5 Ideas for Making Halloween Memorable For Your Kids

Halloween has been an all-time favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I had a tight group of friends on the block and someone’s parents always threw an amazing Halloween party for us kids. Year after year I couldn’t wait to dress up, trick or treat and dive into the scare-fest.

However, once my friends and I hit middle school, there was this crazy thing called egging. We used to run around the neighborhood with shaving cream and eggs and throw them at other kids participating in this madness. So far as a parent, I haven’t seen “egging” reappear. And I am hoping it stays buried in the past where it belongs.

I had such a fun Halloween as a kid, so like most parents, Bobby and I want to make the holiday memorable for our own children. Creating your own Halloween traditions with the kids means you can find what you all love and make it your own! Plus, it’s great to spend so much time together as a family! Whether it’s trick or treating, pumpkin picking, spooky parties, or pumpkin carving, these Halloween ideas will make this holiday memorable for you and your littles.

Visit the Pumpkin Patch

We always start the season off by visiting a pumpkin patch. From hayrides to corn mazes, a pumpkin patch is a great way to start the season off right. The kids always have a blast picking out pumpkins to carve and some to decorate the house with.

My advice? Why go to just one when you can go to a few different ones to maximize your experience!

Check out all my parenting ideas on the City Girl Gone Mom Pinterest board!

There’s a $1,000 fine for using or selling Silly String in Hollywood on Halloween.

Carving Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins at home or a friend’s house is always a hit. The kids love drawing silly faces on the pumpkins while dad gets to carve it out for them. Plus, it’s such a blessing to find friends with similar interests for the children! We get to have our adult conversations and the kids get to experience the fun.

Black cats, spiders, and bats are all Halloween symbols because of their spooky history and ties to Wiccans. All three were thought to be the familiars of witches in the middle ages, and are often associated with bad luck.

The Costumes

For both the kids and the adults, costumes are everything when it comes to Halloween. We like to let the kids choose their own. One year, Jackson and Dylan opted for a zombie football player and cheerleader, while I was drawn to being a “mom”-bie due to my exhausted state of mind.

I even tried to be a chef with a baby lobster for Brody’s first Halloween, but that lasted for about 60 seconds. Ultimately, baby Brody and Daddy looked adorable as the Karate Kids while Roman was a very happy Ninja Turtle.

One year I’d love to even go green and make all of our costumes from recycled materials! Hopefully, we can do that next year!

Have you listened to my podcast? Check out The Mom Confidential!

A full moon on Halloween is extremely rare. The last full moon on Halloween was 2020. Before that, it was back in 2001, and before that it was in 1955.

Trick or Treat

Each Halloween (aside from those pandemic years), we get together with our neighborhood and crawl the streets. Sometimes we gather in the cul-de-sac for a small pre-party to kick things off. Then we watch the kids, groups at a time, as they go door to door in search of the best candy.

This year we’re planning on having a fun party at home, so the kids will get a little candy and family fun before trick or treating. And I always feel safer with my kids close to home due to a past Halloween that spooked me. When our little girl was three, we lost her in a crowd. She exited the side of a home that was on a corner and ended up three homes ahead of us. It was horrifying, to say the least.

I never want that to happen again so I make the kids all hold hands, so none of them will stray too far. Another saving grace for me is flashlights. I like to carry a big one that can light up 50 feet ahead of me and the kids hold small, handheld ones they can wear on their heads.

The word “witch” actually comes from an old English word that means “wise woman.” Members of the Wiccan were once highly respected.

The Great Big Pumpkin

My dear friend Susan told me about this one. She told me to have the children pick out 10-20 pieces of candy and to leave the rest out for the Great Big Pumpkin because he comes and takes all the candy and leaves each child a cool present in exchange. We’ve done it before and it worked like a charm. Such a great way to get the bad candy out of your house!

Do you have any fun recipes or fun traditions you do with your kids? Comment below!