Too often our tweens are stuck in an awkward place – wanting to do the fun ‘kid’ things but also starting to feel too old for some of them. If your tween is struggling with all the fun Halloween things they would normally do, try these fun activities that will still keep them involved and having a great time. It could also be the chance to start some new Halloween traditions like a scary movie night or a ghost story competition!

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Over the age of 10, kids can often start to show less enthusiasm for Halloween. Not because they don’t want to get dressed up or go trick or treating anymore, but because they’re afraid of appearing ‘uncool’ to their peers. Help make things fun for your tweens at Halloween with this list of super spooky Halloween activities that even they won’t be able to refuse!

Entertaining Tweens at Halloween

#1. Have a Scary Movie Night

Most tweens at Halloween love a good fright night, so let your tween host a scary movie night with their friends. Encourage all the guests to come in costume and bring a Halloween snack/treat. Agree beforehand the movie that will be shown, which should still be age appropriate. Then back-off and let them enjoy – just expect a few screams!

#2. Make Ghoulish Halloween Drinks

Brew up some spooky concoctions for the kids, from the gross to the ghastly! Kids of all ages love these gruesome and gorey Halloween drinks and mocktails, including bat blood smoothies, monster punch and ghost milkshakes!

#3. Play Hide & Seek in the Dark

If your tween has friends over, they will love a game of Hide & Seek in the dark! Give everyone a glow-stick or torch, and let them loose in your garden. Expect much shrieking and screaming.

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#4. Decorate

Image: Parents.com

Let your tween be in charge of turning your house into the ‘Haunted House of the Neighbourhood’ this Halloween, and get them to decorate the front porch/steps or your front hall this Halloween, in their own style.

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#5. Make Halloween Eyeball Cookies

These very realistic Halloween eyeball cookies from Food.com will make a great addition to any tween halloween party, or to hand out to trick or treaters. They are very creepy looking but we promise they taste delicious, and your tween will love making and decorating them!

#6. Make Itsy, Bitsy Spiders

Image: Craftberry Bush

Kids of this age love all things spooky – the creepier and grosser the better!

This creepy yarn spider’s nest from Craftberry Bush will tick all those boxes, and is perfect for decorating your haunted house this Halloween.

#7. Make a Costume

Get your tween to start working on their Halloween costume. Even if they don’t go trick or treating, they could wear it for a party at home, some fun with friends, or tjust to give out the candy to trick or treaters.

#8. Paint Spooky Nails

Image: Polish and Pearls

From ghosts to pumpkins and spiders to slime, a fangtastic Halloween manicure is the perfect finishing touch for your Halloween costume – and lots of fun for tweens (and you!) to do.

#9. Be a Mad Scientist

Halloween is the best time of year to turn your kitchen into a science lab and have fun with lots of experiments. The more gooey, slimy and spooky the better! From glowing monster slime to screechy sounds, here are 5 fun Halloween science experiments for kids to try. They could also try make these glow in the dark bubbles.

#10. Give Them a Job

Kids of this age can sometimes feel at a bit of a loss – they desperately want to be involved, but may feel too old to partake. Giving them a job can help them still enjoy the night, yet feel grown-up.

You could put them in charge of:

• Trick or treat supervision of younger kids around the neighbourhood
• Organising the party games for younger kids
• Setting up not-so-scary haunted house tours for little ones in your yard
• Playing Halloween Bingo with the younger kids/siblings

#11. Decorate Pumpkins

Let your tween decorate the pumpkins this year. If they don’t want to carve them, they could go with some fun and creative no carve pumpkin ideas like emojis, minions, Disney characters, Minecraft or Fortnite themes, unicorns, and so much more!

If they have some friends coming over, why not have a pumpkin decorating competition?

#12. Tell Ghost Stories

If you’re hosting a party for your tweens at Halloween, they’re still young enough to enjoy ghost stories. So turn off the lights, have some candles lit or torches and tell some spooky tales.

For added fright-factor you could have someone nearby making some spooky sounds (creaking door, distant footsteps, breathing).

And to lighten the mood at the end of the scary stories, here are some fun Halloween jokes that will lighten the mood!

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#13. Make Monster Teeth Cookies

The kids will enjoy making these Monster Teeth Cookies, especially if they’re having some friends over at Halloween. They’re super easy and look great too.

#14. Create Silhouette Lanterns

Image: Adventure in a Box

Silhouette lanterns, like these Halloween ones from Adventure in a Box, can be easily made with jars, spray paint, and a paint marker, and can look very effective as part of your Halloween decor. A perfect crafty activity for kids of this age.

#15. Play Freaky Feel Box

Freaky Feel Box is another great activity to do if your tween has some friends over. Are they brave enough to put their hands into the Freaky Feel Box? Guaranteed fun, squirming and shrieks!

How to Play

• Get a large cardboard box and divide into 4/more compartments internally (you could use flaps from top of box for this)
• Cut holes on sides of box to access each compartment, ensuring just large enough to fit in the hand, but not see in. Decorate the top and side of box creepily, using cobwebs, plastic spiders etc.
• Place “creepy” items in each compartment – examples include fake fur, peeled grapes for eyeballs, cold spaghetti for worms, slime, damp rough sponge for brains, tines of a plastic fork for vampire teeth, hairy fake spiders etc.
• Turn the lights down low to add to the spook-factor, and get the kids to take it in turns to put their hands into the box and try guess what they are feeling. You could also leave another hole at back of box, for you to reach your hand in and grab theirs – sure to cause high-pitched screams!

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