A Little Hocus Pocus & A Whole Lot of Fun
Halloween has always been one of those holidays that reminds me how little it actually takes to make something feel magical to a child. As a former elementary school teacher, I can promise you: kids don’t need a Pinterest-perfect party. Give them their friends, something yummy, a little creativity and permission to be silly, and you’ve got a memory in the making.
So, this year, I’m voting for a Halloween party that’s easy enough for the grown-ups to enjoy, too. Turn up a fun Halloween playlist, invite everyone to wear their costumes and set out a few simple activities. Forget perfection. The goal is laughter, sticky fingers and kids who don’t want to go home.
See you around the table,
Stef
Boo Cups
Ingredients
Chocolate pudding
Chocolate sandwich cookies
Marshmallow ghost
Candy eyes or gummy worms
Method
Layer chocolate pudding and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies in clear cups. Top with a marshmallow ghost, candy eyes or gummy worms. Make them earlier in the day and dessert is done.
Monster Pizza Party
Ingredients
Mini naan or flatbreads
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella
Pepperoni
Olives
Sliced peppers
Method
Start with mini naan or flatbreads and let the kids create their own spooky pizzas. Set out pizza sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, olives and sliced peppers. Olives become eyeballs, peppers become monster mouths—and there really aren’t any rules.
Bake at 375°F for 8–10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
Stef's Hack:
Put all your toppings in a muffin tin. It’s an instant pizza bar with almost no cleanup.
Witch's Brew
Ingredients
4 cups Lemon-lime soda
4 cups green fruit punch
2 cups pineapple juice
Lime sherbet
Method
Combine 4 cups lemon-lime soda, 4 cups green fruit punch and 2 cups pineapple juice. Just before the party, add scoops of lime sherbet and watch your punch turn bubbly, frothy and perfectly witchy.
Spread a Little BOO
Here's the part I really love.
My friend Laura Kelly has the sweetest Halloween tradition on her website: Boo Bags. Her free "You've Been BOO'd" tags and Halloween printables make it incredibly easy to turn a party activity into an opportunity to spread a little kindness.
Set up a table with inexpensive Halloween bags or buckets and let each child create a Boo Bag for someone else – a friend, neighbor, teacher or maybe someone who simply needs a surprise.
Fill them with candy, popcorn, stickers, pencils or little Halloween treasures, then tuck in one of Laura's free activity printables. She even suggests printing four activity pages to a sheet to create mini activity books, which makes a great non-candy option.
Then send your little ghosts and goblins home with a mission: secretly deliver their Boo Bag and make someone else's day.
Because maybe that's the best kind of Halloween magic – the kind we get to pass along. Take the pictures. Eat the candy. Wear the silly witch hat. And don't worry if everything isn't perfect. The kids won't remember perfect. They'll remember that you were part of the fun.
