I’ll be honest, I’m not at all a fan of Halloween. I don’t like scary or spooky things and even before having kids I knew this was a holiday that I would dread celebrating with my kiddos. And here we are in a year wear we could very easily call off Halloween celebrations due to the pandemic, but I can’t bring myself to skip it.

Jack is only 20 months, he wouldn’t know any better, but regardless of my feelings about the holidays I still want to celebrate him. Things will look a little different this year given the pandemic, but I’m determined to make it special for Jack. So today I am teaming up with some other mamas to share how we are celebrating Halloween with our little ones this year. Be sure to check out Sarah, Whitney, Lauren & Stephanie’s ideas too!

Also, if you are going about Halloween as usual this year, be sure to check your communities COVID guidelines regarding trick-or-treating.

Halloween Basket

I put together this basket for Jack filled with all kinds of goodies. He is getting it this week so we can start celebrating. I included a few Halloween books, some cute pjs, snacks and treats. We plan to give him the basket a week or two before Halloween so he can wear his pjs and read his new books to help him understand a bit more about what Halloween is.

Pumpkin Hunt

We have decided not to go trick or treating with Jack for several reasons. He still isn’t used to people wearing masks (COVID related or Halloween) and it just seems unnecessarily risky for us right now.

So instead of trick or treating we are doing a pumpkin hunt with him. I found these little pumpkins at target that I can fill with snacks and a few treats for him (they come with little toys inside but I’m tossing those and swapping them our for treats). I actually think he will enjoy this more than trick-or-treating because the Easter egg hunt earlier this year was a major hit with him. For older kids you could make it a bit more involved and do a scavenger hunt with clues inside each pumpkin.

Movie Night

While most Halloween movies are too spooky for Jack to watch we plan on watching It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown with him Halloween night. Its short and sweet and something I loved watching when I was little so I’m excited to share it with him. A few others that might be good for your little ones are Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Casper, & The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Theme Foods

I love a good theme. Maybe a little too much, but if I have the opportunity to do a theme meal I’m all over it. This was something my mom always did for us growing up. Special crafts and foods for every holiday and occasion imaginable. Even before having Jack I started a Pinterest board with lots of fun themed ideas. Here are a few of my favorite Halloween goodies that I’m hoping to make for Jack:

• Halloween Snack Board: I LOVE this cute Halloween themed board. I definitely think we may do something like this for our move night!
• Ghost Fruit Kabobs: The perfect mid-day snack
• Candy Corn Rice Krispies: A treat that even little kiddos would have fun helping make!
• Spider Sandwiches: Easily done as PB&J or Grilled Cheese, two kiddo favorites with a fun and spooky twist!

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I would love to know what you are doing with your kiddos for Halloween this year! I’m determined to still make things fun even if we aren’t celebrating the traditional way in order to stay healthy and safe.

Don’t forget to checkout Sarah, Whitney, Lauren & Stephanie‘s ideas too!