How will you celebrate Halloween with your little ones this year? When your kids are old enough to enjoy dressing up and trick or treating but too young for the frightening decorations, you can still plan Halloween festivities that will appeal to your kids. In my fifth year of getting my kids ready for Halloween, I’ve come across some excellent picks for parents. My kids, Samantha and Georgiana, helped me try out everything, including games, costumes, shirts, bags, and inflatables, in search of items that all kids can enjoy. Check out my favorite Halloween decor and costume ideas to make the holiday kid friendly.

1.) Buy Kid Friendly Halloween Costumes.

Purchase costumes that aren’t gory or scary. Your kids can have fun dressing up without spooking themselves and their friends! Check out some costumes I spotted this year.

Pirate Girl Costume by Party Cheap

With the pirate girl costume, buy the pink felt pirate hat and the deluxe pirate eye patch with the plastic gold earring. The combination is adorable. Georgiana, who almost never smiles at the camera, insisted on a full photo shoot so we could see the puffiness of the sleeves, the softness of the material, and the lovely pink colored accents. For a costume that had layers and accessories, it was easy to get on Georgiana, and it stayed on her well.

Elmo Glitter Dress and Pinkie Pie Glitter Dress by TV Store Online

For dress up days at school, stick to a simple outfit that won’t get in the way. With glitter dresses from TV Store Online, you can find the characters that your children adore. The sparkling skirts add a fun, festive touch to the outfits. While the fit is good, the fabric is soft and comfortable. My girls adored the Elmo and Pinkie Pie dresses. Since the style is casual, kids can wear the dresses for fun too, and not just for Halloween. The outfits stayed in great condition when I hand washed them.

Bling by Zing Apparel and Trick or Treat Bags

Buy sparkly Halloween shirts for dress up days at school, and purchase a festive trick or treat bag. These must have items can easily be forgotten, but are essential for Halloween celebrations. Last year, we used plastic containers that broke when we were out walking. I found some great fabric bags that are going to work really well this year and might work next year too! Check out this video of Samantha and Georgiana to see for yourself.

2.) Plan kid friendly Halloween activities.

Set up stations of activities for the kids in your house. Even if you have a haunted house for the older kids, younger kids need activities that don’t involve getting scared. Try mellow activities and games that fit the theme of Halloween.

Spot It! Halloween Game

As one of my more haunting picks, the pictures on this game would almost be eerie, but they just aren’t realistic enough to bother my two year old. While playing, Georgiana got a kick out of yelling out, “An eyeball, an eyeball!” She didn’t seem the slightest bit upset by the spooky pictures. Both girls enjoyed the activity. We ended up having a great family game night together.

To play the game, both players flip a card. Each card has one image that matches a pile that you keep in the center. The key is to have speed and accuracy, so you can gather the biggest pile by the end. Playing the game would be a great way to end an evening of trick or treating.

3.) Decorate your home with kid friendly Halloween decor.

Homes that go all out with scary decorations can even scare adults! Buy decorations that incorporate your children’s favorite characters. Another idea is to put out fall decorations to celebrate the season, without celebrating the scarier side of Halloween.

Yoda Inflatable by Gemmy

Master Yoda is ready for Trick or Treating! Prep your home for the upcoming movie release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December 2015, while also decking out your yard for Halloween festivities. Yoda is one of the most kid friendly characters for Halloween. Samantha hasn’t even seen Star Wars, and she adored his sweet smile and cuddly appearance. The inflatable stays up as long as you have it plugged in, so you don’t have to worry about it deflating. It’s also durable. My kids would plug it in and walk around it, but it never tore.

Olive Kids Fall Farm Personalized Place Mats at Art Appeel

Because you’ll need a spot for unloading a bag full of candy, a personalized place mat is a great way to make your home festive. The fall farm personalized placemat will remind kids of their own experiences visiting pumpkin farms. With such a sweet design, you won’t have to worry about your kids getting frightened. Plus, the item works well for the whole fall season, instead of just the holiday.

4.) Hand out kid friendly treats.

Welch’s Halloween Fruit Snacks

Welch’s Fruit Snacks are a classic for Halloween treats! Last year, I bought some for that delicious real fruit taste. If there were some left over at the end of the night, I knew the snacks would be healthy for my kids since they are a good source of Vitamin C, A, and E.  When teenagers came to my door late in the evening, I apologetically showed them my fruit snacks, explaining that I hadn’t thought I would get any older kids. Thrilled, the teens told me that fruit snacks were their favorite treats. Fruit snacks are not only a favorite for your trick-or-treaters, they are also incredibly festive. Buy Welch’s Halloween Fruit Snacks to get tasty snacks now in Halloween shapes.

Tips

• Give your kids plenty of water! Walking around the neighborhood and playing in the haunted yards nearby uses plenty of energy. When you give sugary treats to exhausted kids, they need to rehydrate too.
• Remind family members that you are making an effort to keep Halloween light-hearted and fun this year. It’s okay to skip the scarier haunted houses and other frightening activities that you kids might not enjoy.

Disclosure

I received a free item to help inform my writing.