6 fun (and non-scary!) ways to celebrate Halloween with your toddler

As fun as all of the tricks and treats are on Halloween night, some toddlers might be a little put off by the spookier side of things. The scary costumes, scary movies, or even the nighttime spectacle of everyone out and about after hours, can all be too much to handle. So, how do you find Halloween activities for toddlers that your little one will enjoy?

Well, we’ve got some ideas for a spooktacular toddler Halloween. And, with the help of internet moms everywhere, we’ve rounded them up for you. Try anything on this list (or maybe try everything!) so that your little one can experience a non-scary Halloween they’ll remember for years to come.

Try these 6 fun Halloween activities for kids they’ll enjoy to the fullest with all the fun and none of the frights

1. Arts & crafts

How do you make ghosts and ghouls, witches and bats or vampires and werewolves not so scary to a toddler? Well, you give them a funny twist! Have arts and crafts time with printables that your toddler can color and have fun with. This will show them some of the spookier characters they’re bound to see on Halloween night before then but it will also give them a chance to turn something scary into something funny. Think: smiling ghosts, happy witches or their favorite characters with a Halloween costume etc.

2. Trunk or treat party

Get your family, friends or your neighborhood involved with this one. Trunk or treats are a great way to introduce Halloween to your kiddo in a non-scary way. Not only is it a controlled environment but you can also choose what time to start and end. All of the cars are lined up, they know exactly who these people are, or at least they’ve seen them before, and they can get their treats without getting exhausted and grumpy. All that’s left to do is decide on the theme of your car’s decor!

3. Scare-free Halloween party

Following the same idea as trunk or treats, a not-so-scary party is among the best Halloween activities for toddlers. You can plan a dance party with Halloween-themed music, a movie marathon (with appropriate Halloween movies, of course), apple bobbing and even go for a costume contest. Of course, this could be a winner for the sweetest costume and not exactly the scariest.

4. Bake Halloween treats

Cue their excitement all fall long, with baking special Halloween treats together. Get your little one involved in the decorating or mixing. They’ll be happy licking the frosting off of their fingers and you’ll be making some great memories. Either way, if you use cookie cutters and let them get familiar with different Halloween-themed shapes, it’ll be one more way they can associate something happy and fun with spooky images.

5. Pumpkin decorating

They’re going to be seeing a lot of pumpkins come October (or possibly even earlier!). So, why not have them join the pumpkin fun with a carving party? One way to do this is to let them choose their design, pick out their pumpkin and then watch all come to life while you do the actual carving. But, you can also give them some sensory play time with mini pumpkins and paints. Let them go to town with whatever designs they choose.

6. Tell not-so-scary stories

Whether you read them a story featuring their favorite characters or something new, if you introduce a Halloween-themed story you can use that as an opportunity to talk about the holiday and answer any questions they might have. Plus, seeing familiar characters in costume might help them understand that under every costume is just a regular person.

A version of this post was published October 12, 2018. It has been updated.