Homeschool Halloween Party Ideas for 3–6 Year Olds — Crafts, Games & Snacks

10 easy, age-appropriate Halloween party plans for a 6-year-old and seven friends (ages 3–6). Each idea pairs a simple craft, a short game, and a snack—plus materials, timing, and safety tips to make a 30–60 minute homeschool party fun and stress-free.

  1. Mini Pumpkin Decorating + Pumpkin Roll Race + Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats: Craft: Give each child a small craft pumpkin (real or foam) and provide washable paint, stickers, googly eyes (supervised), and markers. Time: 15–20 minutes. Game: Pumpkin Roll Race — mark a start/finish and have kids roll pumpkins with their hands or a straw. Keep lanes wide for little kids. Snack: Pumpkin-shaped Rice Krispie treats (use orange dye and a chocolate chip stem). Note: Swap googly eyes for stickers with the youngest to avoid choking hazards.
  2. Sock Puppet Ghosts + Ghost Freeze Dance + 'Spooky' Popcorn Cups: Craft: Pre-stuffed white socks or simple sock puppets using felt mouth pieces and sticker eyes. Kids can glue on felt shapes to make faces. Time: 15 minutes (prep socks in advance). Game: Ghost Freeze Dance — play Halloween music and have them freeze when music stops. Snack: Popcorn in clear cups with a ghost face sticker and a small fruit cup. Note: Supervise glue use and avoid small loose parts for 3-year-olds.
  3. Paper Plate Bats + Bat Cave Treasure Hunt + Banana 'Bat' Bites: Craft: Use paper plates cut in half, paint them black, add pipe cleaner wings and sticker eyes to make bats. Time: 15–20 minutes. Game: Bat Cave Treasure Hunt — hide soft (safe) treasures or glow sticks in a dimmed room and let kids find them with flashlights. Snack: Banana slices longways with chocolate chip eyes to look like little bats (or use chocolate chips on the side for safe assembly). Note: Monitor scissors and small items; consider pre-cut shapes for small kids.
  4. Monster Masks + Monster Mash Musical Statues + Monster Fruit Skewers: Craft: Pre-cut mask shapes from cardstock and let kids decorate with crayons, stickers, pom-poms, and elastic string. Time: 15 minutes. Game: Musical Statues (Monster Mash) — play the Monster Mash song; when music stops kids strike their best monster pose. Snack: Fruit skewers with grapes, melon balls, and berries arranged to look like silly monsters. Note: For 3-year-olds, serve fruit in bowls rather than skewers to avoid poking hazards.
  5. Make a Magic Potion Sensory Station + Potion Science 'Fizz' Game + Jiggly 'Worm' Jello: Craft/Activity: Set up sensory potion stations with water, colored safe dye, glitter, sponges, funnels, and plastic beakers. Kids 'mix' potions and watch color blends. Time: 15–20 minutes. Game: Fizz Reaction — small cups with vinegar; kids add a spoonful of baking soda to make it fizz (do this in turns, supervised). Snack: Jello with gummy worms (or Swedish fish) — or use fruit 'worms' for younger kids. Note: Keep baking soda/vinegar controlled and avoid ingestion of craft glitter.
  6. Friendly Spider Craft + Feed the Spider Toss + Web Sandwiches: Craft: Pipe-cleaner spiders with a pom-pom body and safe adhesive eyes, or paper plate spiders for little hands. Time: 10–15 minutes. Game: Feed the Spider — draw a big spider web on cardboard and toss pom-pom 'flies' into it from a short distance. Snack: 'Web' sandwiches cut with a cookie cutter and decorated with cream cheese lines to look like webs (or use a thin string cheese spider). Note: Avoid small pieces for toddlers; provide larger safe toss items.
  7. Witch Hat Cone Craft + Hat Ring Toss + Witch Hat Snack Cones: Craft: Make cone hats from black cardstock decorated with stickers, glitter glue, or paper bands. Time: 10–15 minutes. Game: Hat Ring Toss — set hats on the floor and have kids toss soft rings onto the cones. Snack: Ice cream cones dipped in chocolate and decorated like witch hats with a mini cookie brim. Note: Prepare hats in advance as simple templates for 3-year-old skill levels and watch for allergies in edible cones.
  8. Handprint Skeleton Art + Pin the Bone on the Skeleton + 'Mummy' Yogurt Pretzels: Craft: Paint each child's hand with white paint and press onto black paper to make a spooky skeleton hand; add googly eyes or stickers for faces on paper. Time: 10 minutes + drying. Game: Pin the Bone — a simplified, non-blindfolded version where kids try to place a paper bone near the correct spot on a big skeleton poster. Snack: Yogurt-covered pretzels drizzled with dark chocolate to look like mini mummies. Note: Use washable, non-toxic paint and supervise eating to avoid choking hazards.
  9. Glow-in-the-Dark Lanterns + Mini Glow Hunt + 'Moonlight' Marshmallow Pops: Craft: Decorate clear jars or plastic cups with glow-in-the-dark paint or tissue paper and battery tealights (no open flame). Time: 15 minutes. Game: Mini Glow Hunt — turn off lights and let kids search for pre-hidden glow sticks or lanterns. Snack: Marshmallow pops dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with edible glitter (use pops only if children are ready; otherwise serve mini marshmallows). Note: Use battery tealights and supervise in the dark to prevent falls.
  10. Mummy Wrap Craft (Paper Mummy Dolls) + Mummy Relay + 'Sausage Mummy' Roll-Ups: Craft: Provide small foam or paper dolls and strips of white crepe paper to wrap and decorate as mummies. Time: 10–15 minutes. Game: Mummy Relay — teams wrap a volunteer lightly in toilet-paper (short distances) or race to wrap a doll and tag the next teammate. Snack: 'Sausage Mummy' pigs-in-a-blanket made with crescent roll dough (cut into small toddler-safe portions) or vegetarian alternative. Note: Be mindful of latex/food allergies and supervise the relay to prevent falls; avoid letting kids wrap faces.

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