“Non-Traditional” Family-Fun Halloween Activities
A scary movie night can keep little ghosts and goblins happy.
By Valene Ayar
Every year, it seems as if Halloween is arriving earlier and earlier in the year….and I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t hate it.
Halloween is such a fun way to bond with your children and get creative while you do it. While you can go the traditional “trick-or-treating” route, (an oldie but a goodie), why not put a fun spin on it and start branching out to create new ghoulie traditions you and your kids will love and remember for years to come?
Here are a few ideas, many of which already exist locally. All you have to do is show up —preferably, in costume!
Metro-Detroit Local Activities
Classic Halloween fun for little ones is available at the Zoo Boo in Royal Oak weekends from October 7 until October 22. Explore the Detroit Zoo and experience festive pumpkin displays and strolling entertainment from jugglers and magicians. Capture memories with themed photo opportunities all while visiting each of the trick-or-treating spots scattered throughout the Zoo.
The entire Zoo will be open, allowing you to visit your favorite animals and watch them enjoy a treat of their own. Special Halloween-themed enrichment activities will be taking place each day at various animal habitats.
For fairy tales and folklore, look no further than Troy. On Friday, October 20, in Troy’s Historic Village, their annual trick-or-treating event brings the theme to life. Grab your glass slippers and hop in the pumpkin-carriage for enchanting decorations, fantastic games and crafts, and bewitchingly good trick-or-treating. As always, Village trick-or-treating is friendly, not scary, and will have teal pumpkin options available. Register in advance for reduced admission.
In Sterling Heights, enjoy “Sterling Frights” Halloween on Saturday, October 21 in Dodge Park. The 9th annual celebration runs from 10am until 1pm and includes live music, hayrides, a straw maze, cider and donuts, candy for the kiddos, photo opportunities, inflatable activities, rides and more!
For a Spooktacular magic show, visit Shelby Township Public Library on Saturday, October 28.
Magical Halloween adventures await in this exciting, not-scary show performed by magician, comedian, and juggler Joel Tacey.
There are a couple of local Boo Bashes on the same weekend so make it a “Boo Bash” weekend! The first, in Southfield Pavilion on Saturday, October 28, will have ghoulish games, creepy crafts, live entertainment, and trick or treating. The event is for children ages 2-12, but everyone must purchase a ticket to enter.
The second Boo Bash takes place Sunday, October 29 in Heritage Park. Dress up in your favorite costume and enjoy a hayride, making s’mores and crafts, a creepy crawly creature display, and a trick-or-treat trail. The event runs from 11am until 3pm. When registering, make sure you select your hayride time; they run every 15 minutes. Registration is required for both adults and children, and a paid adult must accompany children on hayrides.
The Trick or Treat Trail in West Bloomfield happens Sunday, October 29 in Marshbank Park.
Get more treats than tricks this fall by walking along the safe and friendly ½ mile-paved trail with your neighbors, friends, and family. Put on your costume and head out to collect goodies from costumed characters and local businesses and organizations.
Halloween Fun at Home
The above activities are wonderful alternatives (or additions) to more traditional Halloween activities, but if you would like to implement your own, or better yet, mix it up and do multiple activities, here are a few you can do on your own.
Create a “House of Horrors.” One of the best parts of Halloween is not the candy and treats, but the creative spirit of the holiday. And one of the best ways to showcase your creativity is by turning your home into a haunted house that everyone in the neighborhood can visit and enjoy! Even if you do not consider yourself creative, with the help of YouTube, TikTok, and Google, you can find an endless slew of ideas to adapt or to build off and make your own.
Boo your family, friends, and neighbors. This is a great alternative to trick-or-treating. It also allows you the opportunity to show your children that giving is more important than receiving. Put together some treats and goodies (stickers and small toys are always a fun option), drop them off on porches, ring the doorbell, and run! Think of it as trick-or-treating in reverse. You can put them in little bags and attach a fun note letting people know who is responsible for the yummy surprise. Your kids will also get an adrenaline rush from the sleuthing of it all. And we can all use a nice, fun, and harmless “sense of danger” occasionally. Happy Booing!
Host a scary movie marathon. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I couldn’t get enough of movies like Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice. As I entered my teen years, my tastes changed and I enjoyed the likes of The Sixth Sense, Scream, and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Now as a full-grown woman in her late 30s, it is back to Hocus Pocus, The Harry Potter series, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series. What does that mean? It means this can be a tradition for both kids and adults that will never get old. You can even do it outside with a large projector screen (check Amazon) while you sit by a campfire and make s’mores!
While Halloween was traditionally enjoyed mostly by children hopped up on sugar in the past, it does not have to be that way anymore. There are so many new and exciting ways to celebrate that everyone in the family can (and will) absolutely love! Check out some of these activities yourself. When you do, be sure to take pics, post them on social media, and be sure to tag @TheChaldeanNews so we can celebrate with you! Happy Halloween, ghouls and goblins!
Editor’s Note: Information and some excerpts were pulled from littleguidedetroit.com.