The Best Family-Friendly Halloween Traditions

Make Halloween more than Trick-or-Treating. Try these 5 Family-Friendly Halloween Traditions.

I love Halloween. Halloween really makes me feel like Fall has arrived – even when it’s still 90 degrees in Texas. People in our neighborhood really get in the spirit with pumpkins everywhere and spooky decor. My boys absolutely love to go Trick-or-Treating with their friends.

However, you can make Halloween more than Trick-or-Treating! Today I’m going to share 5 Family-Friendly Halloween Traditions to help make your Halloween one for the record books. Try one or more of these every year.

:: Visit a Pumpkin Patch

I think pumpkin patches have upped their game a bit since I was a kid. There are so many different Pumpkin Patches and every one has lots of fun activities to do with your family. Most large ones have a corn maze, hay ride and petting zoo – the list goes on! Find a local patch near you and make a day of it.

Some of my favorites in Central Texas:

Barton Hill Farms (Bastrop)
Sweetberry Farm (Marble Falls)
Robinson Family Farm (Temple)
Love Creek Orchards (Medina)

Pumpkin patches are the most memorable of our Family-Friendly Halloween Traditions. There are so many cute photo opportunities you’ll have the cute picture forever!

:: Boo a Neighbor

This is one of my boys’ favorite family-friendly Halloween traditions. Grab a pair of cute Halloween Buckets and fill them with Halloween activities, trinkets and treats. I shop at Dollar Tree or on Amazon and can generally fill 2 buckets with tons of fun things for under $10. Then print out the instructions and ding dong ditch two of your favorite friends.

My boys got super creative this year to combat all the Ring cameras in our neighborhood. The dressed head to toe in black. They even wore a black knit cap that covered their hair. Then they wore a spooky mask. None of their friends guessed who Booed them this year!

:: Roast Pumpkin Seeds

This is my husband’s favorite family-friendly Halloween traditions. I know it’s gross and slimy carving pumpkins. But don’t let all those seeds go to waste. Roast them in different batches and see which you like best. Or have a family contest to see who has the best roasted recipe. Here are a few we like:

:: Make Spooky Food

This is one of my favorite family-friendly Halloween traditions. I love making fun and festive food for my kids. They get such a kick out of it. I don’t make it all the time so when I do, they are always surprised. You can go all out for any meal of the day. Here are a few options that my own kids love:

Breakfast – Ghost Pancakes or Vampire Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Lunch – Spider Grilled Cheese or Halloweenies
Dinner – Jack-o-Lantern Pot Pies or Halloween Stuffed Peppers

:: Have a Scary Family Movie Night

In October the evenings finally get chilly and it’s fun to snuggle in and have a family movie night. Pop some popcorn and turn on a spooky (or not so spooky) Halloween movie the family will love. Here are a few family friendly ideas:

Casper
Ghostbusters
Hotel Transylvania
E.T.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Goosebumps
The Haunted Mansion
Coraline

I have one more Halloween Tradition for you…but it’s only mom and dad friendly. Your kids will roll their eyes and grumble and give you the hardest time.

:: Eat Your Kids’ Halloween Candy

You know you will and believe me! You aren’t the only one sneaking treats from your kid’s Halloween bucket. Here are a few Halloween Candy Facts from the Crest Candy Confessions Survey to help you feel better about taking candy from your babies.

86% of parents eat candy that was given to their child while trick-or-treating.
Most people (73%) purposefully buy more Halloween candy than they needed for trick-or-treaters so they can eat the extra.
44% of parents admitted to eating more Halloween candy than their children.
34% of parents insisted on “inspecting” the candy, only to hide a stash for themselves.
The average parent eats one-fourth of their children’s Halloween candy.

I know you enforce a stricter teeth brushing routine on Halloween for your children. Make sure you are taking care of your own teeth too! Whether you want teeth whitening, enamel repair, strong teeth, Healthy gums or just fresh breath, Crest has a toothpaste to fit your needs.

Make sure you are ready for America’s sweetest holiday with Crest! Also, click here, to check out a super cute video they made for the upcoming holiday!