A printed Halloween Bingo card or I Spy sheet costs only ink and paper, while Apple Bobbing needs a large metal tub and a stack of towels, so the youngest child at the party should decide which games get played.
Quiet seated games like Halloween Bingo, I Spy and the Monster Memory Game suit toddlers, while the Can Knockdown, Pumpkin Throw and Witch Hat Ring Toss suit older kids who need to run and throw.
Mixing one calm game with one active game keeps the energy from peaking too soon.
Toilet paper, pumpkins and plastic cups do most of the work in between, and a taped throwing line can move closer or farther back for each age.
1. Halloween Scavenger Hunt
A printed checklist with small icons works better than a word list for the youngest hunters, since a pre-reader can match a picture without help. Hand one sheet to each child, or one per team if the ages are mixed.
Keep the list short and the items easy to spot at kid height.
2. Halloween Bingo
Bingo is the game I pick when the party needs a calm stretch between the loud ones. Halloween cards with picture squares let kids who can’t read yet play on equal footing with the older ones.
Candy corn or small treats make cheap markers, and the winners can eat them afterward. Print a few extra cards so nobody ends up sharing.
3. Pumpkin Decorating
Painting beats carving for a group of kids, because no one needs a knife and the table stays clean enough to leave outdoors. A "pumpkin bar" lets each child pick their own supplies: paint, brushes, sequins and other craft extras.
Cover the table first. A plastic or paper cloth under the spiderweb one keeps paint off it, and a small pumpkin per child keeps cost down and gives everyone something to carry home.
4. Mummy Wrap
Toilet paper is about the cheapest party supply there is, and a mummy wrap uses a lot of it. Split kids into pairs or teams, give each wrapper a roll, and let the wrapped partner stand still as the "mummy."
Play outside on grass, where scraps blow away less and cleanup is a rake. Decide up front whether the face stays uncovered; I would, so the mummy can breathe and see.
5. Apple Bobbing
Apple bobbing is the classic, and a large metal tub is the right vessel: wide enough for several apples and sturdy enough to lean on.
A big tub or bucket works, filled with enough water that the apples bob freely at the top.
Hands stay tucked behind the back, so the only way to claim an apple is with your teeth.
Lay towels around the tub, because splashing is guaranteed. Give kids who dislike getting their faces wet another game to join instead.
6. Witch Hat Ring Toss
A board of witch hats gives kids several targets to aim at, and that is plenty for a ring toss. Set the board on a flat surface, mark a throwing line, and let each child toss a few rings.
I like assigning different points to each hat, with the back hats worth more. Move the line closer for little ones and farther back for older kids so the same board works for every age.
7. Donuts on a String
Hands-free eating makes this one a giggle machine, and the setup costs almost nothing: glazed donuts tied to a string, hung at roughly each child’s mouth height.
Kids keep their hands behind their backs and go at it with their teeth alone.
Hang the string where a skeleton or other decoration can share the scene. Glaze gets sticky, so keep wipes nearby, and let the youngest play first while their faces are still clean.
8. Freaky Halloween Feel Box
A black box with holes cut in the sides, "SCARY BOX" and a skull on the front, turns guessing into a sensory game. Each child reaches in through a hole and names what the fingers find, with no peeking.
Fill it with items that feel creepy but are harmless.
Give kids a few seconds per guess so the line keeps moving, and offer a turn-taking rule so nobody grabs ahead. Kids who dislike the idea of unseen items can describe what they feel aloud instead.
9. Halloween I Spy Game
Quiet play is the selling point of a printed I Spy sheet, and a candy-themed one earns its place on a party table. Kids hunt for the sweets and treats pictured on the page and mark what they find.
Print one per child on regular paper and set out pencils or crayons.
I would hand these out while the last guests arrive or while food is being set up, since the sheet needs no explanation and no supervision. Cost is just ink and paper.
10. Halloween Laser Maze
A hallway crisscrossed with silver tape makes a laser maze that kids crawl and step through, and orange flags tied along the web add a Halloween touch. Tape strung wall to wall at different heights is all it takes.
Peel-off painter’s tape is gentler on walls than strong adhesive.
Send kids through one at a time and time the runs to turn it into a contest. Keep the web wide enough for the biggest child, and loosen it for toddlers.
11. Pumpkin Throw Carnival Game
Tossing an orange fuzzy ball at hula hoops laid on the floor is carnival play at its simplest. Hoops act as targets, and a hand-lettered sign makes the corner feel like a real booth.
Put a throwing line down with tape and give each child 3 turns.
Fuzzy balls are soft, so they’re gentler on a living room than a hard ball. I would give different hoops different point values, then hand a small prize to everyone.
12. Halloween Tabletop Bowling
Plastic cups painted or wrapped in orange and black stand in for bowling pins, and a dining table becomes the lane. Stack them in a triangle at one end and roll a ball down from the other.
Cups reset in seconds, which keeps lines short.
Set a cardboard box behind the pins to catch stray balls and stop the cups rolling off the table. Teens and older kids like keeping score, so let them run the tally themselves.
13. DIY Eyeball Toss Game
A black board with cups fixed to its face is all this game needs, and plush eyeballs are a softer choice than hard balls for tossing indoors.
Lettering the title across the top makes it read as a real carnival stand.
Put a strip of painter’s tape on the floor about 6 feet from the target, and let each kid throw 3 times per turn.
I would match cup colors to point values, so the orange cups score differently from the green ones. Squishy eyeballs bounce out, so a small child can stand closer.
14. Toilet Paper Roll to Pumpkins
Racing a toilet paper roll across a table toward a row of pumpkin buckets turns a cheap supply into a relay. Each child unrolls the paper toward a bucket while the others cheer.
Set the buckets at the far end and decide what counts as a win: the first to reach one, or the longest unbroken strip.
A kitchen table works fine. Keep a spare roll or two, since paper tears and kids will want a second go.
15. Halloween Monster Memory Game
Matching pairs is a quiet game, and Halloween cards (one of them stamped "RIP") give it a theme without extra work. Lay the cards face down on a grid, and each player flips two, hoping for a match.
I would keep the grid small for younger kids, since fewer cards means quicker wins.
Print the cards on sturdy paper so they don’t curl. Older kids can play in teams, which keeps the table calm.
16. Halloween Monster Can Knockdown
Tin cans painted as monsters make a carnival knockdown that costs almost nothing. Paint each can in a different color, add faces, and stand three in a white box like a booth.
Throw soft balls from a taped line, and let each toppled monster score a point.
A box with a back and sides keeps stray throws from scattering. Stack the cans in a pyramid for a harder round with older kids.
17. Pumpkin Ring Toss
Real pumpkins scattered across a lawn make better targets than a fixed board, because a ring has to land over a stem. Colorful plastic hula hoops serve as the rings, so there is nothing to buy but the pumpkins.
Mix large and small ones and give the small pumpkins higher scores.
Play on grass, where a missed hoop lands softly. Tape or mark a line, and move it back for the oldest kids.
18. Halloween Table Balloon Game
Foam tube lanes running across a table toward buckets turn balloons into a rolling race. Pumpkin buckets filled with balloons sit on either side, ready to grab.
Each player sends a balloon down a lane, and a bucket at the end catches it. I would play it as a family game, with adults helping smaller children.
Balloons drift, so a table with a lip or low edge helps. Blow up spares before guests arrive.
Tips for Organizing Games
Age range decides more than any other factor, so sort games by the youngest child present.
A toddler and a school-age kid rarely enjoy the same rules, and the easiest fix is to run one game with two difficulty levels rather than two separate games.
Plan the order, too. Alternate a loud, running game with a seated one so energy rises and falls instead of peaking right after the first game.
Pick 4 or 5 games for a typical party and keep a spare in your back pocket. Overplanning leaves no room for kids to wander off and play on their own, which they will do anyway.
Set out simple rules in one sentence each and demonstrate them yourself before the first turn. Children follow a quick demonstration better than a spoken list.
Materials Needed
Most of what these games need is already in a craft drawer or a grocery run: balloons, toilet paper, pumpkins, paint, brushes, googly eyes, glue, pipe cleaners, gems, glitter, sequins and stickers.
Mini pumpkins are my pick for decorating. They cost less, take less time to finish than carving, and a child can carry one home.
Another option is to ask each guest to bring a pumpkin while you supply the craft items. That trims your shopping list, though I would buy a few extras for anyone who forgets.
Black construction paper, string and tiny clothespins make a bat garland in one sitting.
For the bats, I print one stencil, trace it onto black paper, cut out as many as the string will hold, and clip them on in a row.
Buy the materials a week ahead and gather them in one box, so party day is setup only.
If your family is already in the Halloween spirit, it can be hard to wait until October 31. So, between prepping costumes, carving pumpkins, and crafting decorations, try playing some new PBS KIDS games!
— PBS
Safety Considerations
Assign one adult to each activity, not one adult to the whole party. A person who is watching 3 games is not really watching any of them.
Walk the play area before guests arrive. Move breakables, check that floors are dry and clear a path to the door.
Read the room on food. Ask parents about allergies in advance, and keep any treat used as a game prize or marker in its wrapper until a parent says it is fine.
Knives and open flames stay out of children’s hands. If you carve pumpkins, an adult does the cutting while kids draw the faces and scoop.
Keep a basic first aid kit within reach, and let any child sit out a game without explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What games do you play on Halloween?
Bobbing for apples, Halloween bingo and pumpkin decorating are the classics.
A big metal tub filled deep enough for apples to bob freely sets up the classic dunking game, and a bingo card with pictures instead of words lets pre-readers play next to the older kids.
Painting pumpkins is easier than carving because nobody needs a knife.
What are some spooky games for kids?
Mummy wrap is a good one: split kids into pairs or teams, give each wrapper a roll of toilet paper, and let the partner stand still as the mummy.
Grass is the better surface, since scraps of paper drift off less, and I’d keep the mummy’s face bare so breathing and seeing stay easy.
A feel box also works for a creepy mood: kids reach through a hole in a black box and name what they touch, using harmless items that only feel eerie.
What are some fun Halloween party games for kids to play indoors?
Tabletop bowling, a hallway laser maze and a monster memory game all work well inside.
Silver painter’s tape run from wall to wall at mixed heights makes a fine laser maze, and it peels off paint far more gently than strong adhesive tape.
What is a good Halloween game for a group with mixed ages?
Pick games you can adjust, such as a ring toss or eyeball toss where the throwing line moves.
Build the plan around the youngest kid in the room, and give one game two difficulty levels rather than packing in two separate games.
How many Halloween games should I plan for a kids’ party?
Plan 4 or 5 games and keep one spare in reserve. A packed game schedule also leaves kids no free time to drift off and invent their own play.
