A must do! After all the guests have arrived, announce
the contest for the best costumes are about to begin. Hand out novelty
prizes for the best, most original, prettiest, scariest, best homemade,
funny, costume most likely to have been designed by aliens, costume that took
the least amount of effort, etc. The host reads out a category and the
guest's shout out who should win that prize. Majority rules. You could
also have a secret vote and have your guests put names in a hat or plastic
pumpkin. Prizes can be as simple as a blue ribbon or perhaps a Halloween candy.
Bobbing for Apples
A traditional harvest time game
Float apples in a large wash tub filled with water. The object of this game is
to grab one of the apples and remove it from the water without using your
hands. You must use only your mouth. This is a very messy, very wet, and very
fun game. It is even more challenging if the stems are removed from the apples.
Halloween
Word Scramble
An old parlor game.
This simple game can be played individually or in pairs. Give everyone paper and
pencil. How many words can be made using only the letters in
"Halloween" or "Trick or Treat"?
Musical Tombstones
A spooky variation on musical chairs, this Halloween game features creepy music
and participants that tote their own tombstones.
How to play:
Step 1: Give each child two sheets of gray paper that have been cut and
stapled into the shape of a tombstone. (Each stone should be large enough to fit
over the back of a folding chair.) Hand out markers, glue sticks, sparkles,
scissors, construction paper and--if you've had the time--paper cutouts of
Halloween creatures. Have the partiers decorate their stones with creepy
drawings and silly epitaphs ("Here Lies John Blake, Hit the Gas Instead of
the Brake...").
Step 2: Follow the usual rules for musical chairs, except have your
players carry their tombstones as they circle around the seats. When you stop
the music, everyone rushes to find a chair. The player left without one is out
of the game; he starts the graveyard, putting his tombstone over the back of an
extra chair set to the side and sitting down. The game continues, with you
removing a chair at the start of each round, until one child is left sitting
with her unused tombstone and everyone else is in the graveyard.
Sound Charades
Hone your hearing skills in a fun auditory contest with a few friends willing to
lend an ear.
How to play:
Step 1: Begin by writing the names of a variety of noisemaking items
(such as a blender, a car engine, a squeaky door, a lawn mower, or a barking
dog) on small pieces of paper, then put the papers in a hat or basket.
Step 2: Select one person to go first. He draws a slip of paper, takes a
look at the word he has selected, and begins making sounds associated with that
item. For example, if the paper he drew read "Telephone," he might
start making ringing noises or mimicking a busy signal.
Step 3: The other players try to guess what the item is, with the first
person to answer correctly leading off the next round.
Eye-Witness You
In this contest, keen observation wins the game.
How to Play:
Step 1: Divide into two teams (A and B). A-team members leave the room
and must switch various items of clothing or accessories with one another, then
return to the game room.
Step 2: B-team members have five minutes to try to guess all of the
switches that have been made. Add up how many items B-team members guessed
correctly. Then let the B team have a turn to switch and let the A team
eye-witness what's different.
Step 3: The team to get the most correct answers in five minutes wins.
