Christmas family traditions. Halloween family traditions. Fourth of July family traditions. You name a holiday and you probably have at least one tradition that you had as a child or have made since starting a family.
Some families have traditions that go back so many generations that they feel cursed if they ever break them. That’s not what I want. I simply want my children to look back on their childhood with happiness and joy.
Traditions create positive memories we can draw on during times of sadness, temptation, or loneliness.
Jessica Smart, Memory Making Mom
If you haven’t read Memory Making Mom, by the way, add it to your list! I have highlighted all through it and have learned something from every page. Click here and get it now. No, I won’t make a penny if you buy it. It’s just too good not to get!
Carve a Jack-O-Lantern
OK, I know this is classic. But, really, does anyone think about Halloween without thinking about a jack-o-lantern?
I have memories of scooping out “pumpkin guts” each year at the kitchen table. Well, in the early years it was begging my dad to do it for me because it was soooo gross. But I matured over the years.
Then there was always the fun of designing your jack-o-lantern. Some years it was the classic triangle face. Other years I’d go online and find some intricate design and spend hours carving it.
But, I can promise, pumpkin carving no matter how easy or complex, is a must-do for families at Halloween!
If no one is feeling particularly creative in the designing department, here are 39 Free Printable Pumpkin Stencils to help!
Why?
- Family bonding time.
- Encourages creativity.
- Gives an opportunity for hand/eye coordination practice.
- Allows children to learn to use tools (under supervision!)
- XXXX feeling of gooeyness
Dress Up
If you are my husband (who you will never see wearing anything other than work clothes, hunting/fishing clothes or pajamas), then you are probably cringing at the thought of this.
But, when else is dressing in completely bizarre clothes and pretending to be something you are not ever okay?
And to make this even more memorable, get the whole family involved! I had big plans for my family this year to all be characters from Scooby Doo. My oldest wants to be Scooby Doo this year so I had the grand idea that I could be Velma or Daphne, my blond-haired youngest could be Fred and my husband could simply by Shaggy if I bought him a green shirt.
We have seven days until Halloween so I’m not sure I’ll pull it off now… But dressing up for Halloween is still a must-do!
Why?
- It provides imaginative play for children.
- It can be a great family bonding experience.
- Kids in costumes are just too darn cute!
Candy!
Now I know this differs from family to family. But surely most of us can agree that free candy makes a pretty awesome holiday tradition, right?
Some may go trick-or-treating from door to door in a neighborhood. Others go downtown or to the mall trick-or-treat at different shops and businesses. In the town I live, you can go trick-or-treating at the hospital (but not this year with COVID of course).
In recent years Trunk-or-Treats have become popular at a lot of churches.
But, no matter how you do it, taking your children somewhere in a cute costume with an empty bag and coming home with a full bag of candy is sure to top their memories list years down the road.
Why?
- It teaches manners if you ensure that they say “thank you” after receiving candy.
- It empowers shy children to be brave.
- Honestly, FREE CANDY!
Special Treats
I wish I was more Martha Stewart-y (or Paula Deen or Pioneer Woman or all those other creative fancy women) but I’m not.
But there is just something about special Halloween treats that make Halloween so much more memorable. Yes, it may take some extra time and a little extra money in the grocery budget but you’ll have smiling kids for sure!
We made these cake balls and these hot dog mummies last year. Maybe I’ll get my act together and make some this year too.
Don’t worry about creating the most intricate special treat. Anything out of the ordinary is sure to excite your family. But if you need ideas, here are a few:
Easy Ideas from Foxes Love Lemons
Healthy Halloween Treats
Why?
- Food is always a reason for anything!
- Different is memorable.
- If you make them with your children, so many culinary skills can be learned.
Decorations
Decorating for any holiday is hard for me. Decorating in general is hard for me so a holiday just adds more pressure. I don’t want to be tacky but I don’t want to be ordinary. It’s a balance I’ve really not quite found.
And, let me just say, don’t go to Hobby Lobby unless you just are looking for that feeling of inadequateness.
But, adding some festiveness to your house during Halloween is sure to bring joy to your family.
Spiderwebs. Pumpkins on the porch. Some Happy Halloween signs. Just these little things help. Oriental Trading has a lot of stuff for cheap.
My son saw a house with 12 blow-ups in their front yard. Mind you this took up the ENTIRE front yard. He has asked to go on walks so many times the last few weeks just to see this house (with big disappointment when we get there and they are all lying flat on the ground).
My husband has always said no to blow-ups in the front yard. But we agreed to one no-so-tacky blow-up for our front yard and we had one very happy five-year-old.
Why?
- Your children will smile.
- You’ll bring smiles to other children too 🙂
Halloween Movie
Who misses theaters? I DO! My oldest asked me when they’d be opening back up because he “misses the candy, drinks and popcorn”.
So why not just do a movie night at the house with one of these Halloween-y movies? This list is a mix for all ages. I wouldn’t suggest Edward Scissorhands for three year olds or Room on the Broom for ten year olds, so check them out before you pick one!
- It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
- Edward Scissorhands
- Ghostbusters
- Addams Family
- Room on the Broom
- Toy Story of Terror
- Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest
- Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie
- Halloweentown
- Casper
- Double Trouble Toil & Trouble
Why?
- Family bonding time.
- Relaxation.
- A perfect excuse for sweet treats!
BOO BAGS
Boo Bag? This is probably one you have not heard of. It certainly isn’t as popular. It’s not a tradition in our house….yet.
There are a variety of ways to do it but the idea is simple: you make a bag of goodies and deliver it to neighbor.
We had fun just picking our candy and stuff from Walmart and makes our “Boo Buckets”.
Why?
- Teaches about giving to others and spreading happiness.
- For older children, it will teach planning and money-sense (especially if they help with the shopping).
You Can Do It!
You do not have to be a Pinterest Master to have some fun halloween family traditions. Trust me, sometimes I wonder how mom’s even existed before Pinterest but then I remember that things don’t have to be so elaborate and polished.
I simply need to spend time and love on my children and they will have memories for a lifetime!
Get Your Free Brainstorming Sheet
Sometimes becoming overwhelmed by ideas means that I end up doing nothing. Don’t let that happen to you! Grab this free Brainstorming Sheet to keep your ideas in one place!
I think that pumpkin craving is our favorite.
Love the traditional traditions! But the addition of Boo bags is something I would like to add as well!
We had fun with them. Next year, I think we’ll do more bags with less stuff 🙂
My kids and I are so excited to do some of these traditions. Pumpkin curving and cooking a Halloween special treats are on my lists.
These are cute and great ideas! Due to the pandemic, we’re limiting the activities but certainly we’ll be dressing up and will take lots of photos.
Thank you for sharing about the hotdog mum mummies. Super fun.
I LOVE these traditions, especially carving out jack-o-lanterns!
These are all some really great traditions. We love making Halloween treats together as a family.
Love these traditions, we will definitely be doing most of these with our girls this year!
Love all of these ideas! We already do some with the exception of the boo bag but I love that idea!
All these are epic, we definitely never miss carving and watching spooky movies.
So many great ideas!! We did boo bags this year for the first time and it was such a great time. Halloween decorations are always a big hit too.
These are great activities to do as a family! I love this and I look forward to doing some of these! Thank you for sharing
We love doing as many fall and Halloween inspired activities as possible. I will have to try some of your ideas.
We love family holiday traditions! Halloween is our fave and we do all of these. Thanks for the sheet!
I would love to curve a pumpkin one day! 😉 I have never done it in my life.
Pumpkin carving and baking is definitely our favourite thing to do.
I love your ideas! They all are so cute. Here in my country we don’t celebrate Halloween, even though I like to create a Halloween craft every year to let my kid knows that there is such a holiday.