By: Dallin Rahlf 

Halloween may be one of the greatest months of the year for children. You’ve got your school getting a little more exciting with decorations and parties. Wait, do schools still do that? I hope that do. That shiz was off the hook when I was in second grade. You’ve got leaves starting to turn those fantastic colors. Stores have candy just EVERYWHERE with fun statues of witches and ghosts. The whole just feels like it’s welcoming in an exciting phase after the thrill of summer is gone. I want to help you make this October spectacular for you and your kids with a variety of family activities you can all enjoy.  

1. Movie Night

This one is a given. There are just too many awesome movies to watch during this month. You’ve got Garfield’s Halloween, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, The Nightmare Before Christmas (don’t fight me on this one, I will win. It is the greatest Halloween movie, and it is 100% a Halloween movie and not a Christmas movie!), Monster House, heck, dig up the old Looney Toons Halloween from the depths of your attic or the internet for some of the best laughs. Plus, you’ve got like, a million Disney ones from Even Stevens to Hocus Pocus. If you don’t wanna go this route, you can try for more scary ones. I would suggest going with M. Night Shyamalan films. It’s enough suspense and creepiness to keep you on edge, and it shouldn’t give the kiddos a ton of nightmares… if not, have them watch the T-rex from The Land Before Time. That thing was terrifying.

2. Costume Shopping / Creating

Costumes make Halloween go round. One of my favorite parts of looking through my brother’s photo albums with all his kids is you can see what each of them were into that particular year. It ranges from Mario to Ninja Turtles to Owls to Legos, etc. Letting your kid dress up as their favorite thing that year will let you look back and see all of the fun things they were into.

This can get tricky, though. I really wanted to look like Link from the Legend of Zelda one year. I was living in Colorado, and it was quite nippy by the end of October. My mom did her very best to make me look like him, but I ended up just looking like a chubby green elf. It was a little funny then and pretty funny now. Homemade things make for good stories.

3. Pumpkin Patch / Decorating

If you guys need some help getting into the October spirit, visit your local pumpkin patch for some guaranteed good times and feels. Being surrounded by all the orange and green will make you feel the excitement that is the season. Being a kid and picking out your very own pumpkin to later carve is thrilling. “Imagine all the carvings I could do with this one!” They’ll hold up their pumpkin in the air with a big grin and endless thoughts of what they’ll carve. It’s a precious moment you can’t afford to miss this year.

Later, when you’re carving them, be sure to help them out where you can. The good ol’ internet has thousands of carvings and tracings for you to etch out for your kids. Help them succeed and their pride will become yours as well. Here’s a pro tip from yours truly: when carving the top of the pumpkin, be sure to cut a triangle wedge. This way, you can line up the top with ease. Also, someone suggested cutting a hole out of the bottom as well, to help with the candle and maintaining pumpkin balance for our lopsided, orange friends. I may just try that out this year.

4. Halloween Themed Amusement Park

You already KNOW that I’ve been trying to hype my readers up with going to an amusement park during the fall season. Guys, please, I beg of you, venture out and treat yourself to some spooky and fun times right away! Amusement parks do an excellent job of making things family friendly with their decorations and costumes. Sure, some excited 16-year-olds walking around as zombie might creep your 4-year-old out a little, but with you by their side and some FAT funnel cake to distract their fears, you’re in for a good time.

5. Spooky Baking

Caramel apples, cute cookies, literal thousands of pumpkin spice variations, and concoctions, and you’re telling me you “don’t know what to do this year to liven up dessert”?? Please, you and I both know you’ve been dying to try something new this year--you just can’t seem to get over that initial step. 

Take a look at this YouTube video that has a couple fun and easy foods you can make this year. Get the kids involved and have them pick one they want to try! Most only require a few ingredients and don’t look to be super tough.

6. Night Games

Now THIS is where the fun begins. Have you ever played ghost in the graveyard? Kick the can? Flashlight tag? Make this year a Halloween to remember by having an awesome game night outside in the spooky dark. Make sure the little ones got a reliable buddy, cause when the ghost in the graveyard comes out, a lesser partner WILL forsake them to save themselves. Trust me, I’ve been on both ends of that. Neither make you feel that good about yourself.

7. Halloween Decorations

My mother did an excellent job of making the house fun at Halloween. She had lots of decorations, mostly cutesy and harmless stuff which I have found to enjoy. Whether you like the adorable little, innocent ghosts or go for the scarier and more intimidating gargoyle statue, see if your kids would like to go to your favorite store to pick out their own decoration to display in the house. If it’s not your taste, they can put it in their room. Not everyone wants to see a blood fountain, little Timmy.