the max this year and let your kids get involved! This is one way to make Halloween just as fun of a holiday as previous years. You can find lots of bargain deals for decorations at dollar stores, party stores, and online.
Or you can make your own decorations. Here are some DYI decoration ideas: https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/diy-halloween-decorations-and-desserts.html
HAVE A HALLOWEEN EGG HUNT
Easter doesn't have to be the only time of year for an egg hunt. You can buy Halloween-themed eggs (or recycle old Easter eggs) and fill them with candy and toys, hide them around the house, the yard, or both, and then let your kids go to town!
CREATE A HOME/NEIGHBORHOOD SCAVENGER HUNT
You can create a scavenger hunt adventure for your kid(s) to do at home or around the neighborhood. If you chose to do this around the neighborhood, you can skip picking up candy from your neighbors (and all the hand-to-hand exchanges) and instead offer your child a bag of candy as a prize at the end once they've found all the items on the hunt. Make sure your child wears their mask in case you find yourself in crowded trick-or-treating locations.
Here is a free simple scavenger hunt printout from USA Today where you can hide some items around the house or look for them around the neighborhood:
Here is a site where you can sign up to receive free clue cards for a Halloween scavenger hunt around the house:
Or you can make your own scavenger hunt by hiding things around the house and then giving your child a list to go hunting for. Or you can scan all the cool neighborhood decorations and create a scavenger hunt for your child based on what you find.
MAKE A NEW TRADITION/FAMILY NIGHT
You can make Halloween a new holiday for family fun and not just trick-or-treating. You can all carve pumpkins together, take turns going to town on a Halloween piñata (or a coronavirus piñata, yes that's a thing), have a Halloween movie marathon, a game night, or all of the above.
HOST A VIRTUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY/CONTEST
You can host a virtual Halloween costume party/contest, pumpkin carving contest, or Halloween cook-off/bake-off with your child and their friends (or with a group of adults). This way you still get to socialize and have lots of laughs and fun on Halloween while being safe.
HOST A VIRTUAL SCAVENGER HUNT
You can host a virtual scavenger hunt with your child and their friends or neighbors (or a group of adults). Here is a link on how to create a virtual scavenger hunt and where you can sign up to receive a free printout: https://www.playpartyplan.com/virtual-scavenger-hunt/
Or you can create your own list and make it Halloween-themed.
VISIT HALLOWEEN HOUSES
Talk to your neighbors and find out what houses in your local area went all out for Halloween with decorations. Take a field trip in your car with your kids to visit these houses and check out all the cool, spooky creations people have come up with (kind of like you would visit houses with Christmas decorations or a Christmas lights show)
DRIVE-THRU HAUNTED HOUSES/CARWASHES
For those kids (and adults) who like a good scare, opt for drive-thru haunted houses or carwashes rather than traditional haunted houses. This will allow you to maintain social distancing while still having some good Halloween fun. Search for options in your area.
VISIT A PUMPKIN PATCH
Visit a pumpkin patch for some fall fun and activities. Try to pick non-peak times and maybe even take a day off of work to do so. Depending on how busy the patch is, you and your child may still need to wear your masks and bring hand sanitizer.
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