Looking to spend more time with your child creating memories that will last a lifetime? Get into the Halloween spirit this year and team up with your child to complete a number of fun activities from Halloween baking, costume making and game playing. Make midterm break a week to remember with our list of fun Halloween activities for kids (and adults) to enjoy. 

1. Make a DIY Halloween costume 

If you have time to spare, creating a homemade Halloween costume with your child is a great way to bond and get creative. Think back to Halloween when you were a child - almost every costume was homemade and involved a black bin bag! 

Brainstorm with your child about what costume they would like to wear. Consider their favourite characters from books and TV as a starting point and just go with it. You don’t have to be a master dressmaker to make a costume, products such as wonder web mean you  don’t even have to  use a sewing needle. 

2. Carve a pumpkin

Pumpkin carving is a time-honoured tradition. Pay a visit to your local pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin together. Carving kits are readily available from supermarkets and are much safer and easier to use than a knife. Search online for a printable pumpkin carving stencils or draw your own design directly on it. 

Don’t want the mess of carving? Paint the pumpkins instead. Get creative with it! Here are some pumpkin carving stencils to get you inspired. 

3. Do some Halloween baking

Baking is a great way to bond with your child - it’s a skill that they can pass on to their children in years to come. It’s also great because you get to eat your delicious creations! If baking isn’t your strong point or you’re limited with kitchen space etc. there are many home baking kits available to make things a little easier. 

Decorate cupcakes with blood-red icing, use an icing pen to draw spiders on biscuits, put green food colouring in your cake mix and use almonds to look like witches’ nails. The worse your creations look, the better! Get more Halloween baking ideas here. 

4. Make Halloween crafts and decorations

You’d be surprised at how many household items can be transformed into Halloween decorations. Loo rolls can become bats and napkins can become spooky ghosts. Orange and black paper can be used to make a Halloween themed chain and egg cartons can be used to make bat decorations. Googly eyes can be added to almost anything!

Here are some Halloween craft ideas to choose from. 

5. Make candy apples for trick-or-treaters 

Candy apples are so easy to make and promise to be a hit with your trick-or-treaters. Use lollipop sticks to dip the apples in melted chocolate and then decorate with sprinkles, marshmallows and whatever else you fancy. Let the chocolate dry and then wrap the apples in greaseproof paper and tie with a Halloween ribbon. The kids will love them!

6. Have a Halloween movie night

Bring the cinema to your home and host a Halloween movie night. Fill the sitting room with blankets, pop some microwave popcorn and get cosy with your favourite Halloween movie. Has your child seen Halloween classics like ‘Hocus Pocus’, ‘Halloween Town’ and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’? Turn off all the lights for the full effect. 

There are lots of child friendly Halloween movies. Here’s a list of some of the best. 

7. Learn about Irish Halloween traditions

Did you know that Halloween began in Ireland in the form of a Celtic festival called Samhain? Samhain marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter and celebrated the lives of the dead. As the years have gone by there are many Irish Halloween traditions that are still celebrated today. Such as:

• Eating Colcannon
  
  Colcannon is a dish made  with mashed potatoes, curly kale and spring onion. Traditionally a coin would be hidden within the dish and is kept by the person who finds it on their plate.
  
  
• Eating barnbrack
  
  Barnbrack is a delicious fruitcake made with raisins and sultanas. Traditionally a piece of rag, a ring and a coin are placed in the cake. As the cake is served among the family there’s great excitement to see who’s slice contains one of the items. The rag symbolises bad finances, the ring symbolises romance and the coin symbolises prosperity.
  
  
• Telling ghost stories
  
  Tales of the banshee and other Irish mythical creatures are best told at Halloween time. Check out your local library or children’s centre to find a storytelling session near you. 

There are lots of fun Irish Halloween traditions to enjoy and teach your child about. 

8. Go bobbing for apples

Believe it or not, bobbing for apples also began in Ireland! This hilarious game is so simple to set up. Fill a basin up to the top with water and place a dozen apples in the water. Each person playing the game must try to bite an apple while keeping their hands behind their back. It’s not as easy as you’d think. Successful apple-bobbers can be rewarded with everyone’s favourite Halloween currency of sweets. 

9. Make your own slime

In the 90’s pogs were the big thing, then it was Pokémon and now it’s slime. Kids can’t get enough of it. Making your own slime is the perfect gooey and gross Halloween activity. There are lots of different recipes to follow, colours to choose and textures to create when it comes to slime - just make sure your work area is covered and your clothes are protected. Here are some easy slime recipes to try.

If you’d prefer to keep your home slime-free, find out if there are any slime workshops happening near you over the midterm break. 

10. Invite friends over to play some Halloween games

As it’s mid-term break and everyone’s off school, it’s a great time to gather your child and their friends to try out some of the recipes, activities and games listed above. Here’s a list of Halloween party games for kids that are easy to organise and super-fun to play. 

Looking for more Halloween fun this midterm break? Check out our map of the top Halloween events for families happening all over the country.