Fall is here and we’re all wondering…what in the world will Halloween be like this year? And perhaps more importantly, how can we still make this kid-favorite holiday special for our families, even if larger community gatherings or even (gasp!) trick-or-treating is off the table? As with so many other aspects of our lives during this pandemic, with a little creativity and flexibility we can still make our COVID Halloween celebrations fun and memorable, even if they look different this year. Here are five ideas on how to celebrate Halloween during Covid-19 that will help make your family’s night sweet without the trick-or-treat!

Have a Halloween Movie Night (or Few)

Movie night is a favorite tradition in many families. This season, consider a movie marathon spread out over the days leading up to October 31 to build up anticipation and get everyone in the Halloween spirit! You can choose from any number of great Halloween movies for kids, from timeless classics like It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, to sweet animated features like Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest, to popular films with just enough spookiness to fit the season, like Harry Potteror Monsters, Inc. Or, to change things up (and reduce screen-time!) try mixing up your movie nights with family read aloud, choosing Halloween books  appropriate for your kids’ ages to read out loud together.

Plan a Zoom Costume Party

Now that Zoom is a regular part of our lives, let’s make the most of it for our socially distant Halloween celebrations. How about setting up a virtual costume party with family and friends? Even if you are not going trick-or-treating, dressing up is such a central part of Halloween fun that any reason to wear and show off costumes will help keep up the holiday spirit. This could be the year you finally execute your epic family Halloween costume idea! Depending on where you live, you can also consider organizing a neighborhood costume parade, so the kids can show off their costumes at a safe distance even without trick-or-treating.

Make Halloween Creations

Another fun way to celebrate Halloween during Covid-19, is to set aside some time to get creative in the days leading up to Halloween and make some Halloween crafts and decorations; get your home looking festive for the holiday! No need to go all out if you are not especially crafty, either – an orange and black paper chain countdown or pumpkins from the grocery store (or better yet, the pumpkin patch!) will do the trick. And, if you prefer to eat your creations, consider making easy gingerbread haunted houses using graham crackers, orange and black frosting, candy corn, and other candies.

Enjoy Halloween Festival Games

If your children will be missing their annual Halloween school party, bring the party home with a mini Halloween festival! Set up Halloween games like “mummy races,” wrapping everyone’s legs in white streamers and to hop to a finish line. “Pop goes the pumpkin” is another fun one – simply place charades clues in orange balloons while you are blowing them up, arrange the balloons on a foam board in the shape of a pumpkin, and have the kids pop the balloons for the clue they need to act out! Create a spooky playlist to play in the background, make some festive Halloween snacks (“bloody band aids” are just graham crackers with white frosting and red jam, and gummy worms in chocolate pudding with Oreo crumbles is another easy treat to put together), and let the party begin!

Rethink Trick-or-Treat

No doubt about it, candy is the reason for the season and if you’re skipping trick-or-treating this year the kids will feel the loss. But, this is the year to get creative, and perhaps discover new family traditions! If you won’t be going door-to-door for candy, how about a candy hunt? For an extra spooky twist, try a flashlight hunt, hiding pieces of candy outside in your yard and having the kids find them using flashlights at night. You can also consider a Halloween piñata, or set up fun challenges to have your kids “earn” their bag of candy, like a scavenger hunt or Halloween trivia challenge. Plus, bonus, if you are providing the candy, you can make sure to get a great stash of the treats they really love!

We know it will be hard to celebrate Halloween during Covid-19, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! We hope you found some great ideas in this article to help bring the festivities to your kids. Let us know in the comments below if you have any other spooktacular ideas!