Do Game Designers Age Out

Halloween Party Games Everyone Will Love

Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe

Move the festivities outside to play this oversized version of tic-tac-toe that uses orange and white petite pumpkins in the place of x's and o's. To recreate at home, use decorative duct tape to create a grid on a flat area, like a driveway or patio, then place pumpkins in a basket or stack them up beside the gameboard.

GET THE HOW-TO: 3 DIY Pumpkin-Themed Yard Games for Fall Fun

Pick-a-Pumpkin Party Game

This kids' party game is easy to make and fun to play. You can make it simple by allowing kids to pick a prize depending on which pumpkin they choose, or more difficult by making the goal to match two items behind the pumpkin flaps.

GET THE HOW-TO: Halloween Party Game: Pumpkin Pickin'

Haunted Halloween Gingerbread House Competition

Gingerbread houses are no longer just a Christmas craft. Say hello to the haunted Halloween gingerbread house, your new go-to party activity. Candy corn, marshmallow fluff and purple frosting combine with various other Halloween treats to make the quintessential haunted house. Set up a table full of supplies, then designate an impartial judge to decide who takes home the prize for the creepiest gingerbread house on the block.

GET THE HOW-TO: How to Make a Halloween-Approved Gingerbread House

Candy Bucket Pong

This oversized version of the classic college party game is reimagined for family fun. To play, set up 10 plastic candy buckets in a pyramid shape on the lawn and fill each bucket with rocks or sand. Standing about 6 feet from the first bucket, players take turns trying to toss a Ping-Pong ball into the buckets, removing a bucket each time they score. The player with the most buckets at the end wins.

GET THE HOW-TO: 3 DIY Pumpkin-Themed Yard Games for Fall Fun

Indoor Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Spiders, mummies and ghosts — oh my! Our free, printable Halloween treasure hunt sends kids on a harrowing journey around the house to gather clues and find hidden treats. Follow the link below to find the instructions and download the free printable cards that guarantee hours of fun this Halloween.

GET THE HOW-TO: Free, Printable Halloween Scavenger Hunts

Outdoor Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Looking to scare up some family-friendly fun this Halloween? We created a free, printable Halloween scavenger hunt perfect for kids of all ages. This interactive outdoor activity is a great way to involve the whole family while trick-or-treating, or bring it along in the car while checking out Halloween decorations in your neighborhood. Download the free Halloween scavenger hunt file here, then check out more free, printable Halloween scavenger hunt ideas at the link below.

SEE MORE: Free, Printable Halloween Scavenger Hunts

Cookie Stacking Tournament

Games with prizes, especially food prizes, tend to keep kids entertained. Using sandwich cookies, see who can stack the most cookies in one minute without the stack falling over. Reward the winner with candy or a small Halloween trinket. Hosting a lot of kids? Try putting together a cookie-stacking tournament!

SEE MORE: Host a Kids' Craft Party for Halloween

Jack-o'-Lantern Can Toss

Take a page from the book of classic carnival games to fashion this fun, almost-free can toss. Clean out 10 metal soup cans, cover them in sparkly orange cardstock and add fun jack-o'-lantern faces with a marker or black cardstock. Stack the cans in a pyramid shape on top of some hay bales and let the bean bag tossing begin! The player to knock down the most cans in five rounds wins.

GET THE HOW-TO: 3 DIY Pumpkin-Themed Yard Games for Fall Fun

Spiderweb Toss

Our guess is that this spiderweb toss game will be a hit with the kids. However, that won't stop the more competitive adults from giving it a shot, too. Make things more creative by offering candy prizes for whoever gets the spider closest to the center of the web.

GET THE HOW-TO: How to Make a Kids' Halloween Spiderweb Game

Pin the Spider on the Web

If you loved the idea of the spiderweb toss game but need something a little easier for younger children, pin the spider is just the ticket. Have the older kids play in pairs with a blindfold or choose a simpler route for the younger kids by having them pin the spider on the web themselves.

GET THE HOW-TO: Pin the Spider on the Web Halloween Party Game

DIY Candy Corn Piñata

Halloween swings into action with this candy corn piñata. Kids of all ages will love taking a shot at this treat-filled craft, and because you make it yourself, you get complete control over what goes inside.

GET THE HOW-TO: How to Make a Candy Corn Pinata for Halloween

Marshmallow Toss Game

Get a little help from the kiddos to craft this easy party game. They'll enjoy helping to create the game as much as they will playing it. As a reward for their skills, let them eat whichever marshmallows they can get in the cups.

GET THE HOW-TO: Halloween Party Game: Marshmallow Toss

Witch Bottle Bowling

Put your recycling to good use by crafting this cute witch bowling set. Simply remove the labels from used water bottles, fill them with rocks and adorn them with Halloween decor. Use a kickball as a bowling ball for hours of lawn bowling fun.

SEE MORE: Games and Activities For a Kids' Halloween Party

Bloodshot Eyes Matching Game

This easy-to-DIY game uses mailing tubes and plastic jars to create a Halloween-themed matching game that can be filled with candy or toys for the kids, or boozy treats (i.e. airplane bottles) for the grown-ups.

GET THE HOW-TO: Halloween Party Game: Snake Eyes

Ghostly Follow the Ball

This classic game with a Halloween twist is sure to provide tons of fun for the kids. Craft the cute cups, then give kids a gumball and show them how to play the game with a partner by hiding the gumball under one of the ghosts, moving the ghosts around and having his/her partner guess which ghost has the gumball.

SEE MORE: 60 Frighteningly Fun Halloween Party Ideas

Haunting Hopscotch

Put some pep in the trick-or-treaters' steps with a festive pumpkin hopscotch game. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to make this sweet and simple DIY to highlight the path to candy on Halloween night. Not spooky enough for your taste? Use the same hopscotch base but swap the pumpkins for inky spiders, screeching bats or bloody footprints.

GET THE HOW-TO: 7 Fun and Spooky Front Yard Decorating Ideas for Halloween

Scary Skeleton Ring Toss

Use a store-bought skeleton and painted wood rounds to craft this scary skeleton ring toss game. To play, take turns tossing glow stick necklaces toward the skeleton. The player who lands the most rings wins.

WATCH THE VIDEO: Skeleton Ring Toss

Set Up a Crafting Station

Set up an interactive crafting station for kids or guests to turn plain headbands into these fun, feline Halloween costume props. Cut out the cardstock ears ahead of time and pile a table with all manner of crafting materials like sequins, ribbon and more so crafters can customize to their hearts' content.

GET THE HOW-TO: Kids' Craft: Witch's Hat or Black Cat Halloween Headbands

Monster Mash Musical Chairs

Halloween musical chairs is just like ordinary musical chairs, only played to a Halloween soundtrack and full of fun Halloween decor. As ordinary musical chairs goes, it is a blast for all ages and brings out just enough of everyone's competitive spirit. Set up chairs around a fun tree decorated for Halloween, as designer Jennifer Perkins did here.

SEE MORE: Games and Activities For a Kids' Halloween Party

Host a Pumpkin Carving Contest

If messes are no big deal to you, don't hesitate to feature traditional pumpkin carving at your party. This tried-and-true Halloween activity is a rite of passage for kids and adults alike. Feel free to get as simple or intricate as you like, but don't forget to have plenty of safe carving tools to go around! Snag our free, beginner carving templates here, advanced carving templates here, and grab our top carving tips below.

READ THE ARTICLE: Our Best Pumpkin-Carving Tips and Tools

Tic-Tac-BOO!

When thinking of Halloween party games, remember it can be as simple as taking a classic game and giving it a spooky twist. In this case, tic-tac-toe becomes tic-tac-boo with a little light crafting. The durable DIY game board can be used for years to come.

GET THE HOW-TO: This DIY Halloween Board Game Is So Fun It's Scary

Kooky Cornhole

This bean-bag toss game is fun and easy for the whole family and building a set is a fairly easy woodworking project that you can tackle in a day. Feeling extra festive? Paint the board in graphic Halloween colors like black and orange and buy bean bags to match.

GET THE HOW-TO: How to Build a Regulation Cornhole Set

Oversized Outdoor Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe

Oversized pumpkin tic-tac-toe is the perfect backyard-friendly game to keep kids entertained at your next fall gathering. To make your own, hammer 8 wood stakes into the ground in a square pattern, with two stakes on each side of the square. Tie ribbon, caution tape or plastic streamers between the stakes to create a grid that floats about a foot off the ground. Arrange 5 white pumpkins and 5 orange pumpkins on opposite sides of the grid, then let the games begin!

Monster Checkers

This Halloween-themed take on the classic board game is a surefire way to keep little and big monsters entertained. The small learning curve makes it easy for young kids to play, but still keeps older kids' attention. Follow the link below to learn how to make this easy game table and monster-face checkers.

GET THE HOW-TO: Ikea Hack: How to Turn a Lack Table Into a Kid-Sized Game Table

DIY Haunted House

Speaking of haunted houses, all good Halloween parties need one. This easy DIY makes perfect use of the old plastic playhouse that has been collecting dust and killing your grass and gives it a much-needed, Halloween-themed facelift.

SEE MORE: Games and Activities For a Kids' Halloween Party

Devilish Desserts

It goes without saying that kids love a craft they can eat. Whether it's decorating a cookie or crafting these adorable marshmallow-and-pretzel skeletons, the reward after all that hard work is half the fun. Odds are, people will want to eat more than just one, so let the kids craft as many as they want. Tip: Provide food-safe gloves for crafting and wash hands before and after.

GET THE HOW-TO: Halloween Kids' Craft: Pretzel Skeletons

Halloween Egg-and-Spoon Race

This isn't your ordinary egg-and-spoon race. First, these Halloween-themed eggs are made of wood, making them ready for race after race. Second, decorating the eggs and spoons makes for the perfect pregame craft.

SEE MORE: Games and Activities For a Kids' Halloween Party

Halloween Cakewalk

Hosting a Halloween-themed cakewalk is a piece of — well, cake. In this tutorial, chocolate snack cakes were chosen for their ease and price, and decorated to suit the season. To play, turn on your favorite Halloween music. As the music plays, players walk around a table or cake stand, moving from one numbered circle to another . As soon as the music stops, everyone stands on the number they're closest to. The game leader pulls a number from a hat, reads it out loud and the person standing on that number takes the cake.

SEE MORE: Games and Activities For a Kids' Halloween Party

Precious Pet Pumpkins

These precious pet pumpkins are a party-approved, no-carve fall craft. Choose to freehand your playful pets or follow the included templates below that take the guesswork out of making each animal come to life.

GET THE HOW-TO: Halloween Kids' Craft: Adorable Pet Pumpkins

Hanging Bats for Halloween

This adorable hanging bat craft is perfect for kids. They're sure to have a blast creating the bats, and the sense of pride they will get from hanging up their creepy creations is sure to put a smile on their face.

GET THE HOW-TO: Halloween Kids' Craft: Hanging Foam Bats

Cookie Cutter Play-Doh Craft

If you're not sure what the kids attending your party enjoy, Play-Doh is always a safe bet. Pair ordinary Play-Doh with cookie cutters in classic Halloween shapes like bats and pumpkins to help even the youngest children experience the joys of crafting.

SEE MORE: Games and Activities For a Kids' Halloween Party