Spooky Treats And Games For Your Halloween Party

Healthy-ish Halloween Treats You Can Make At Home

Say no to commercial Halloween treats that will give your kids tummy aches and real scary teeth for next year's Halloween party! With a little creativity, you can whip up great treats in no time. Remember, anything scary goes!

Ghosts are a favorite theme for Halloween, and you've got plenty to work with there. You could cut bananas in half and paint melted-chocolate faces on them, or dip strawberries in melted white chocolate and give them dark-chocolate faces, complete with scary expressions.

Pumpkins are another must, and pumpkin soup and pie are obvious ideas that will never get boring. But you don't have to limit yourself to actual pumpkins to achieve a great effect. Deviled eggs with an orange filling — which yolks, mayonnaise and a little paprika powder will achieve — and a small celery stick placed strategically create a cool pumpkin look. Simple peeled tangerines with a celery or cucumber stick coming from the center also look like mini "pumpkins". 

Don't forget about witches and spiders! Decorated pumpkin-flavored cupcakes help you stick to the theme, and they're delicious. Ice cream cones can be covered in chocolate to serve as witches' hats. Fill them with dried cranberries and apricots, raisins and nuts. Would you like a pizza on Halloween? Cover it with a bunch of "spiders". Olives can be used for the bodies, and they can also be cut up to serve as legs. You can use capers as heads and whole pepper grains as eyes. 

You can use grape or strawberry juice for the kids. Surgical gloves are handy props too. A frozen "hand" ice cube in fruit punch is guaranteed to create a spooky effect — but wash the powder out before you fill it. 

Creepy Games: Try This At Home

Younger audiences love slightly creepy games that don't get scary for real. If you're hosting an under-12 crowd, a "ghost hunt" is guaranteed to be a hit. You'll want to make sure to set creepy props up all around your house.

Playing hide and seek in the dark works well too, or you could have your guests look for treats instead of people. You could even leave ghostly messages that lead kids to an ultimate surprise (like a pumpkin pie!), in a Halloween treasure hunt.  

Are you looking for something a little less frightening? Your young guests could be blindfolded and try to pin a wart onto a witch's nose, play tic-tac-toe with chestnuts and plastic spiders, or play zombie tag — the winner didn't end up as a zombie. You could also have your kids fishing for fake teeth, plastic mice, or eyeballs in a bunch of jello. Added fall leaves make this even more fun. 

Oh, you wanted games for teens? If they haven't tried a ouija board yet, Halloween is the perfect opportunity! Or you could stick to a creepy truth or dare game and some zombie movies. Happy Halloween!