Article Surfing Archive

1. Bobbing for Apples - This is a Halloween game that goes back hundreds of years. Place apples with stems in a large tub or kettle with water. They must remove an apple only using their teeth. Alternatively, you can tie 13 apples to strings and hang them from a tree. Each child must try to bite an apple while blindfolded.

2. Candy Hunt - Similar to an egg hunt, wrap little packages of candy corn in netting or use other candy and hide them for the children to find.

3. Sardines - This is a variation of hide and seek but with a twist. One person is "it" and hides and the others go searching. When someone finds the "it," rather than let on where they are, they hide with them. Soon you have six or more children hiding with "it." The last one to find "it" becomes "it" the next time.

4. Wrap the Mummy - This is a race game. Divide the children up in pairs. One in each pair is "the mummy," and they must stand still. The race is for their partner to wrap them in a roll of toilet paper before anyone else.

5. Spider Web - You will need lengths of black yarn and a plastic or toy spider and a small prize for each child. To set up, tie one end of the yarn to a prize and hide the prize, then walk around the room twisting the yarn around furniture. Cut the yarn and attach a spider to the other end within sight in the middle of the room. Repeat with the other prizes. Each child finds a spider and then follows it to a prize.

6. Witch Race - You will need at least two buckets and two brooms. Each player in the race must put one foot in the bucket and hold onto it with one hand, and carry a broom in the other hand.

7. Apple Race - Kids must race on all fours while pushing apples with their noses.

8. Taboo - One player is the questioner and chooses a letter of the alphabet that can*t be used by the players. The questioner then asks the first player a question, and they have to answer in a sentence without using that letter. If they do, they are out of the game and the turn passes. The last person in the game is the questioner in the next round.

9. Witch on a Broom - This is a memory game. The first player begins by saying, "I*m a witch on a broom and I*m taking a _______," and they fill in the blank with whatever they like. The second person in the circle starts out, "I*m a witch on a broom and I*m taking a _____ and a _____," and then they must name what the first player said and then add one of their own. The third person starts out the same and must name what the first players said in order, and so on. As more things are added, players start making mistakes. The last person in the game without error, wins.

10. Frankenstein - For this you will need for each child a stiff card or foam board, scissors, and glue, and you will also need magazines. Have the kids cut out separate heads, torsos, arms, and legs and glue them onto the cards... the funnier the better.

11. Witch's Hat (or Wizard's Hat if you have Harry Potter fans) - You will need one stiff and pointy hat, and rings to toss over it.

12. Zombie - Divide players into pairs. Each pair must hold hands and use their free hands (one each) to tie a shoe.

13. Pass the Pumpkin - You will need small pumpkins or squash, and large soup spoons. Form two teams for relay racing.