Kid-Friendly Halloween Party

By Vicki Pollenitz
Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Throwing a haunted Halloween party for your kids? Here are all the how-to tips you will need to throw a spooky celebration. Find kids’ Halloween party ideas, like our delicious and easy Halloween Party menu. It’s full of simple, classic Southern fall recipes kids will love. Organize fun Halloween games for kids, and learn how to set up an apple bob without getting messy. Our creative, creepy recipes are perfect party-pleasers for kids of all ages – try serving up a Halloween appetizer of creamy bacon and onion party dip, easy monster-themed meatball sandwiches, and festive mummy hotdogs for added spook. We have the perfect Halloween desserts and treats for your party – and yes, we’ve included a few kid-friendly healthy dessert options to avoid triggering a sugar overload!  Looking for more Halloween activities for kids? We’ve included a few of our favorite easy pumpkin carving design ideas. Now, all that you’re missing is a creative Halloween costume!

Related: Face It: Babies Have Better Halloween Costumes Than You

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Boo Y'all

Jennifer Davick

Follow our tips and How-To Videos to throw an easygoing get-together for your favorite goblins, pretty princesses, superheroes, and their parents on October’s spookiest night.

Haunting (but not Daunting) Menu
Serves 8 to 10 Onion-Bacon Dip Assorted Multigrain and Vegetable Chips Monster Meatball Sandwiches Barbecue Stew Mummy Dogs Cereal–and–Granola "Apples" Chocolate Ghost Cakes
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 "Stay Dry" Apple Bobbing

 Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Bob for apples without the water and all the mess by suspending them from string. Remember, no hands allowed!

Watch our How-To Video

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Onion-Bacon Dip

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Onion-Bacon Dip

At your Halloween party, your guests are sure to find this appetizer simply scary-delicious. Served in an acorn squash, Creamy Onion-Bacon Dip is sure to be a hit–you probably should go ahead and double the recipe. It mixes all the smoky, salty, flavors of a great, crunchy bacon with the sweetness of a large sweet onion, plus leeks, sautéed in bacon drippings. What could possibly taste better than that? This dip tastes great with everything, so just keep it simple: we serve ours with multigrain chips and an assortment of cut fresh vegetables. Dig in, and dip those chips.

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Monster Meatball Sandwiches

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen; Food Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Recipe: Monster Meatball Sandwiches

These 5-ingredient, money-saving mini sandwiches will satisfy the heartiest of appetites. Using premade frozen meatballs keeps preparation swift and simple.

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Mummy Dogs

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Mummy Dogs

A spider web of mustard and ketchup goes perfect with Mummy Dogs. (The secret to the “bun” is refrigerated breadstick dough.) To make the web, fill a small bowl with ketchup. Using a squirt bottle, pipe mustard in concentric circles on top of ketchup. Beginning at the center, draw a wooden pick through the circles in a spoke pattern.

Watch our How-To Video

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Barbecue Stew

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Recipe: Barbecue Stew

Serve make-ahead Barbecue Stew over baked frozen oven fries for a hearty meal.

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Cereal-and-Granola "Apples"

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Cereal-and-Granola "Apples"

Serve Cereal-and-Granola "Apples" for dessert or package them as party favors for the kids.

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Scary Spider Coolers

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Keep an assortment of drinks cool in scary spider coolers. Soft copper tubing is oh-so-easy to shape into legs. You can also use wrought iron “S-shaped” plant hangers or pipe cleaners.

Watch our How-To Video

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Not Your Average Jack-O-Lanterns 

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Download Pumpkin Carving Designs

Creating designs on your pumpkins, like the ones shown here, is easier than you think. Kits are available everywhere–from dollar stores to high-end kitchen shops–but you really don’t need a kit. Assemble your own with basic kitchen tools such as a sharp knife, a smaller paring knife, and wide, sturdy spoons to clean out the seeds and stringy pulp. A small handsaw is also helpful.

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