Fun Halloween Game Ideas

Halloween is the one holiday that makes almost everyone feel like a child again. It's also a chance for DIY lovers to flex their creative Halloween-themed muscles with Halloween costumes and Halloween decorations.

Whether you are throwing a party for kiddos, a spooky affair for adults or just a good old Halloween scavenger hunt, plan at least a few fun Halloween games to help keep everyone from overdosing on sugar. Buy some small prizes for the winners, such as Halloween pencils or light-up pumpkin necklaces.

Avoid giving out candy during your Halloween party games, since there is more than enough of it going around while trick-or-treating for Halloween candy at this time of year.

A doughnut-eating game is not only fun, but tasty too.

1. Buy enough circular doughnuts to allow one for each guest.
2. Tie a rope through the hole at the center of each doughnut.
3. Hang a string across the ceiling of the party room. If you're playing outdoors, hang a rope between two trees.
4. Tie one doughnut in front of each guest, hanging it so it is just above the player's mouth.

Once guests are assembled, have them stand under the rope. Players must eat their entire doughnut without using their hands. The first to finish wins.

This game is not only harder than it sounds but also enjoyable for both adults and children. Hang two sheets in the center of the room so their edges overlap. Divide the party guests into two groups. While one group sits in front of the sheets, the second group goes behind them.

One at a time, each person behind the sheet pulls the sheets apart just enough to stick only his nose through the opening. The second group must guess whose nose they are seeing.

This fun activity is simple to arrange and takes up to an hour to play.

Cut several dozen small bats out of black construction paper. Bats should be about 2 inches wide. Tape the bats throughout the party area. Hide the bats in hard-to-spot locations, such as taped to other black objects or in dark corners.

For younger children, hide the bats in easier locations, so they don't get frustrated. Don't hide the bats inside or under anything.

The player who finds the most bats during the party wins.

As guests arrive before the start of the party, declare certain words off limits. Choose words that guests are likely to say often, such as "Halloween" or "jack-o'-lantern" or "costume."

Each time someone catches another guest saying one of the forbidden words, the guest who spoke the word must perform a "punishment." If kids of all ages are in attendance, have one of the older children place a sticker on a guest's shirt each time he says one of the words, or ask each of the guests to perform a "trick" of his choice.

Tell loose-lipped guests to choose between singing a song, performing a magic trick or doing a dance each time they say the forbidden word. Whoever has the fewest slip-ups wins.

If you find your party lagging or you have run out of planned fun Halloween party games and activities, you can always improvise at the last minute. You can fall back on old school favorites, such as:

• Halloween charades
• Spooky Halloween trivia
• A toss game
• Cornhole
• Bean bag toss
• Classic Halloween bobbing for apples
• Guessing games
• Treasure hunts
• A costume contest
• Halloween crafts
• Spooky Halloween movie screenings
• Pumpkin carving