As adults (and even for older children), our idea of the perfect Halloween party likely involves the liberal use of severed heads and fake blood but, for most toddlers, it’s best to tone all of that down.
Halloween can be a really scary day of the year for young children, so it’s always a good idea to consider age-appropriate fun – it all depends on how your child feels about the scarier aspects of Halloween.
If you’re throwing a Halloween party where toddlers will be present, not all of them may be fearless when it comes to ghosts, ghouls, and all things spooky, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get into the seasonal spirit.
We’ve put together a list of 5 great ideas for a toddler-friendly Halloween party so that you can keep everyone happy this 31st, no matter how young!
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Decorations
One of the most exciting parts of Halloween is decorating your house and, even at a toddler-friendly party, decorations should be plentiful – just be careful that you don’t use decorations with small parts which toddlers can swallow or anything that can harm a small child!
Classic decorations like carved pumpkins are perfect for a toddler-friendly party and you can even incorporate making crafty Halloween decorations into party activities for the children present. You can find some lovely child-friendly Halloween decorations here which are ideal.
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Food
Halloween gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to food and you can even use food as a part of your decor. At a toddler-friendly party, it’s best to stick to fun finger food which can be easily eaten and enjoyed by young children, such as carrot stick fingers and cutting sandwiches into creepy shapes such as bones.
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Music
Whilst older children and adults will probably be okay with a soundtrack featuring blood-curdling screams and spooky tunes, all of that might be a tad too much for the average toddler. To ensure that the toddlers at your party are comfortable with the music, try to steer away from anything that might be scary.
There are some great age-appropriate Halloween songs for young children which you can play at your party and you can also incorporate children’s games into the songs such as a classic game of musical chairs – sound effects and songs should be kept as light-hearted as possible to keep your little guests content.
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Games
Especially with small children present, party games should always be as simple as possible. London’s leading party planners, Twizzle, suggest that classic games like ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ can be given some Halloween spirit by turning it into ‘pin the nose on the pumpkin’ or ‘pass the pumpkin’ instead of ‘hot potato’.
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Costumes
What’s a Halloween party without the costumes? Costumes are one of the best parts of Halloween so encouraging your guests to dress up is the perfect way to ensure that your party is memorable.
However, zombies, witches, and mummies might be a bit frightening for toddlers. It would be really frustrating to organise a toddler-friendly party for your guests to dress up in terrifying costumes, so let your guests know well in advance that scary outfits are not encouraged.
Opting for nicer costumes such as Disney characters and animals is usually toddler-safe. If you’re lacking inspiration for Halloween costumes that aren’t scary, have a look through this post for some more ideas.
We hope we’ve given you some ideas for your toddler-friendly party this year! If you’ve got a toddler and a little one on the way, check out our roundup of advice on bringing home a newborn when you’ve got a toddler as well as our bonfire night activities for toddlers.