Craziest costume

Pass out fliers inviting all the neighborhood kids to meet at your house an hour before trick-or-treating begins . Give everyone a name tag when they arrive . Then each child and adult can fill out a voting slip . Include best costume , scariest , funniest , most creative , and more . Hand out a special prize to the winners of each category . And don ’ t forget a small consolation prize for all children who participate .

Most ghoulish yard

Invite everyone in the neighborhood to join in a decorating contest . You could have a few categories such as scariest , cutest , silliest , and best overall . Set a decorating deadline for October 21st . Provide delivery instructions on the flier so every house in the neighborhood can vote for the addresses they like best . Also , mention that neighbors should view all the houses after October 21 and deliver their votes to you by a specified date . Ask some of the participating neighbors to help you make up fun ‘ Scariest House ’ and other signs . Then post them in the yards of the winning homes .

Funniest carved pumpkin

Ask the neighborhood to join you in a carved pumpkin contest . You can schedule a date and time when everyone

8 WNY Family October 2018

— by Kimberly Blaker

… from Ghostly Goodies to Petrifying Pumpkins

Ask each participating house to set up a Halloween kids game in their

will meet with their pumpkins at your home or a neighborhood park . Suggest everyone who participates pitch in $ 2 per pumpkin for a jackpot . To keep it fair , allow only one pumpkin per child . Prepare numbered cards in advance so each pumpkin will have its own number . Then have everyone fill out a voting slip . The carver of the winning pumpkin gets the jackpot . You could also pass out small goody bags for all the kids who participate .

front yard

Most Fun Halloween game

Hand out fliers to everyone in the neighborhood or on your street to hold a Halloween game day . Ask each participating house to set up a Halloween kids ’ game in their front yard . Participating houses can give out small prizes such as stickers or treats to each kid who plays their game . Kids can wander the neighborhood playing the games for the afternoon . When they ’ re done , have each child fill out a ballot for the most fun Halloween game . Then post a fun homemade sign in the yard of the winner .

Scariest scarecrow

Ask your neighbors to participate in a scariest scarecrow contest . To keep the scarecrows safe until voting , set a specific day when the scarecrows should be displayed in everyone ’ s yards . Have everyone in the neighborhood , whether they participate by making a scarecrow or not , hand-deliver their vote to you by the end of the day that the scarecrows are set out . Then deliver a fun Halloweenish homemade yard sign to the winning home .

Kimberly Blaker is the author of a kid ’ s STEM book , “ Horoscopes : Reality or Trickery ?,” containing fun experiments to help kids understand the scientific method and develop critical thinking skills .