DIY Halloween Party Ideas + Where To Buy Supplies

This year, for Halloween, my little girl gets to have her first Halloween party at home where she gets to invite a number of her classmates to come over for a little toddler-friendly spooky night of fun. And where her Halloween-obsessed mom gets to have a dose of spook on her favorite holiday…

So, without risking scarring toddlers for years to come, we’re going to have some simple crafts that are suitable for three-year-olds, a few fun games to play, and a toddler-friendly Halloween-themed movie and snacks.

Here’s what we’ve planned and where you can get the supplies.

Paper Plate Jack-o’-Lantern

Virtually self-explanatory. All you need are a white plate, orange paint, glue, and pre-cut black shapes for the eyes and mouth.

How did jack-o’-lanterns become a part of Halloween traditions? Halloween originated from an Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack who tricked the Devil twice. The Devil then promised to leave him alone and not claim his soul when he died.

But after he died, God didn’t allow him into Heaven and the Devil didn’t let him into Hell, either so he was doomed to wander the nights on Earth with a carved-out turnip willed with burning coal to light his way. Wait, turnip? Yup! The first jack-o’-lanterns were made with turnips instead of pumpkins. It wasn’t until immigrants arrived in America that the tradition turned to involve orange pumpkins native to North America instead of turnips.

Shooting Ghost Cup

This one will be fun for the kids to play with afterward and is pretty easy to make. What you’ll need are small paper cups, a marker, tape, balloons, and fuzzy balls (or whatever else you want to shoot).

Cut a hole in the bottom of the cup. Cut your balloon in half and tape the bottom half of the balloon onto the bottom of the cup. Voila! You’ve just created your projectile launcher! Then proceed to decorate your ghost and see who can shoot their fuzzy balls the farthest!

Dry Ice Pumpkin Patch

This one is by far the easiest but also a favorite among toddlers. If you’ve got real pumpkins, carving a jack-o-lantern is cooler. If you don’t, an orange paper cup will do just fine. Cut out shapes for the eyes and mouth then add in some dry ice cubes inside. Then give each kid a little cup of water for them to pour in themselves. That’s it!