Because the students do not typically get invites for classroom parties, you can make yours stand out by doing just that! Create your own using online Halloween pictures that you download and print off, or buy store-bought invitations and sprinkle some cool Halloween confetti inside.

Halloween Party Music

You can create your own CD full of creepy sounds (doors opening and slamming close, creaking stairs, bats, owls, cats, etc) or purchase your Halloween music. Be sure the music fits the kids' ages and is teacher approved. If you are buying something, look for hits such as "Monster Mash", "Ghostbusters", and "Twilight Zone".

Halloween Room Party Decorations

Be sure that the teachers approve of your decorations prior to the party! Younger kids may be scared by some of these, so use your judgement.

Cut white 60" gossamer into different ghost shapes, creating the ghouls only from their tummies to their heads. Be creative and cut different sizes out, but try to make the arms quite long. They can be about 4 feet in length if you are going to use them in a classroom with average ceiling heights, or 10/15 feet long if you are using them in a room with high ceilings and doorframes. Hang the ghosts upside down from doorways, or scattered across a ceiling. The ghosts can be attached with pushpins or with a little masking tape to most doorways, ceiling tiles, walls, etc.

Hang twisty balloon spiders, and ghost "spooks" down from the ceiling at varying lengths with fishing line or thread.

Accent tables with plenty of spider webbing, and creepy Crawlies.

When decorating tables in a classroom, start with colored plastic table covers in black, orange, green or purple. Green and purple together accented with a little orange make a great combination, and a nice change from the traditional black and orange. If you are planning a party for little ones who may be afraid of witches, devils or ghosts, make the party room more about pumpkins, cats, bats, candy corn, etc.

Use balloons in all empty spots, as an arch, in doorways, hanging from ceilings, etc. Kids love balloons!

Halloween Room Party Activities & Crafts

COSTUME PARADE AND CONTEST – Not every school allows costumes, but if yours does, then organize a costume parade. Either around the room or through the hallways. Be sure to award prizes in lots of different categories so that everyone is a winner. Some category ideas…most colorful, most creative, scariest, best makeup, sweetest, creepiest, etc.

PAINTED PUMPKINS – Purchase one mini pumpkin or gourd for each child, and using tempera paints or paint pens, and let each child personalize a pumpkin. These most likely will not dry before the party ends, so make sure there is time for them to take them home the next day. For faster results, use markers on small pumpkins.

TWISTY SPIDERS – The big hit of any Halloween party. Our 36" monster-sized spiders come with directions and are easy to assemble. You may want to have a few extra adults on hand, so that younger children can finish this "craft" in a timely manner.

MASK MANIA – To prevent sugar overload, take some time during your party to decorate simple masks with pipe cleaners, scraps of felt, fake hair, plastic bugs, fake fingers, plastic spiders, eyeballs, rhinestones or stickers.

COOKIE MONSTERPIECE – This activity doubles as a snack, as children decorate their own sugar cookies. Have a station set up with plenty of sugar cookies cut out in Halloween shapes, on individual plates, along with different colors of frosting, sprinkles, candy corn, and other goodies. This has worked equally well with 2 year-old preschoolers and with 5th graders.

FACE PAINTING – Some schools do not allow students to wear costumes. Instead, host a hat parade, and treat the kids to some fun, colorful face paint!

MONSTER PAWS – Using plastic gloves, stick one piece of candy corn at the tip of each finger. Fill the glove with pre-popped popcorn, and tie with curling ribbon, yarn or with a pipe cleaner. Kids love these!

CREEPY CRAWLIE POP – For each pop, you'll need 2 black pipe cleaners, 2 wiggly eyes, 1 Tootsie Pop™, and a 4"X4" piece of black foil or black tissue. Wrap the black foil around the sucker, leaving the existing wrapper in place. Cut the black pipe cleaners in half, then center them at the base of the pop and wrap them around the stick, so that there are four legs on each side. Bend the pipe cleaners to resemble legs, then glue wiggly eyes in place. Fun craft, take home party favor in one!

BUGS ON A LOG – This extra-easy to make treat is a fun activity for little children, and then can be instantly consumed. Ingredients: Pretzel Rods, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chips. Dip pretzel rod into peanut butter, (about half of the pretzel should be covered), and then roll in chocolate chips. If you are allowing the children to participate, it is easiest to give each of them a plate with their own portion of ingredients on it. They'll enjoy the making as much as the tasty eating!

Halloween Room Party Games

When planning parties for younger children (under 10), or if you are working with a limited amount of time, we recommend you divide your activities into "stations". Recruit enough parents/helpers to work at each station, and divide the children into small groups—four to five in each group works best. Have the party guests spend no more than 10-15 minutes at a station, then blow a whistle, ring a chime, or give an eerie yell, and have everyone rotate.

Choose a couple of games, a craft, and then read an age appropriate Halloween book to the group while the snack is being prepared. Always plan two or three extra games or an extra craft just in case you finish faster than anticipated.

EYEBALL RELAY – Before the party you will need to purchase at least 12 Ping-Pong balls. Using permanent markers, draw irises, pupils, and bloodshot veins on the balls. Divide your group into two teams. Players race around a specific course with a heaping pile of "eyeballs" (at least six), before handing them off to a teammate. Dropped balls must be retrieved before the handoff. The first team to complete the course wins. (Ages 5 and up—you may want to give players over the age of 12 more eyeballs to carry)

BOBBING FOR APPLES – This simple game, involving a water-filled tub brimming with floating apples, is a timeless, but forgotten favorite. Most of us enjoyed this game as children at school and church functions, and it will still delight children today, as does any game involving water. (Ages 4-12)

PIN THE WART ON THE WITCH – Borrowing from the concept of the tried and true game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, we suggest a fun game of Pin the Wart on the Witch. Draw a witch's face on a piece of poster board, or use our Witch Corner Creep. Use little balls of green Play-Doh ™ or paper cutouts as the warts. Blindfold each participant as his/her turn arrives, spin, point in the right direction, and watch your wicked witch become even more wartful! (All ages)

WHICH WITCH WILL WIN? – Divide the guests into two equal teams. Create two starting lines with masking tape, and place two pumpkins about 10-15 yards away. Line the teams up with the "witch's wardrobe" at the starting line. At the signal to begin, the first player on each team quickly dresses up, runs the course, and then returns the wardrobe to the next player. The first team to complete the course wins. A witch's cape, black hat, broomstick, and fake wart will lead to some bone shakin' fun. (Ages 4-10)

PUMPKIN PINATA – The biggest hit of any party involving children…a party piñata. Check out The pumpkin!

CHAIN GHOST STORY – Have everyone sit in a circle. Have the first participant make up a few lines of a scary ghost tale, and then "pass" the story along to the next person. The next person adds a few lines, and then passes the story along, until all guests have participated. You might want to start this one yourself, give some examples ("It was a dark, blustery night. The moon was hidden behind some threatening storm clouds. The only sound you could hear was the wind howling through the trees."), or choose the most confident child to start. The kids will warm up quickly to the idea and surprise you with their creativity. Without the participants knowing, tape the telling of the story and then play it back for them right away. They'll laugh even harder and enjoy it more the second time around. For older children, provide a flashlight, turn off the lights, and have the storyteller shine the flashlight under his/her face as they tell their portion of the ghost story. Spine tingling fun! (Ages 7-12)

REVERSE TRICK OR TREAT GAME – Give each player a bag or goodie box with 10 pieces of candy in it. Have bags labeled with players' names, so they don't get mixed up. Let players know at the start of the game exactly when the game will be ending—this game can be played throughout an entire party if you so choose. The object of the game is to catch fellow players saying one of the following words:

Halloween, Candy, Witch, Party, Ghost, Pumpkin

To help players, post the words prominently on a board where they can be seen often. If someone is caught saying one of the words on the list, that person has to give up a piece of candy from their stash. The player with the biggest haul of candy at the end of the game is the winner! (Ages 7 – 12)

DANGLING DONUTS – Another old favorite. Simply attach donuts to long pieces of string, and hang them down from a clothesline, so the donuts are dangling at about chin height to the average participant. The object of the game is to see who can consume their swinging donut in the shortest amount of time. A little messy, but fun and delicious. (Ages 5-12)

RING AROUND THE PUMPKIN – In this version of ring-toss, paint point values on 3 to 4 pumpkins of varying sizes. Arrange them with the highest score farthest from the starting line. Players stand on the line and try to toss a hula-hoop around a pumpkin. Each player is given three to four tries depending on the amount of time available, and the player with the highest score wins. (Ages 4-10)

WITCH'S BREW – Cut ten pieces of paper in Halloween related shapes, such as ghosts, bats, pumpkins, or spiders. The shapes need to be about the size of a Ritz™ cracker. Place the shapes in a pile beside a small bowl or witch's cauldron. Have straws available for each player, along with a stopwatch, or a watch with a second hand. Using the straw as a vacuum, each contestant tries to pick up the shapes and drop them into the cauldron. The player with the fastest time wins. (Ages 6-12)

OOZING EYEBALL – Using a peeled hard-boiled egg as your "oozing eyeball", play this Halloween variation on the classic Hot Potato game. Have players sit in a circle, and pass the oozing eyeball until the music or menacing howls stop. The player left holding the eyeball when the music stops is out. Keep passing the egg until only one player is left. (Ages 4-9)

MUMMY WRAP – Divide guests into teams of two and give each team a roll of toilet paper. Signal the start of the game, and have one person wrap the other with the toilet paper. The team that finishes wrapping the mummy first wins, but remember that the entire roll must be used! (Ages 6-Adult)

Halloween ClassRoom Party Snack Ideas

The following snacks are easy to make, and many are simple enough for children to make. Some can do double duty, and work well as table decorations or crafts…and then can be gobbled by your goblins.

MONSTER PAWS – Using plastic gloves, purchased at beauty supply stores or the deli counter, stick one piece of candy corn at the tip of each finger. Fill the glove with pre-popped popcorn, and tie with curling ribbon, yarn or with a pipe cleaner. Add a little tag with a message, and the hand can be used as a party invitation, table decoration, or favor.

CRISPY POP – To make 16 pops, you'll need 1-12 oz. bag of Nestle's TollHouse Chocolate Chips™, 16 ready made Crispy Treats (or make your own if you have the time—cut into 2 ½" X 4" pieces), 16 pretzel rods, and some Halloween colored sprinkles. Cutting little holes with a knife, stick the pretzel rods into the narrow end of the Crispy Treats. Melt the entire bag of chocolate chips for one minute in the microwave, and stir. Dip the end of the "pop" into the melted chocolate, then sprinkle with festive sprinkles. Set pops on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and refrigerate until the chocolate sets. If you will be using these as take home favors, or sending them to school, cover the crispy treat portion with plastic wrap and tie with satin or curling ribbon.

FROZEN MONSTER HANDS – Fill plastic or latex gloves with red, purple or green punch, and either knot or fasten the end tightly with a twist-tie. Gloves can be purchased at most beauty supply stores, or deli counters. In a pinch, if you are visiting the doctor's office between now and Halloween, most are willing to spare a few. Place wax paper on a cookie sheet, and place "hands" on the cookie sheet. Freeze. When the hands are frozen solid, carefully use scissors to cut gloves away. Float the monster hands in a cauldron of punch. Your punch should be a different color for maximum fright effect!

TASTY PLACE CARDS – Bake sugar cookies in the shape of rectangles, and let cool. With colored gel or frosting, write the names of party guests on the cookies, and decorate as desired. A miniature Snickers™ bar attached with frosting will make the cookie stand. This is a great table decoration, and a nice personal touch for a small group or classroom of children.

DEAD TREES – With scissors, cut one end of a black or chocolate flavored licorice stick to make the trunk and branches. Push the other end through a hole in the bottom of a peanut butter cup. Use chocolate frosting to cement the tree in place.

BROWNIE SPIDER WEB – Using a 10" tart pan with a removable bottom, or a 12" pizza pan, bake one package of brownie mix according to the directions on the box. After the brownie cools completely, frost with one container of ready-to-spread vanilla frosting. Draw a spiraling circle on the frosted brownie with black gel frosting. Starting in the center of the brownie, "pull" a toothpick out to the edge of the pan to create the web effect. Garnish the web with one of our clip-on crawlie spiders. When you are serving this snack, have enough spiders on hand, so that you can add one to each plate. This same concept works equally well with individual cupcakes.

HAUNTED TREE Bake and decorate Halloween shaped sugar cookies, such as pumpkins, ghosts or bats. The ready-made Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough™ can be rolled and used to make cutouts if your time is limited. Put each individual cookie into a little plastic baggie (not zip variety), and tie with orange or black curling ribbon. Find a good-sized tree branch, tie the cookies with curling ribbon to the branches, and you'll have a boo-tiful centerpiece! For a truly special effect, add twinkle lights to the branches before adding the cookies.

GHOST SUCKERS – To make these easy treats you'll need 1-12 oz. Package of white chocolate chips, 12 Popsicle sticks, and 24 mini chocolate chips. Melt the chips in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring at 20-second intervals. Spoon melted mixture into a ziplock bag. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper, and place the Popsicle sticks on the paper at least 2" apart. When the mixture feels warm instead of hot, snip a small hole off one corner, and squeeze approximately 2 tablespoons onto each stick, smoothing the mixture with a knife. Add two chocolate chips for eyes, and refrigerated until hardened.

RITZY BITZY SPIDERS – Ritz™ crackers, peanut butter, pretzel sticks and raisins…all you'll need to create these creepy little critters. Spread one cracker with peanut butter. Break four pretzels in half for each spider, and add pretzel "legs" to the first cracker. Spread peanut butter on a second cracker, and place the peanut butter side down on the pretzel legs. Attach raisins with peanut butter, and…eeeek, your spider is ready to be consumed!

WITCH'S BROOMSTICK – For this easy and healthy snack, you will need pretzel sticks, and a block of "orange" cheese. Most children enjoy mild cheddar. Slice cheese so that you are working with a piece that is ½" thick. Using a sharp knife, cut cheese into the shape of the base of a broom. Scrape with a serrated edge to give the appearance of bristles, then add the pretzel stick to the top as the handle. The cheese is so easy to cut with cookie cutters—try cutting out little pumpkin shapes and bats too!

SEVERED FINGERS – Using peanut butter as "glue", attach a slivered almond to the tip of an uncooked baby carrot.

SANDWITCH CUTOUTS – Make sandwiches using favorite ingredients, and cutout full-sized Halloween cookie cutter shapes. For ghost shapes, use white bread, and add raisin eyes. For bats, witch hats or monsters, try pumpernickel. Green olives, little pieces of carrots, or chocolate chips make gruesomely good eyes.

Halloween Room Party Book Suggestions

Halloween Classroom Party Ideas and Supplies

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