12 Halloween Party Games for Kids (Easy, Not Scary)

A kids' Halloween party runs best on short games that start in a minute and end before anyone gets bored. The twelve below need things you already have or can print, and none of them are scary, so they suit preschoolers as well as older kids. We noted the age, the time and what you need for each, so you can pick four or five and fill an afternoon or a class party.

1Halloween picture bingo

• Ages3 and up
• Time10 to 15 minutes a round
• You needbingo cards, caller cards, candy corn or small candies as markers

The caller draws a picture from a bowl (a pumpkin, a bat, a black cat) and holds it up, and players cover it if it's on their card. With a picture and a word in every square, kids who can't read yet play at the same table as older ones. Play for one line first, then a full card when they know the game. Our free Halloween picture bingo has eight cards and all 40 caller cards.

2Pumpkin ring toss

• Ages3 to 8
• Time10 minutes
• You needthree or four small pumpkins with stems, glow sticks bent into rings or plastic rings

Line up the pumpkins on the floor and let each child throw three rings from behind a tape line. A ring around a stem scores a point. Move the line closer for the little ones.

3Mummy wrap

• Ages5 and up, in teams of two or three
• Time5 minutes
• You needa roll of toilet paper per team

One player stands still while the others wrap them in toilet paper from shoulders to ankles, face left free. The first team to use up its roll wins. Kids love it, and cleaning up the paper afterward is a race of its own.

4Halloween scavenger hunt

• Ages4 to 12
• Time20 to 40 minutes
• You needclue cards and a small treat bag at the end

Hide clues around the house or yard, each one pointing to the spot where the next one waits. Rhyming clues work for readers, and a picture sheet of things to find works for younger kids. Our Halloween scavenger hunt clues guide has 18 ready clues you can copy. For kids who can't read yet, print our free Halloween picture trail: 12 cards, each showing the next hiding spot.

5Witch hat ring toss

• Ages3 to 7
• Time10 minutes
• You needa witch hat, pool noodle rings or paper plates with the middle cut out

The same idea as the pumpkin toss, but the target is a tall, pointed hat, which makes it easier for small children. Stand the hat on a chair so it doesn't tip over.

6Freeze dance, monster style

• Ages3 to 8
• Time5 to 10 minutes
• You needmusic

Play spooky-silly songs and let the kids dance like monsters. When the music stops, everyone freezes in a monster pose. Anyone who moves sits out one round, or with little ones, nobody sits out and the funniest pose gets a sticker.

7Pin the nose on the pumpkin

• Ages3 to 8
• Time10 minutes
• You needa big paper pumpkin with a face, paper noses with tape on the back, a scarf for a blindfold

Blindfold each child, turn them around once gently and let them stick the nose where they think it goes. Mark each try with the child's name. The closest nose wins, and the crooked ones get the biggest laughs.

8Candy corn guessing jar

• Agesall
• Timeit runs on its own through the party
• You needa clear jar of candy corn, slips of paper, a pencil

Guests write their name and a guess as they arrive. Count the jar before the party and announce the closest guess at the end. It's a good game for kids who are shy about joining the loud ones.

9Ghost bowling

• Ages3 to 8
• Time10 minutes
• You need6 or 10 empty plastic bottles or toilet paper rolls with ghost faces drawn on, a small ball

Set up the ghosts like bowling pins and give each child two rolls. Knocked-over ghosts are counted, set back up, and the next player goes.

10Spider web walk

• Ages4 to 10
• Time10 minutes
• You needyarn or painter's tape

Stretch yarn across a hallway at different heights, or tape a web pattern on the floor. Kids step over and crawl under without touching a string. Anyone who touches starts again. Tape on the floor is safer for small children than string at knee height.

11Coloring corner

• Ages2 and up
• Timeas long as they like
• You needHalloween coloring pages, crayons

Every party needs a quiet table for kids who've had enough of the noise. Put out a stack of coloring pages and crayons and let them drift in and out. Our free Halloween coloring pages have big, simple pictures that toddlers can manage. Hang finished pages on the wall with tape so their parents can find them at pickup.

12The pumpkin pass

• Ages4 and up
• Time5 minutes
• You needa small pumpkin, music

Everyone sits in a circle and passes the pumpkin while the music plays. When it stops, whoever holds the pumpkin answers a question from a hat ("What's your costume?", "Best candy ever?") or does a monster roar. Nobody is out, so it works well to end the party.

Picking games for your party

• Toddlers and preschoolers (2 to 4): picture bingo, pumpkin ring toss, freeze dance, coloring corner.
• Kids aged 5 to 8: mummy wrap, scavenger hunt, pin the nose on the pumpkin, ghost bowling.
• Class party (25 kids, 45 minutes): bingo for the whole class, the candy corn jar during snack time, then freeze dance.
• Mixed ages at home: a scavenger hunt with two trails, one with pictures and one with rhymes, then the pumpkin pass.

Prepare everything the day before: print the pages, cut the cards, put each game in its own bag with its prizes. That way the games keep moving and nobody waits while you look for the tape.