Halloween Bucket List
Simple, spooky fun the whole family can enjoy
If you’re anything like me, once the calendar flips to October, it’s game on for all things pumpkin, spooky, and sweet! But let’s be real life is busy, the kids have a million things going on, and before you know it, Halloween has crept up and passed you by in a blur of costumes and candy wrappers.
That’s why this year, we’re taking charge with a good old-fashioned Halloween Bucket List a fun, family-friendly checklist full of festive activities that are easy to pull off and sure to make memories. Whether you’re hosting a party, planning a weekend activity, or just looking for a few special moments to squeeze in between the chaos, this list has your back.
So grab your calendar, a cup of something warm, and let’s make this Halloween one to remember!
1. Decorate the House – Inside and Out
Start simple pull out your spooky stash or hit up the dollar store for budget-friendly finds. Cobwebs on the bushes, pumpkins on the porch, maybe a few spooky signs in the windows. Let the kids help hang skeletons or draw ghosts with window markers. It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect to be fun.
Pro tip: Put on a Halloween playlist while decorating to really get in the mood. Bonus points for dancing with a skeleton while hanging lights.
2. Make a Halloween Treat Together
There’s something so sweet (literally) about baking with your kids even if there’s flour on the floor and someone eats half the candy eyes before they hit the cupcakes. Whip up some Halloween sugar cookies, mummy hot dogs, or even a Frankenstein brownie cake.
Kid-approved idea: Let them decorate their own treats. Set out frosting, sprinkles, candy eyeballs, and let their creativity go wild. It may be messy, but it’s memorable.
3. Create a DIY Costume or Accessory
Not every costume needs to be store-bought. In fact, some of our favorites over the years have been cobbled together from items around the house. Got an old sheet? Hello, ghost! Black clothes and some face paint? Boom cat, bat, or skeleton.
Keep it fun: Host a mini costume creation night. Everyone puts together a look using what you have at home, and then does a “runway walk” to show it off. Cue laughter and creativity.
4. Visit a Pumpkin Patch
This one’s a classic, and for good reason. There’s something about a field full of pumpkins, hay bales, and maybe a cider stand that just feels like fall. Let the kids pick out their own pumpkins big, bumpy, tiny, perfectly round it’s all part of the fun.
If time’s short: Even a trip to your local grocery store’s pumpkin bin can be an adventure. Let them inspect each one like it’s a hidden treasure.
5. Host a Backyard Bonfire
Cool nights and spooky stories go hand in hand. Set up a backyard bonfire (or use a small firepit) and bring out the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. Add in some ghost stories, cozy blankets, and star-gazing pure autumn magic.
Make it extra: Let the kids tell their own made-up spooky stories. Trust me, the sillier the better.
6. Watch a Halloween Movie Marathon
Pop the popcorn, grab the blankets, and pick a few age-appropriate Halloween movies to enjoy as a family. Whether it’s Hocus Pocus, Hotel Transylvania, Casper, or It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, there’s something for everyone.
Our tradition: One spooky movie night every Friday in October it’s something we all look forward to and it’s so easy to pull off.
7. Do a Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Kids love a good hunt. Whether it’s around the house, in the backyard, or even at a party, create a list of Halloween-themed things to find: a black cat, a fake spider, a mini pumpkin, etc.
Keep it simple: Print clues or make a checklist. Toss in a few small prizes or treats for extra excitement.
8. Make a Spooky Craft
You don’t need to be a Pinterest pro to make something cute. Paper plate ghosts, cotton ball spider webs, toilet paper roll monsters it’s all about the fun of doing something together.
Low-effort win: Set up a small “craft table” one weekend morning with glue, paper, scissors, and stickers. Let the kids go nuts while you enjoy your coffee.
9. Carve (or Paint) Pumpkins
The ultimate Halloween activity. Whether you go all in with scooping, carving, and lighting them up or keep it simple with paint and stickers it’s always a favorite.
Pro parent move: Do this outside. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself when it’s time to clean up.
10. Take a Leafy Autumn Walk
It doesn’t have to be spooky to feel seasonal. Go for a family walk and collect crunchy leaves, pinecones, or acorns. The fresh air, the colors, and that earthy fall smell it’s a mood booster for everyone.
Bonus idea: Use your nature treasures in your Halloween decor or crafts!
11. Boo Your Neighbors
Have you ever been “boo’d”? It’s such a sweet tradition put together a little goodie bag with treats or stickers and secretly drop it off at a neighbor’s doorstep with a note that says “You’ve been boo’d!”
Make it a game: Encourage the kids to dress like sneaky ghosts and deliver without getting caught.
12. Visit a Haunted House (or Make Your Own!)
Depending on your kids’ ages and bravery levels, a haunted house can be a blast. If they’re little, you can create your own mini haunted hallway at home with blankets, spooky music, and glowing lights.
For fun, not fear: Keep it silly instead of scary think talking pumpkins and giggling ghosts.
13. Read Halloween Books Together
Snuggle up with a stack of Halloween-themed books. From Room on the Broom to The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, there are so many sweet and spooky stories to enjoy.
Start a bedtime tradition: One Halloween story each night in October. The kids will love it, and so will you.
14. Make a Halloween Snack Board
Charcuterie, but make it spooky! Gather up a bunch of themed snacks ghost-shaped cheese, bat crackers, monster grapes with candy eyes and create a Halloween grazing board that’s as fun to look at as it is to eat.
Perfect for parties: Or just a cozy Friday night movie at home.
15. End the Month with a Halloween Bash (Big or Small!)
It doesn’t need to be huge to be fun. Whether it’s just your family, a few close friends, or the whole block dress up, play some games (like Halloween Bingo or Pin the Hat on the Witch), and soak in the festive vibes.
Not up for a party? No worries. A costume dinner at home counts too. Spooky spaghetti and mummy meatballs, anyone?
The best part of a Halloween Bucket List? It’s not about doing everything it’s about doing what feels fun and special for your family. Maybe you only check off five things, or maybe you go full-on pumpkin mania. Either way, you’re making memories your kids will hold onto forever.
So tape that list to the fridge, gather your little ghouls, and let the Halloween magic begin
