To Trick or Treat or have a Halloween Party this year? I was wondering if parents will allow their kids to walk around the neighbourhood for Halloween in crowds and knock on strangers’ doors to ask for candy, with Covid spoiling our fun again? What are your thoughts of Halloween during Covid?
Having a Halloween party and making our own DIY Halloween party decorations has always been a big favourite for my boys. My eldest son and I usually spend quite a bit of time deciding on Halloween decorations and character ideas. I also really enjoy putting together his costume, possibly more than him.
I’m decorating the outside of the house for the first time this year. As you may know I’m not a fan of buying single purpose items. So my goal this year is to make my own Halloween house decorations. I’ll re-cycle the cardboard and paper, and up cycle any other items I can find to create my outdoor Halloween decorations.
Of course, I also have my own Little Ones reusable party decorations to help. Namely some eco-friendly balloon alternatives (my fabric pom-poms) and spooky eco bunting! You’ll have to come past Little Ones Party Hire and see what fun and games we’ve had making our own DIY Halloween decorations for the house.
As of Tuesday the 22 September the rules of the Public Health Order stated that as long as you keep the gathering to under 20 people you are ok. However, over that number and you’ll be held in breach and get slapped with a hefty fine. Please stay safe.
Little Ones Party Hire has put together some ideas for those who are planning on joining the in the festivities this year. Helping to keep Halloween Trick or Treating Covid safe.
We’ve put together some free printable halloween decorations, namely our Halloween Covid Safety Pack, and some easy tips and tricks to help you join in the fun while staying safe at the same time.
1. If you’re a huge Halloween Party fan like us you’ve probably put up all those Halloween decorations ages ago. Usually a house with halloween house decorations indicates that the occupants are in the spirit of it all, and would generally allow door knocks. However, this year might be different, please be mindful of any signs or barriers that indicate otherwise.
2. Let your neighbours know that they are still welcome to Trick or Treat with a clear sign or Halloween decorations. We’ve designed a package of printable halloween decorations. The free package includes a Halloween Party Poster sign “Trick or Treaters Welcome” so you can let people know you’re allowing trick or treaters.
Our printable halloween decorations pack includes free “Trick or Treaters a Welcome” poster, an “X marks the Spot Social Distancing Markers”, Halloween Take One Candy Sign, and a Halloween Party Rules sheet. You can print these out and display somewhere visible for all to see.
1. Wear gloves when handing out Halloween candy and/or grab a pair of tongs to dish out treats. This is a wonderful opportunity to get creative! Encourage trick or treating kids not to dig into the candy bowl or print out our Halloween Take One Candy Sign.
2. Buy individually wrapped candy and don’t open till the night. It’s not our favourite option because more wrappers equals more waste. But it is the safest. Trying make sure the wrappers are red cycled where possible.
3. Avoid lolly pops with the plastic sticks and think about buying one bigger lolly to avoid lots of small wrappers. Maybe also pop a bin or bag nearby and encourage trick or treaters to take their rubbish home and dispose of it correctly.
4. Wear a mask! You can have oodles of fun making a DIY Halloween costume and mask. Be creative! Get the kids on board and make it part of the dress up! Post your creative masterpieces to our Instagram page. We’d love to see what you’ve done!
5. Wash your hands! As if you haven’t heard this one at least 17 times a day, right?!? But it’s a no brainer. Wash your hands as often as you can!
6. Consider Halloween gift ideas that are not candy. It’s become a custom at some houses to have a turquoise pumpkin displayed to show there are food free treats available. This is to cater to those with food allergies or for parents that weren’t too wild about the sugar overload. This year there’s probably even more of an incentive to offer food free Halloween treats.
We’ve put together a free downloadable fortune teller / chatterbox for you to handout as candy alternatives for Halloween. We hand these out at all my nieces parties as lolly bag fillers and the kids love them. Incidentally they plastic free and recyclable so we’re all winning.
We also offer some cute colouring in packs and shadow puppets for sale. The shadow puppets are a big treat for my boys. They love making up wild stories with them before bedtime.
1. Add markings for social distancing and stick them 1.5 m apart – roughly two adult arm lengths.
2. Have a limit of people in and around your property. Pop some signs up to say no more than 10 at a time for eg – you will be the best judge of how much space you have.
3. You can also ask people to wait patiently where it is safe and spacious until it’s their turn. We’ve included Halloween Themed social distancing markers in the printable halloween decorations pack easily print out a stick on the ground.
1. Try incorporating a mask and gloves into your Halloween costumes. Think up some fun creative ways to make a spooky outfit and get the kids to join in on the fun.
2. Stay away from large crowds. Trick or treat with a few people instead of a large crowd. Perhaps return to the busier areas later.
3. Have a pep talk with your Halloween gang before the time and lay out the rules. Take along a rope and get the kids to hold onto it while walking around and keep them close to you.
4. Only accept individually wrapped candies. Let you little ones know beforehand that they may have to say no thank you to bowls of lollies. Most of our children understand the world is sick at the moment so we have to be extra careful. Perhaps a quick reminder before you hit the streets is a good idea. It’s probably a better conversation to have before the time than a meltdown on the night.
5. If someone has left a bowl of treats outside their door, only take one. Sharing is caring and then everyone enjoys the fun. Leave a Halloween take one candy sign when you’re out if you leave candy out for trick or treaters.
6. Carry hand sanitiser and wash your hands whenever possible.
7. Take along a container or bag to collect the used candy wrappers and throw away properly.
8. If all else fails and you feel unsafe go home. Have a few surprise treats at home to add to your little one’s loot if they haven’t managed to stay out as long as they wanted to.
Consider having your own trick or treat Halloween party at home! Invite a few friends over and enjoy some fun games and give some Halloween treats as prizes. We’ve written a fantastic blog post with loads of ideas for halloween party food, craft, games and ideas.
Little Ones have some great budget and eco-friendly Halloween party packages with all your party hire gear available. Starting with our party in a crate, our eco party box which includes all your cutlery, crockery and serveware and some spooky Halloween bunting.
We also have other party packages with fun party decorations, re-usable partyware and some fabulous eco-friendly balloon alternatives. You can browse our gallery to see more ideas.
Get the kids involved and bake some easy treats. There are plenty ideas and recipes available on our Halloween Pinterest Board for you to choose from. Add some cute cupcake toppers and make simple cupcakes. Get creative with healthy Halloween food options, or treat yourself to a dozen gorgeous Halloween themed cookies.
Make some DIY Halloween decorations from recycled materials and let them express their creativity. Use paper and wooden popsicle sticks and let their imaginations run wild.
Please share your amazing Halloween decorations and party ideas! We’d love to see them. Post them or tag us on #mylittleonesparty
Above All Else Be a Safe Considerate Trick or Treater!
Happy Halloween from all of us at Little Ones Party Hire
