Kid Friendly Halloween Decorating

Minimize the Scare Factor of Your Display

Sep 25, 2007 Janice Benoit

If your youngsters aren't ready for super scary Halloween decorations, incorporate these kid-friendly ideas into your holiday display.

Halloween decorating does not have to be of the "Jason vs. Freddie" kind. This article will take a very kid-friendly approach to decorating your home for Halloween, and your house is sure to be a favorite with the neighborhood youngsters! Follow these guidelines on Kid Friendly Halloween Decorating and incorporate your own creative thoughts to personalize your space for All Hallows Eve! Check out the first article in this series on Halloween Decorating, for a list of necessary supplies.

Clever Cartoons

All kids love cartoons, and what better way to celebrate this affection than by bringing the cartoon characters into your personalized space ........ with a Halloween twist? Collect a bunch of stuffed animals and cartoon character plush toys, and give them each their own Halloween mask. The masks can be simple "Lone Ranger" style masks, cut from black fun foam and attached to the toys with black pipe cleaners twisted behind the head. Assemble the costumed toys in a prominent place --- the living room sofa or the family room mantle --- add some small black paper Trick or Treat bags near the toys, fill the bags with small wrapped candies, and scatter some additional candies throughout the display.

Everything's Batty

• Fill your home with black bats made from a variety of materials. These flying rodents are thematic, but not too scary for young children. Plus, by crafting them with your youngster, you'll add a personal touch to the display. Use black construction paper or Contact Paper to cut out bat silhouettes and then adhere them to the windows of your home. These crafts can be enjoyed from both the interior and exterior of your home, doubling their impact.
• For another type of bat, cut bat wing shapes out of black fun foam. Create the bat's body from an oval piece of cardboard covered in black fake fur or black fleece and hot glue the body to the center of the wings. Add stick-on Google Eyes from your local craft store, to complete your Goofy Black Bat. Hang a bunch of these from your front porch, your interior light fixtures and any indoor trees you have, using clear fishing line.

Decorated Pumpkins

No matter which style of decorating you select, pumpkins should be part of your display. For a kid-friendly Halloween, try one of these ideas. Painted pumpkins are an easy way to add punch to any home. Try painting a large, round pumpkin the color of a granny smith apple. Once the green paint is dry, paint most of the pumpkin a caramel color, leaving the top portion green. Glue shelled peanuts to the caramel portion, add an appropriately sized dowel vertically into the stem of the pumpkin, and you've created a pumpkin-sized Taffy Apple. Assemble of group of these in a corner of your kitchen, and you'll have your youngsters licking their lips to sample the mammoth treats!

The copyright of the article Kid Friendly Halloween Decorating in Entertaining is owned by Janice Benoit. Permission to republish Kid Friendly Halloween Decorating in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.