I love spooky treats and edible seasonal creations but I don’t usually have the time to spend making them. I used to and someday I might have that time again, but not right now. Scrolling through my social media feed, there’s also a lot of Halloween ideas for games, crafts, and activities that I would love to do with my kids. But I don’t love having to search for a list of things I need just for one craft with a laborious clean up. My intent is to spend time with my kids and have fun — but when I’m running around all afternoon, I can’t always say that goal is achieved.
But yet, I still want to plan fun, seasonal activities with my kids that feel different from the rest of the year.
So yesterday, I entertained my kids with a scavenger hunt, which ended with prizes using only the items I had on hand. A few of which were perfect for our snack time afterwards.
Here are the five steps I followed for a fantastic fall Friday.
1. I collected age appropriate Halloween themed objects from my home.
A few weeks ago, I bought a bunch of kid-friendly orange and white decorative mini pumpkins from Target. Sitting in a decorative bowl in my dining room, I grabbed all sixteen of them and got ready to hide them. My objects happened to all be pumpkins but you could also find a variety of objects and keep a list of how many of each item you have, for example how many pumpkins or ghosts you have. You could also cut out Halloween objects from a coloring book or a greeting card and use those as the objects for your scavenger hunt.
2. I hid the pumpkins around one room in my home.
While my oldest was at school, my middle son was playing in a fort we made, and my youngest was napping, I took less than five minutes and hid all sixteen pumpkins in my family room. If you use cut outs from a coloring book or greeting card, just tape the clippings up around the room, hiding them in places that aren’t visible to your children when they first walk in.
3. I collected prizes from what I had at home — including festive snacks.
I grabbed some applesauce pouches, popcorn bags, and granola bars with pumpkins on them from our snack cabinet and some candy I had in anticipation of Halloween. From a coloring book a family member gave us a few weeks ago, I pulled out a few Halloween activity sheets and added them to my pile. I also pulled out two Halloween themed cups from our cupboard and filled them with apple cider. I attached a few Halloween stickers to the outer packaging of individually wrapped carrots and tossed them in the prize bucket. And finally, I added a few Halloween stickers to a bag of coins my sister gave me a few days ago to give to my kids at some point. Today, became some point.
During my search for prizes, I also came across a Halloween activity tablecloth and laid it out on my dining room table along with some crayons for some spontaneous fun over the next week.
4. I invited my kids to a fun Friday afternoon scavenger hunt!
When my son got off the bus, I told my older two boys that I had a surprise for them and asked if they wanted to do a scavenger hunt — and win prizes! Excited by the special effort I made, they both ran into the house and we started their quest for pumpkins.
5. I gave my kids the opportunity to trade their pumpkins in for prizes.
Once my kids found all sixteen pumpkins, I let them trade each pumpkin for one prize. They mostly went for the candy and cider but they were both eager to pick out some new coins for their piggy banks. My oldest also chose the activity pages and invited me to sit down and work on them with him. They both ignored the carrots and the applesauce — but it was worth a try.
With very little prep and using only what I already had on hand, they enjoyed their apple cider, popcorn, and candy while we all sat playing tic tac toe from the activity pages I included. The truth is, I planned on giving them cider, popcorn, and a piece of candy as a special snack after school anyway. But turning it into a fun activity was a lot more fun than simply plating it.
I also planned the carrots so I ended up opening the packages for them, adding some hummus, and adding them to our snack table. And they did eat them — but only after their chosen snacks.
When snack time was over, my kids got up and they went off to play quietly while I got a chance to write this blog post.
As parents, we are often told that our kids need us to be calm. But at the same time we are faced with the societal pressure to over schedule our kids (and thereby ourselves) and to be the parent who makes festive desserts and plans tons of seasonal crafts with them. But sometimes they can cause more stress than they are worth.
This was a low maintenance activity that was fun, festive, and set the tone for the rest of the afternoon — a calm, Friday afternoon in October that got our weekend off to a great start.
While I hope you enjoy reading my posts, kindly be advised that the words in this article are not medical advice and I cannot guarantee that they will work for you or your family. They are my reflections on parenting my three boys, based on my own personal background and experiences. Always reach out to your own health professionals for any questions or concerns. Please read my full disclosure at the bottom of this site for more information. Very sincerely, Mamma P.
