If you would like to put together a Halloween party for small children that will steer away from the spooking and give them something creative to do, try having a pumpkin painting party. It is easy to put together, and if you or your children love to do crafts you probably already have most of what you need. This can also be done on a park bench, or in a school or day care.
When you send out invitations, indicate on them that this party will involve slightly messy arts and crafts. Tell parents that children should wear clothes they are not worried about staining, have their hair back and bring a smock or old shirt. Decorate by putting up different pumpkin cut-outs all over the room. The faces will give children ideas and inspire them. Hang some orange and black crepe paper and you are basically done.
You will need a big table for this event, surrounded by chairs for the kids. Chairs should not be crowded in around each other-- the kids will need elbow room to work. Cover the table with a drop cloth, a disposable plastic Halloween table cloth, or some newspapers. Put a pumpkin in front of each seat-- one for each guest. If you like, get a few additional smaller ones and set them aside for those kids who finish quickly and still want to do some more crafts (the little baby pumpkins are great for this).
Get some large bottles of poster paint and some packages of assorted colored brushes. Pour the paint into some small containers or Styrofoam bowls. If the table is large, set out several of each color and spread it around. Make sure that each child can reach each color, or give each child his own colors to work with (I like to put four Dixie cups in a plastic food storage container to prevent them from tipping over, then giving each child four colors).
If you get the brushes that have different colored handles, place the brushes in the paint that is the same color as its handle. This will help avoid kids from mixing colors too much and making them run together. You can also set out some glue, glitter, assorted color yarn, felt, fabric scraps, pipe cleaners, and any other fun craft supplies you might have lying around the house that can be glued to a pumpkin.
When your guests arrive, begin your crafts. Adults should be supervising at all times, especially younger children who might put paint or craft supplies in their mouths. When the children are finished decorating their pumpkins, put them aside on a large surface, such as a counter or on a floor spread with newspaper that is out of the way and have some refreshments. One great refreshment that goes well with this party are pumpkin pizzas-- you can decorate frozen pizzas, or individual English muffin pizzas, with pizza toppings cut into the shapes of pumpkin features. Serve some apple cider, have some chips, and tell the children a Halloween story about pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns.
