OK, so the kids have literally only just gone back to school. You need a short time to take a breath and recover from the rigours of the summer holidays. But… Halloween is only just over a month away! And, providing a chance to dress up, be silly, eat sweets, and have fun, it’s one of our favourite events of the year!

So, what are the options for celebrating Halloween in style?

Our Top Three Favourite Ways to Celebrate Halloween

Trick or Treat

It’s an oldie, but it’s most definitely a goodie. Dressing up to take the kids trick or treating has to be one of the pleasures of primary school parenting. But the ‘trick’ is to put the emphasis on fun, rather than scary. Because even if your children are unlikely to have nightmares, you never know who’s going to answer each door. So, keep it sweet. Plan costumes that are kooky rather than creepy. Prepare some tricks that might just raise a smile – a card trick, reciting the alphabet backwards, shake hands with a fake hand (waving goodbye and having a hand fall off works well too!), or engineer a tooth falling out with Fun Gums Teeth! And look out for – and respect – homes with polite no-caller messages.

Halloween party

We love Halloween parties because it’s a really fun and safe way for kids to enjoy the occasion. And you can be absolutely sure that you’re catering for people who want to be involved. So, plan ahead and set a date. Let your kids have fun with ‘spooky’ invites and get to work on your decorations. Ensuring that everything is age-appropriate. Theming your party can be a good idea, whether it’s ‘haunted house’, ‘witches and wizards’, or ‘monsters’. Then you need to decide if you want to include activities – if you’ve got an outside space, slime can be great, and a treasure hunt is always a hit. Otherwise, stick to creepy crafting, despicable dancing, and ghoulish games. Grab a 3kg pack of party sweets to use for prizes and to make up goodie bags for later. Make some monster munchies and plan a playlist. A spooktacular time will be had by all!

Spooky family film night

Halloween parties and trick or treating aren’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a quieter way to do something spooky for your kids, a film night is a great alternative. Whether it’s Disney’s Coco, Hocus Pocus, or Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, gather the kids. Grab a tub of Sweetshop Favourites. Dim the lights. And snuggle up for some Halloween viewing. And if you want to make more of the occasion, why not carve some pumpkin lanterns together and carry the theme over to dinner? The BBC has a whole range of recipes to choose from. There is nothing to stop you from dressing up too!

We love Halloween simply because it brightens up the dull autumn days. It’s something fun to look forward to in the slump between summer and Christmas. So, are you ready to get your spook on?

Order your Halloween sweets from Swizzels today!