Is it me or is Halloween getting crazy popular over the last few years? Maybe it is just because I notice it more now with the girls but the shops seem to be full to the brim with decorations, treats and costumes from early September. Last year was the first year Molly went trick or treating (aged 3) and she adored putting her costume on and very quickly got in to the swing of collecting chocolates from all the houses in the village. Halloween has now become one of her ‘when is it…’ dates so this year I want to make it a bit more fun for her.

As a late October baby myself I know a thing or two about throwing a Halloween party! Pretty much every birthday party as a child was Halloween themed. So whilst my friends were having princess parties mine were full to the brim with ghoulishness and spooky themed decor. My mum became a pro at a spider birthday cake and I remember a pretty mean shark infested jelly number!

Now I know we don’t all have oodles of time for perfecting decorations and costumes but I wanted to share some simple ideas that are perfect to do with the kids at the weekend or after school. My girls adore a bit of craft so we will be definitely be creating a bit of halloween fun at home. Most require little in the way of complicated materials or ingredients so whether you are planning a full on spook fest or just a little bit of ‘boo’ they are guaranteed to get the kids involved in the spooky fun. Plus read on for details of our special Rock My Pumpkin competition.

Paper Plate Ghosts and Spiders

I’m a big fan of paper plate crafts for toddlers. So simple and easy. Plus they are normally a less messy option which is always a bonus in my book! To create the ghosts you will need some white paper plates, white paper and tissue paper and a black marker pen. Firstly cut some arm shapes from the paper and some long strips from the tissue paper. Sellotape the arms to the reverse of the plate and then attach strips of tissue paper from the bottom. Finally draw on a ghostly face and attach a piece of ribbon to hang the plate. Line your doorway for a ghostly entrance or hang at the window.
The spiders were created using white paper plates which we then painted black and purple. Glue on a couple of googly eyes (or more if you are going for a mutant spider!). Cut pipe cleaners in to lengths and sellotape 4 legs to the each side of the reverse of the plate.
You can go to town with similar styles for bats or witches faces. A bit of glitter works wonders too!

Paper Cup Ghosts

Using a similar method to above you can create a whole little group of ghosts. Get some white paper or plastic cups and attach arms. Sellotape the tissue paper strips all around the inside of the base of the cup and add you best ghoulish face. Finally, pop a hole in the top of the cup and secure some string through, taping on the reverse. They look equally cute sat on a windowsill.

Balloons

What kid doesn’t love balloons? They are a simple decoration to hang by the front door or in the hall for welcoming Trick or Treaters. Grab some white balloons and then draw on spooky ghost faces using a black sharpie pen. You can also add white ghosty arms that can flap around. Or how about a few black balloons with little bat wings attached to the side cut from black paper or card. Older kids will enjoy creating the designs themselves.

Pumpkins

It wouldn’t be halloween without pumpkins. However, I will fully admit my carving skills aren’t the best. I can just about manage a few eyes and a jagged mouth!
But who says pumpkins have to be carved? There are so many fun and creative options out there that don’t involve sharp knives or getting covered in pumpkin pulp! Ok, so there may be paint and glitter but I’m a firm believer that glitter makes everything better! You could try painting a pumpkin with chalk paint and then letting the kids doodle faces on it. Or how about gluing strips of tissue paper on to create colourful pumpkins or dipping in glitter. You can go as crafty or bonkers as you like. Molly requested that her pumpkin was pink and purple stripes with glitter so that’s what she got!

Scary Signs

Get some black card and thread some string through to hang it from. Then get creative with creepy words or pictures using white pens or crayons.

Oreo Spiders

When it comes to the treats for those little visitors to your door why not head to the kitchen and make something super simple. What kid (or adult!) doesn’t love an Oreo? To make these tickly spiders you’ll need Oreo’s, liquorice laces and smarties. Simply cut the laces in to short lengths, carefully remove the top of an Oreo and place 8 little legs inside. Sandwich the top back on (you may need a bit of extra frosting or icing to stick it back together) and then add Smartie eyes, fixing with dots of icing. Strangely when we were making these the smarties kept disappearing in to a small person’s mouth!

Marshmallow Ghosts

To make sweet little ghosts buy a bag of white marshmallows and some black food colouring or an edible pen. Then simply start adding faces.

Satsuma Pumpkins

It’s no surprise that my kids prefer chocolate to fruit but for those of you who want to head towards a healthy alternative for Halloween treats then these are the perfect addition. All you need to do is grab a bag of satsumas and a sharpie pen. It can be an edible pen but seen as the skin won’t be eaten it really doesn’t matter too much. Then get adding pumpkin faces and voila. They make a cute little display piled on a window sill too.

Rock My Pumpkin Competition

When it comes to pumpkins we love them all. From a simple jagged tooth smile to an elaborate carving. Be it painted or glittered, orange or pink. We would love to see what spooky or ghoulish creations you come up with. Simply share a picture on Instagram or Twitter mentioning @rockmyfamily or @rockmystyle with the hashtag #RockMyPumpkin so we can see them all. We will then be sharing our favourites on the blog as a Halloween special so make sure you check back on the 31st to see if you have won a place in our pumpkin gallery.

What have you got planned for Halloween? Do you get in the spirit of it or leave the pumpkin clearly out of view?