Halloween Bucket List Activities for Kids & Families

It’s finally feeling like Fall and that means it’s time to organize your Halloween Bucket List Activities. This list is designed for kids and families, but a lot of the ideas would work for a fun Couples Halloween Bucket List too!

If you are like me, having tons of options can be overwhelming. So before you begin diving into the bucket list ideas, I recommend checking out our free Halloween Bucket List printable.

This way as you go through the suggestions below, you can write down the ones that work for your family.

Now let’s jump right in with all the fun Halloween activities!

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Halloween Bucket List Activities at Home

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Are you looking for fun Halloween activities that don’t require a ton of planning, or perhaps a long drive? Then check out these fun at-home Halloween Activities for your Bucket List.

Halloween Activities with Music, Movies, Books & More

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HAVE A HALLOWEEN MUSIC SESSION OR DANCE PARTY | There’s something undeniably fun about turning up Monster Mash and jamming out to Halloween music. It’s even better if you break out dancing!

LEARN A HALLOWEEN DANCE | We just talked about having a Halloween music party. But if you want to take it to the next level, learn a Halloween dance. You can Youtube classic dances like Thriller or the Monster Mash and learn them as a family.

WATCH YOUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES | Without a doubt, my favorite classic Halloween movie is always going to be Hocus Pocus. As for my boys, they will currently pick, the not-so-spooky, Hotel Transylvania 3.

So grab your family’s favorite Halloween movie, grab the popcorn and enjoy a fun family movie night.

NOW, FIND A NEW (TO YOU) HALLOWEEN MOVIE TO WATCH | There are so many classic Halloween Movies that aren’t super scary and work well for kids and families. Do a little research and find one that is new for your kids or family.

TIP: I highly recommend screening any new movie you choose. One person’s review that it isn’t scary for their kids, doesn’t nessecarily mean the same for yours.

A mom who didn’t do this & regrets it to this day aka me

This year we are going to watch Halloween Town. I have seen this one before, but it will be new for the rest of my family.

MAKE A SPOOKY HALLOWEEN VIDEO | This one is great for older children making it a fun Halloween activity for tweens or teens. Have your child write, direct, and star in their own Halloween movie.

There are tons of apps that will let you or your child edit videos easily on your or their phones. Once you have it all done, watch it as a family.

READ A GOOD HALLOWEEN BOOK OR TWO OR MORE | Halloween is the perfect time to change up the reading materials in your home. Pull out the Halloween books and have family reading time on the couch or as part of your bedtime routine.

Need a few Halloween picture book ideas? Then check out our list of Halloween Books for Young Children. It has tons of not-so-spooky suggestions for young kiddos.

A COUPLE MORE HALLOWEEN BUCKET LIST ACTIVITIES

• Tell Spooky Ghost Stories with the lights off
• Write your own Ghost Stories & turn them into books with illustrations
• Look back on photos from past Halloweens
• Make a Halloween playlist for listening to at home or in the car
• Have a Halloween Game Night

Pumpkin Time! Jack-O-Lantern Fun & More

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CARVE A JACK-O-LANTERN | Yep, the most traditional Halloween activity made the list first! But keep reading to see how to take your pumpkin carving to the next level.

USE PUMPKIN PATTERNS TO JAZZ UP THOSE JACK-O-LANTERNS | Have you ever bought a pumpkin carving kit and thrown away those pumpkin patterns that came with it? Well this year, that can change!

Yes, it might seem daunting at first. That’s because you aren’t simply cutting out triangles anymore. Eek! But once you figure out the tricks of intricate pumpkin carving it is actually really fun.

Do a general Google search for pumpkin carving patterns and pick one out as a family to try this year. Last year we did a dinosaur and it actually turned out really cute.

HAVE A PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST | This idea works best as a Halloween Activity for tweens or teenagers. Or it can work well if you combine into teams and have one adult handling the cutting, and the younger children being the creative directors.

If you do have a caring contest ask a neighbor to be your jack-o-lantern judge. Another fun idea is to post the pumpkins on social media and ask for votes that way!

PAINT PUMPKINS | You can either paint real pumpkins, or you can use foam decorative pumpkins. Throwdown some newspapers, gather your paint supplies, and have fun decorating pumpkins.

CREATE MONSTER PUMPKINS | What are monster pumpkins? Simply put, they are whatever you want them to be! Use nails, screws, golf tees, or any other sharp objects to hammer into the pumpkin to create your Frankenstein-like jack-o-lantern. You always use something like these jack-o-lantern teeth too!

EVEN MORE PUMPKIN FUN:

• Make pumpkin spice playdough
• Make pumpkin gut slime
• Bake or make anything pumpkin-flavored

DIY & Crafty Halloween Activities at Home

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There are tons of fun DIY and crafty Halloween activities you can add to your bucket list. Let’s take a peek at a few favorites.

DECORATE YOUR FRONT PORCH | Grab that bag of spiderwebs and go to town decorating your front porch. Let the kids help pull it apart and place the plastic spiders where they can reach.

There are tons of other fun Halloween decor items like welcome mats, funny inflatables and of course decorative ghosts.

CREATE A SPOOKY SPACE IN YOUR HOME | Decide as a family one area of your home and totally decorate it to the max for Halloween. If this isn’t your front porch, then perhaps your family room or bathroom.

Wherever you choose, the goal is to make it as spooky, creepy, and awesome as possible.

DIY HALLOWEEN COSTUMES | I’m the first one to admit that I am a ship from Amazon Halloween costume type of mom. But I always love seeing the kids that have DIY Halloween costumes.

So if you are up for the challenge, work together and DIY your kid’s Halloween costume.

FAMILY HALLOWEEN COSTUMES | Are you struggling with what to wear for Halloween this year? Maybe your family should try doing a family Halloween costume. Think of a group costume idea and then research and design it together.

DO SOME HALLOWEEN CRAFTS | Check out our list of Premade Halloween Craft Kits to simplify the crafting process this Halloween. Of course, you can also search Pinterest for tons of fun crafts too.

HAVE A HALLOWEEN PHOTO SHOOT | One of the things that seems to happen on Halloween is that it gets dark super fast. This means I always miss out on grabbing great pictures of my boys. To solve this, we have a family photo shoot night.

Start by having your kids do a dress rehearsal in their costumes. Now without the rush to go trick-or-treating, you can grab some great pictures.

If you want a few easy photography tips on how to capture great Halloween photos of your kids – check out our Halloween Photo Tips for Moms!

Party Time & Halloween Games

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There’s just something about Halloween that makes the parties the absolute best. Maybe it’s that everyone is decked out in costumes, the fun music, or even the interesting party food.

THROW A HALLOWEEN PARTY | Consider throwing a Halloween Party this year. It could be geared for just your kids’ friends, your neighborhood, or even an adult costume party.

PLAY SOME HALLOWEEN GAMES | Even if you don’t have a Halloween Party, you can still play some fun games as a family. We have two that use mainly Dollar Tree supplies that would work great at home.

Try our Eyeball Pong Halloween Game!

Or our Skeleton Hands Relay Race Game. They are both games that work well for young children all the way up to teens.

MORE PARTY FUN:

• Do a Halloween Scavenger Hunt
• Play Flashlight Tag
• Bob for Apples
• DIY your Halloween Party Decorations
• Play Halloween BINGO
• Have a Costume Parade
• Play Toilet Paper Mummies Game
• Set up a Spooky Photo Booth with Props

Halloween Sweet Treats & Creepy Foods too

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Undeniably, Halloween is synonymous with candy. But there are tons of other fun Halloween foods you can create and enjoy. Adding one of these fun food ideas to your Halloween Bucket list will give you a yummy treat to share. Plus as a hidden bonus, you’ll have quality family time spent cooking together.

MAKE HALLOWEEN COOKIES | Whether you do slice and bake, or go all out with decorating cookies, spend some family time in the kitchen and bake up a batch of Halloween cookies together.

TRY THESE CINNAMON SUGAR JACK-O-LANTERN CRISPS | Want to try something a little different than cookies? Then check out our Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Crisps Jack-O-Lanterns. They are an amazing and addictive combo of crunchiness and sweetness.

MAKE HALLOWEEN PRETZELS | Another fun Halloween treats idea is to make Halloween pretzels! Check out our Halloween Bats & Jacks Pretzels post to see the easiest way to make these yummy Halloween treats.

HAVE A SPOOKY SUPPER | There are so many fun appetizers, soups and dinner ideas that can be made a little extra spooky for Halloween. So grab up some ideas by checking out our Halloween Food Board on Pinterest.

A FEW MORE FOOD HALLOWEEN BUCKET LIST ACTIVITIES:

• Make Carmel Apples
• Drink Apple Cider
• Eat Candy Corn Popcorn
• Have a Halloween Breakfast
• Buy Halloween cereal
• Roast Pumpkin Seeds
• Create a Meatloaf Brain
• Make jack-o-lantern pizzas
  

Spooky Fun Around Town for your Halloween Bucket List Activities

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If you’re looking for a fun Fall afternoon away from home, then these ideas are perfect to add to your Halloween Bucket List activities.

There’s a little bit of everything here. Ideas for families with young children, as well as Halloween fun for teens.

HEAD TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH | Make it a family tradition to search for the perfect jack-o-lantern at the Pumpkin Patch. As a bonus, you’ll also enjoy all of the other activities at the Patch.

DO A CORN MAZE TOGETHER | For some reason, the idea of being lost in a huge corn maze is something that has become associated with fall. It’s not my cup of tea because I am a self-proclaimed scaredy-cat thanks to a viewing of the movie Children of the Corn. But if you don’t have my childhood hangups, it can be fun to do with your family.

NOW DO THE CORN MAZE IN THE DARK | Remember what I said about some of these Halloween Bucket List activities being for families with older kids? This one falls in that category!

Search your area and see if any of the local corn mazes do night events. Be warned, these night time corn mazes become less about agriculture and more about scaring you when you least expect it.

HAUNTED HOUSE ANYONE? | If paying to be scared is your thing, then a Haunted House is the way to go! If it’s not your thing, you can always be the person who goes with your family and waits in the car. There’s no shame, you can hang out in the parking lot with me.

TRUNK OR TREATS FOR THE WIN | Have you ever done a trunk or treat? They are absolutely one of my favorite parts of Halloween. People decorate their trunks or the back of their vehicles and you can walk around “trick or treating” without really doing much walking.

Our local school PTO puts one on and it is so fun to see all the extravagant decorations people come up with for their trunks.

FIND A HAUNTED HALLWAYS | Another idea that is put on by our school’s Student Council is a Haunted Hallways. This is simply where they decorate the hallways for Halloween and for a small donation you can “walk the Haunted Hallways”.

If commercial haunted houses aren’t your thing, a group of high schoolers trying their best to be spooky might be more up your alley. It is for me!

HALLOWEEN FUN AT THE LOCAL LIBRARY | Check your public library and see if they are hosting any fun Halloween events over the month of October. Ours has a special Halloween Book Reading, a Monster Craft Day, as well as a Wear your Costume to the Library event.

GO ON A HAYRIDE… POSSIBLY AT NIGHT | We have a family hayride every October and it is one of my kids’ favorite Fall activities. However, it can quickly turn into a spooky hayride when the sun starts to set and we have misjudged our distance from the house.

CHECK YOUR MOVIE THEATER FOR HALLOWEEN MOVIES | Check to see if any theaters around you are showing older Halloween movies during the Halloween Season.

YOUR TOWN’S HAUNTED PAST | Look into the local legends around your community and see if you can discover any spooky past stories or haunted fables. Research your town’s haunted past and visit the suspected places if possible.

GO TRICK OR TREATING | I highly doubt your kids will let you forget this one, but make sure you add it to your Halloween Bucket List to keep them happy.

One more thing before you go!

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Whatever you choose to put on your Halloween Bucket List, always remember that the idea is to enjoy the activities you are doing, not just cross them off the to-do list.

It can be hard as a busy mom to be in the moment. It’s hard to enjoy everything when you know there are twenty other things that need to be done.

But taking that time and making something memorable is how family traditions are created. Check out our Halloween Family Traditions ideas if that is something that sounds great to you.

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