Go Ask Mom

Apple painting to pumpkin bashing: 5 ways to play this Halloween week

Halloween may look a little different this year, but there is no reason we can't have fun with our kids and stay safe! Enjoy some fun family time or set up these activities with close friends and pod mates!

Posted Updated
Pumpkin bashing
By
Azure Cutter
Editor's note: Azure Cutter and Miel Binford are local moms, occupational therapists and authors of the Pandemic Playbook: Promoting Socialization While Social Distancing.

Halloween may look a little different this year, but there is no reason we can’t have fun with our kids and stay safe! Enjoy some fun family time or set up these activities with close friends and pod mates!

Courtesy: Azure Cutter

Pumpkin Bash

Grab some pumpkins, golf tees and hammers or wooden blocks! Have each person design a face for their pumpkin and make it by hammering the tees into the pumpkin. Take it a step further and paint the tees to add character.

For social distancing: This activity can be done with each child or family in a designated area six feet from the others! After the pumpkins are made, each child or group can hold theirs up and talk about it or they can vote on scariest, most creative or funniest.

Apple Painting

Provide a large piece of paper. Cut apples in half. Place paint on tray. Dip apples in paint and then stamp them on the paper. Each person can make their own masterpiece or work together on one. An adult can draw a picture to be filled in or a tree to stamp the apples on or you can leave it freeform.

For social distancing: This activity can be done with each child having their own supplies and paper to paint on and then sharing their picture. Having them all make the same item (a tree or a face) and seeing what each one comes up with is fun. Or they can all work together on one with children taking individual turns while the others wait six feet away.
Photo by Sarah Gualtieri on Unsplash

Apple or Pumpkin Smash

Get out you baseball bats! Hang an apple or a pumpkin from a string and take turns hitting it with a bat until it smashes! Do one of each and compare which takes more hits!

For social distancing: Spread out and take turns! Everyone bring their own bat or sanitize in between.

Apple Mash

Soften apples in the microwave (cored with peels on or off). Give each child a masher (an actual masher or a spatula or a hammer). Spread the cooled apples on a tray and let the kids mash them up. Have adds-ins for flavor like cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or berry purée and let them choose which to add. Then finish cooking and enjoy. Up the sensory aspect by allowing tasting throughout the process and letting them use their hands for mashing.

For social distancing: Give each child their own set of supplies and area to work.

Mask Making

You have to wear them. Why not have fun with it! Grab some solid colored masks and puff or fabric paint and make a mask-tume. Draw some whiskers or a pig nose, some unicorn sparkle? Maybe a killer mustache? It’s good clean fun!

For social distancing: Spread out and use your own supplies.

Remember you can always increase safety by increasing distance and wearing masks! Also, children often need a visual reminder so actually marking off areas is helpful for them. You can use spray paint, chalk, rope, cones or hula hoops!.

For more socially distanced play ideas check out our ebook, Pandemic Play, and follow us on Facebook at Pandemic PLAYbook.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.