12 Ideas To Make a Long Distance Halloween Fun for Children
It’s that time of year again… The weather has a bit of a cold snap, the leaves are turning gorgeous colors, kids are picking out their epic costumes, and the pumpkin spice is out in full force. We’re talking about the spooky — or not so spooky when it comes to our kiddos — Halloween season, of course!
Holiday Celebrations
For many families, Halloween may not be a time when long-distance relatives can travel for all the festivities. Luckily, with technological advancements, families can come together virtually to enjoy all the joy the Halloween season has to offer.
To bring families closer together, we invented Kinoo. Created by experts in childhood development, technology, and education, Kinoo offers kids and adults tons of activities to enjoy using the Kinoo Magic Wand and over a video call using Kinoo Connect.
Now, kids are happy to have meaningful conversations with their loved ones and connect with them through games and activities. They can even plan an awesome Halloween party over Kinoo.
Join us as we share 12 of our favorite ways to make a Halloween over Kinoo fun for kids — and their super cool grown-ups.
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Schedule a Kinoo Connect “Trick or Play”
If you have a little one who wants to spend time with multiple family members, set up an afternoon where your little one can “trick or play” on Kinoo. Instead of going door to door for candy, your growing goblin can give family members a call and invite them to play a Halloween-themed game. Once they're finished, they can “trick or game” with their next family member.
To keep your little one engaged, help them keep their calls on the shorter side for this Halloween fun. Kids will love seeing their family members — especially if they put on a costume. The adults will love being able to spend a little time with their cute little buddies as well.
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Decorate Your House
One way to hype up the Halloween theme is to decorate your side of the screen. Create a background so that when the camera is turned on for your video call, it looks like a Halloween party. This can be fun for the kids to do on their side, as well as the grownup.
Decorations can be as simple or ornate as you choose. Paper spider webs, skeletons, and friendly ghosts are simple ways to get in on the theme. Carve a pumpkin with your kiddos’ initials for an extra dash of something special.
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Plan Halloween-Themed Snacks
One thing most celebrations have in common is food. Snacks don't have to be over the top.
Here are a few snacks that can bring an extra layer of fun to a long-distance Halloween get-together:
- Banana Ghosts: Peel and cut a banana in half so it can stand up. Near the top of the point, add two mini chocolate chips for the eyes.
- Orange Pumpkins: Peel a clementine. Cut a small piece of green celery and place it at the top of the clementine as the stem.
- Apple Smiles: Cut slices of apples with the skin left on. Sandwich the two apple slices together with peanut butter. Place mini marshmallows along the peanut butter to make it look like teeth.
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Decorate a Ghoulish Cake
Once everyone finishes the healthy snacks, it's time for cake, but with so much Halloween candy, who needs a real cake? They may not be able to eat their virtual cake on Kinoo Connect, but they get to enjoy decorating it.
Tap on Cake Decorator in Activity Explore to start putting together a Halloween-centric cake. You can make it look like a ghost, pumpkin, witch, or even a skeleton. Your little baker can dream up the perfect centerpiece for your Kinoo Halloween call.
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Wear Your Costume
What is more on theme for Halloween than costumes? Ask your child if they’d like to dress up in their costume when they talk to a family near Halloween. Grandparents especially love to see their tiny trick-or-treaters in their costumes.
Adults, you’re not off the hook — kids find it super entertaining to see the grownups in their life participate in dress-up, so put on your costume too!
Dressing up in costumes may have more benefits than filling up a candy bucket on Halloween. Kids who play dress-up are able to explore alternate identities. Costumes take pretend play to the next level. Your kiddo can dress up as an astronaut and rocket to the moon on Kinoo’s Moon Rocket or be a deep sea diver and explore the fish in Fishing Fun.
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Host a Jack O'Lantern Contest
Jack o’lanterns are a big part of Halloween for many families. If your family carves a jack o’lantern each year, your little one can share it with their long-distance family. For safety reasons, kids usually aren’t in charge of the carving of the pumpkin, but they can definitely draw a jack o’lantern.
During your kiddo’s Halloween call, they can have a jack o’lantern contest. Tap on Painting in the Activity Explorer. They can take turns painting an epic jack o’lantern, and at the end, they can see who painted the best one. When it comes to family, ties are probably the best bet!
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Skeleton Freeze Dance
Does your little pumpkin need to get some wiggles out? The excitement of Halloween can leave kids full of energy. On their Halloween Kinoo call, turn up the Halloween tunes and dance. To make it extra exciting, add a freeze element to it. When the music stops, everyone freezes like a Halloween skeleton.
Listening to music and dancing offers your little ones more than just a rockin’ good time. Music can introduce new words, express emotions, and share new cultures. Dancing to music can improve large and small motor skills, balance, and coordination.
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Boo! Charades
Halloween parties aren’t complete without a game, especially a family party game like charades. Take turns acting out a secret word while the other person tries to guess the word.
To put a little “boo!” in your charades, use Halloween-inspired secret words.
Here are a few themed words to use as inspiration to get your Boo! Charades started:
- Pumpkin
- Witch
- Ghost
- Skeleton
- Monster
- Candy
- Trick or Treat
- Candy Bag
- Toad
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Not So Spooky Pictionary
If your kiddo isn’t into acting, you can take the same words used for Boo! Charades and use them for Not So Spooky Pictionary.
In the traditional game of Pictionary, players take turns drawing a secret word while the other person tries to guess the word based on the drawing. In Not So Spooky Pictionary, stick to words that are Halloween-themed.
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Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Another activity that can get those little tykes up and moving during Halloween is a Halloween scavenger hunt. Scavenger hunts are played by finding specific objects on a list. To play this activity, come up with a list of Halloween-themed items to find.
Not only are scavenger hunts an awesome way to get kids up and moving their bodies, but they can discuss the different items they found and why those items coincide with Halloween.
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Goblin Says
Simon Says is a super interactive game that’s entertaining for all ages. When playing Simon Says, one person is Simon. That person gives direction to the other player on how to move. An example would be by saying, “Simon Says touch your toes.”
If the person giving directions says Simon Says, the other person should do that movement. If they simply give the direction without a “Simon,” don't move a muscle.
Change it up to be Halloween-themed. The “goblin” can shout directions that are reminiscent of Halloween characters. For example, “Goblin Says stand like a scarecrow.” Take turns so each person can be the goblin.
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Read Halloween Books
After all these activities and games, your little party-goer may need to wind down. Books are a great way to transition from high-energy action to a rest period.
Have some Halloween books ready for your little one to share with a video call member. Your growing bookworm can either read aloud or have a relative read the book out loud.
Reading every day is so great for kids. It’s thought that if five books are read to a child each day by the time they're in kindergarten, they may have heard over a million more words than kids who aren’t read to. Finding opportunities to include reading in different activities can help you reach your book goals for your little one.
All Treats, No Tricks
Families can enjoy Halloween together even if they live a long distance from each other. Planning Halloween-themed activities during a video call will make everyone feel like they got to enjoy this holiday together. Don’t forget grownups; you can get into the party too. Put on your silliest Halloween costume and get dancing!
Every day, Kinoo brings families closer together, no matter their physical distance. Your family can enjoy virtual time together on a random Tuesday or during a meaningful holiday or celebration. Loving from a distance isn’t always easy, but we’re here to make it a little more fun.
Sources:
Halloween is Not Scary to Young Kids; It’s Beneficial | UT News
The Importance of Music and Movement | Child Development and Family Center
The Importance of Reading to Kids Daily | Ohio State University