Halloween Party Invitations and Fun Games for Children.

Halloween traditions, invitations and games.

Halloween costume parties are fun for all ages but especially for children. There are lots of super fun games and activities, some of which seem to be regional in nature. Here I’ll present some cute Halloween party invitations and Halloween candy bags, give some information on the history of  Halloween and it’s traditions, and share some Halloween games and ideas from my native Scotland as well as around the world.

The History of Halloween

The origins of Halloween come from an old Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”) as the video below explains. It was a very different celebration to the one we all know and love today.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VRAemIvbI

Trick or Treating

Many years ago, when I was a little Scottish lass, Halloween “trick or treating” was known as “guising”. As in the USA where the tradition began, kids would dress up in costume and go around the neighbourhood knocking on doors to get their “Halloween”. Instead of trick or treat however, we had to “do a turn” in order to get out Halloween candy. That involved telling a joke, singing a song or doing a dance or such. Back in those days it was deemed safe for kids to go into people’s houses, nowadays though kids seem to automatically be given candy on the doorstep in the same manner as our American cousins.

Trick or Treat Halloween Candy Swag Bags

Not only are these tote bags super fun for collection all of your child’s Halloween candy, they are also great environmentally since they are sturdy enough to be used year after year.

Jack O’ Lanterns

The Jack O’ Lanterns we used to have were carved out of turnips rather than the commonly used pumpkins of today. That tradition arose out of an old Irish Folk tale about a man named Stingy Jack. Jack was a thief and a cheat, a trickster who managed to con the devil himself and made him promise to never take Jack’s soul. When Jack tied, he was not granted entry to Heaven because of his sinful life and as promised, the devil did not take his soul. When Jack pleaded with the devil and asked where he would go and how he would see, the devil gave him a burning ember that would never die, directly from the fires if hell. Jack carved out a turnip to house the ember and used it as his lantern. When Scottish and Irish immigrants moved to America, they adopted the pumpkin in place of turnips for their Jack O’ Lanterns.

Halloween Party Invitations for Children

Spooky Rooftops	Halloween Candy	Jack O’ Lanterns	Fancy Dress Animals
Witch Pig	Cute Ghosts	Costume Party	Trick or Treatn
Witch’s Hats	Cute Witch	Dracula	Trick or Treat

Halloween Party Games

After sending out your Halloween Party Invitations, you will have to begin thinking about Halloween games and activities for all of the children. Here are a few ideas for fun games at your child’s next Halloween party. Many parents are now tending towards throwing Halloween parties as a safer alternative to trick or treating for younger children.

1. “Dooking” for apples (Apple Bobbing). Fill a large basin or bowl with water and add one apple for each child at the party. Then have the children take turns at trying to pick out one of the apples using only their mouth. A variation that keeps the kids a little bit drier is to have them stand on a stool or chair and holding the handle-end of a fork in their mouth, drop the fork to try to “spear” the apples.
2. Treacle Scones. This is an incredibly messy Halloween game so it would be wise to prepare by laying down an old paint sheet on your floor before beginning.  A treacle scone or farl is a Scottish flatbread/cake (regular scones are very like American biscuits but normally eaten with jam) that is normally baked in a round and then quartered. They have quite a dense texture which is what makes them so good for this game! The scones are strung up on a rope at just below head-height and smeared with treacle or syrup. The children have to eat all of their scone without using their hands and the first to finish is the winner.
3. Piñatas. This Mexican tradition (originally though to have derived from China) is a slightly less messy option and still plenty of fun. If your party is to replace going out trick or treating, this is a good option for the children to “earn” their candy. Whilst piñatas are sell known in the USA, they are still relatively new to the UK but can be found at many online party supply sites.
4. Monster Slime. Get a large bowl and add ghoulish Halloween candy such as eyeball gobstoppers, jelly worms, chocolate skulls (the more disguting the better as far as any children I know are concerned). Make up enough packs of Jell-O / jelly to fill the bolw and cover the candy. At party time, get each child to stick their hands into the “monster slime” and pick out a treat.
5. Hunt the Thimble Variation. A variation on an old classic where a Halloween themed item, such as a rubber spider or toy voodoo doll, is hidden in the room and the children have to hunt to find it.

For more great Halloween Party Invitations, gifts and supplies, visit Zazzle.

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