Infants & Toddlers (0–4 years)

Little ones may not understand the difference between a vampire and a vacuum cleaner, but they love the sights, sounds, and cozy chaos of Halloween. Keep it gentle, colorful, and camera-ready.

Families can head to Boo at the Zoo events, which are hosted in many cities (not just Nashville) and offer stroller friendly trick-or-treating with costumed animals and glowing displays. In Florida, the SeaWorld Spooktacular in Orlando brings costumed characters, pumpkin fish displays, and dance parties for the tiniest trick-or-treaters.

For something whimsical, New York families can float pumpkins across the Harlem Meer during Central Park’s Pumpkin Flotilla.  

School-Aged Kids (5–10 years)

This is the golden age of Halloween when costumes are serious business, candy is currency, and spooky fun is everything.

In California, families flock to pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and parades listed in Visit California’s Halloween roundup. Out west, kids can enjoy hayrides and face painting without the nightmare fuel. Colorado Springs also offers a wide range of kid-approved events like pumpkin picking and community trick-or-treats on VisitCOS’s Halloween guide.

Prefer a city vibe? NYC’s Halloween events for kids often feature daytime parades, story times, and safe trick-or-treating through iconic neighborhoods.

Tweens & Teens (11–17 years)

Too cool for cutesy costumes but still craving candy, tweens and teens live for thrills, social fun, and just the right dose of fright.

For a spooky history lesson, Salem Haunted Happenings in Massachusetts mixes ghost tours, street performers, and parades that appeal to older kids. In New Orleans, Ghosts in the Oaks and French Quarter trick-or-treating give them chills with a carnival vibe.

And for West Coast families, California’s Knott’s Scary Farm features haunted mazes and scare zones—plus daytime “Scary Farm Lite” programming for those not ready for the full haunted-house plunge.

Young Adults (18–25)

Halloween for this crowd means costumes, parties, and maybe a little too much pumpkin-spiced…everything.

Thrill-seekers head to Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando or Hollywood, where blockbuster-level haunted houses bring TV and movie monsters to life. If you want a more festive (less terrifying) option, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World offers trick-or-treating, fireworks, and parades for the kid-at-heart.

For a nightlife twist, cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York host massive bar crawls and costume parties. Best Cities for Halloween in the U.S. is a great roundup if you’re plotting a weekend trip with friends.

Parents (and adults who steal the well deserved candy)

Between wrangling costumes, chauffeuring kids, and rationing candy, parents often forget they’re allowed to have fun too. Spoiler: you are.

For spectacle, New York’s Village Halloween Parade is an unforgettable night, complete with giant puppets, live music, and thousands of costumes. Want a mix of creepy and classy? Head to Halloween in New Orleans, where adults can enjoy masquerade balls, spooky bar crawls, and haunted history tours.

For something truly immersive, the brand-new Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas offers year-round haunted attractions inside AREA15. Think of it as the grown-up equivalent of trick-or-treating—only scarier and with cocktails.

Halloween 2025 is shaping up to be bigger than ever, with events coast-to-coast that suit every stage of life. From pumpkin flotillas for toddlers to haunted parades for teens, theme park frights for young adults, and cocktail fueled costume nights for parents, there’s something for everyone.

Because Halloween isn’t really just about candy or costumes—it’s about having fun in the dark, making memories, and stealing just enough of the “good candy” from your kids’ buckets to keep tradition alive.

The post Boo-tiful Memories: Halloween Fun for the Whole Family  appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

We’ve all been there: you’re cleaning out the backpacks and find, crumpled up at the bottom, the flier for the school Halloween party happening…tomorrow. There’s no way you have time to get to the Halloween store, so what now? Open your craft bins, rummage through your closet, and grab your glue gun, because here are a couple DIY Halloween costumes from Pinterest that can be made last minute!

1. The Mummy

Check out this costume idea from HubPages that you can easily make with sweatpants and swap out the muslin fabric for an old t-shirt or sheet that you can tear into strips. You can even use hot glue instead of fabric glue.

2. Jake From State Farm

Find some khakis, a red polo, and a plain white sticker to create this effortless and funny costume. Extra points if your son’s name is actually Jake.

3. Cat Lady

This will be the cutest cat lady you’ll ever see! Just get a few stuffed animal cats and a fluffy robe and this costume will be complete in moments.

4. When Life Gives You Lemons

Feeling a little sour about not having a costume..check out this sweet idea! All you need is a white t-shirt, permanent marker, and a bag of lemons.

5. Greek Goddess

Grab a few safety pins and a sheet and turn it into a flowing dress fit for a goddess. Complete it with a gold belt and a gold headband. Bonus points if you include small fake leaves in either gold or green.

6. Hula Girl

Bring a little Summer to the Fall season with this adorable grass skirt hula girl costume. If you can’t get your hands on the material for the skirt, you can use green party streamers and green ribbon to craft one of your own.

7. Ghost

You can’t go wrong with a classic: a sheet with a couple holes cut out of it. Call it being hipster or ironic, either way, it’s an easy and funny costume!

The post Last Minute Halloween: Easy DIY Costumes appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

With the leaves falling and the cooler weather brewing, Halloween is right around the corner. While a lot of us are wondering what costumes we’re going to scramble to buy or put together, a lot of parents have to caution their children what to expect if they go trick-or-tricking. Why you may ask? 1 in 13 children have a food allergy of some sort. Imagine daydreaming about what you’re going to be for Halloween, get dressed up and go out with your family and friends to ask for treats, only to be able to eat a small amount of the treats you received if any at all.  It’s safe to say that this can put a damper on trick-or-treating. Luckily the Teal Pumpkin Project, a nationwide movement, is hoping to change all of that!

So what exactly is the teal pumpkin project and why the color teal? In case you didn’t know, teal is the color for food allergy awareness and has been so for over 20 years! The Teal Pumpkin Project raises awareness for food allergies and the importance of making all children feel included when Halloween comes around. With some candies being made in the same factory as those with nuts, milk, eggs, and other allergens, it sadly isn’t an option for everyone.  The Teal Pumpkin Project has a list of allergy-free options to inspire a list of goodies everyone can enjoy.

With this information, you may be asking yourself, “how can I help or show support for the Teal Pumpkin Project?”. There are quite a few ways to help the cause or contribute to helping everyone have a safe and happy Halloween. You can start by spreading awareness on your social media by changing your profile picture or sending out a status update with information about the organization. If you plan to give out treats for Halloween and would like to provide options for children with allergies, you can add your home onto The Teal Pumpkin Project Map which is a useful tool for parents to use when planning the Halloween festivities for their family. Setting out a teal pumpkin or even a sign that you have goodies that are free of allergens helps too.

The bottom line is all children want to feel included. As adults, it is our responsibility to make sure that kids don’t feel left out of all the fun. Making a pledge to provide non-candy treats for trick-or-treaters makes a difference one house at a time. Please help by spreading awareness to your neighbors, organizers of your church’s trunk-or-trick event, or your children’s teachers.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

The post Teal is The New Orange: The Teal Pumpkin Project appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Elliott from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

The Blanket Scooter from Finn + Emma (www.finnandemma.com) is made from 100% organic cotton and are perfect for swaddling, snuggling, learning to crawl on. It also makes for a great blanket for wrapping up your E.T. as a part of your Elliot-inspired DIY Halloween costume.

The Street Red balance bike from FirstBIKE (http://www.firstbike.us/) is the perfect option for pint-sized riders seeking to replicate the bicycle that Elliott rides in the scene that has become synonymous with this classic film. Not to mention, trick or treating with mom and dad will be a synch as little ones will be able to cruise around the neighborhood safely and with ease thanks to FirstBIKE’s lightweight, durable and flexible design.

Duplicate Elliott’s casual style with a simple red hooded sweatshirt and a pair of denim pants such as the adorable Cable Corduroy Fleece Toggle Cardigan and French Terry Cargo Pant from Kapital K (www.kapital-k.com).

Keep E.T. safe and sound during trick or treating travels with a sturdy crate like this File Storage Crate from Staples (http://www.staples.com/).

Gordon Gekko from Wall Street

Your little one will look like he just stepped off of the screen of the classic 80’s film, Wall Street, thanks to the Denim Tuxedo Shirt with Suspenders and 5-Pocket Corduroy Pull-on-Pant from Kapital K (www.kapital-k.com). Complete the Gordon Gekko transformation with a Stuck on You (www.stuckonyou.com) Lunchbox that can easily double as your little Wall Street tycoon’s briefcase—not to mention it makes a great vessel for storing your Halloween night acquisitions (aka candy). After getting dressed in these dapper duds, kids will be ready to put their business prowess on full display and make some important trades—a Reese’s cup for a Twix perhaps?

Steve Urkel from Family Matters

Don’t just be a geek this Halloween, be the king of the geeks….Steve Urkel from Family Matters! All Trick or Treaters need to put together this fun DIY Halloween costume is a pair of glasses like the RX Glasses in Galactic Grey from Babiators (www.babiators.com), a pair of pants such as the French Terry Cargo Pant from Kapital K(www.kapital-k.com) and a geeked out shirt to tuck into them. Thanks to Kapital K’s Washed Jersey Bowtie Graphic Polo featuring both a suspenders and bowtie graphic, the chic to geek wardrobe transformation will be as easy as 1-2-3 pieces of clothing. With the costume taken care of, the only thing left to do to truly embody the spirit of Steve Urkel is learn four words, that much to the dismay of their parents, most tykes already have in their repertoire: “Did I do that?”

The post Movie and Television Inspired DIY Halloween Costume Ideas appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Corey Whelan, Contributor for Care.com 

Planning a Halloween party for kids but don’t know where to start? Don’t despair. Here are interesting and unique party games that will please trick-or-treaters of all ages. Pamela Layton McMurtry, the author of “A Harvest and Halloween Handbook,” and Jessica Fauster, a party-throwing mom whose annual Halloween fetes are the toast of Springfield, Ill., share their best bets for creative Halloween fun.

Need an extra set of hands to help out during the party and run games? Hire a babysitter for a few hours.

1.  The Fishing Game 

Any good party begins with a theme. “It’s easier to coordinate games when there is a theme in place, such as ‘Halloween in the Enchanted Forest,'” McMurtry says. A game she recommends, which can be tied to any theme, is the Fishing Game. Set up an area with a short curtain or barrier to hide a helper sitting behind it, and have assorted small toys and cute objects that match your theme on hand as prizes. Give each child a fishing rod made of a bamboo pole with a string and a clothespin. Have the children cast their lines and the hidden helper attach a prize for each child to reel in. 

2.  Halloween Treasure Hunt 

One of McMurtry’s go-to activities for children’s Halloween parties is a treasure hunt. Buy a thrift store dollhouse, decorate it in Halloween colors and call it a “Fairy House.”  Then hide it in the yard or other party location and fill it with bags of treats. Decorate the area with Halloween items like jack-o’-lanterns, fake spiders, owls, fairies, elves and wreaths hanging on trees, and make up clues to direct the children from place to place as they solve riddles. Gather the kids and explain that the fairies have hidden a treasure in the house — and hidden the house, too! Have them find the first clue and start the hunt; the final destination is the dollhouse and the treats. 

3.  Eyeball Hunt 

Instead of an Easter egg hunt, throw an eyeball hunt! Purchase bags of plastic eyeballs from a party store and hide them in a room or your backyard. The child who finds the most wins a prize.  

4.  Beanbag Toss 

Set up a target area, decorated like a haunted forest, magical ocean or spooky graveyard. Place targets that match the scene in place, and use bean bags to knock off the targets. 

5.  Pin the Tail on the Goblin 

“Some of the most old-fashioned games are still very popular, especially with kids who are unfamiliar with them,” says Fauster. One of her favorites is this take on the retro Pin the Tail on the Donkey game. “Have small children draw a life-sized Goblin creature, like the ones featured in the Maurice Sendak classic, ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ which an adult can attach to the wall. Blind-fold and spin each child in turn, who will attempt to pin the Goblin’s tail to its gruesomely goofy body.” 

6.  Hat’s Off 

Ask each party goer to bring a hat as part of their costume (tell them the hat will temporarily be shared with other kids at the party). Set up an indoor or outdoor area for musical chairs and have the children place a hat on each chair. As the music stops and children find their seats, they continually change hats, winding up with silly variations of their costumes. 

7.  Who’s Who? 

Supply each arriving parent or nanny with a ghost-like sheet that will cover their entire body and the back of their heads, with a hole cut out for their faces. Have children make ornate, adult-sized masks at the beginning of the party. They can be in the likeness of the animal or creature that most reminds them of the adult they’re with (monsters, zoo animals, etc.) Set out a wide variety of supplies, like feathers, felt, glitter, child-safe scissors and at least one hole punch with string, to fasten the masks on with. Let the adults put on a mask they pull out of a grab bag in another room. Then children have to identify their grown-up. 

8.  Halloween Charades 

Choose spooky books or Halloween-themed movies and sayings for a scary round of charades. Give the winner of each round a small treat bag. 

9.  Slimy Monster Snack Attack 

Make homemade slime by combining green mint or apple jelly with water. Watered-down lime Jell-O also makes a great, slimy substitute. Once the consistency of your slime is sufficiently gross, throw in orange slices, gummy worms, raisins, candy corn or other unwrapped yummies. (You can also include plastic bugs like spiders and other crawly, icky things.) Have the children close their eyes and reach in to grab what the slime monster left behind and guess what it is. Chowing down on the found goodies is optional, but make sure there are no chokable pieces floating in the slime if small children are playing. 

10.  Magic Number Guessing Game 

Decorate and fill a jar with plastic eyeballs, candy corn or other fun objects. Have the children guess how many objects are in the jar. The child who comes closest to guessing the magic number wins the jar and its contents. 

11.  Look Ma, No Hands! 

Everyone has had their share of soaking-wet hair from bobbing for apples. A number of other, hands-free games can be just as much fun, but less soggy. Try a round of Pass the Apple, having the children run a relay race with an apple tucked under their chins. Hang apples or doughnuts from strings and see which child can finish first. Enjoy the slightly messier (and sweeter) no-hands, apple pie eating contest — Dads love competing in this one, too! 

12.  Telephone Tag, Halloween Style 

Have the children sit in a circle and start this improv game by whispering a nonsensically-spooky saying into the first child’s ear, such as, “Frankenstein eats bugs for breakfast, but I prefer brains.” Have each child whisper the saying into the next child’s ear until the circle is complete, with the last child in the circle sharing the saying aloud. Typically, the end result is scarily different! Start again with a different phrase, going around the circle in the opposite direction.

13.  Treat or Dare 

Have the children write down a treat (get a candy) or a dare (howl like a werewolf) on a piece of paper shaped like a witch’s hat, pumpkin or other Halloween symbol. Place all of the papers into a caldron or large witch’s hat. Have each child pick a paper and either get a treat or act out a dare. Halloween is a joyful time for kids and for the people who love them. Cavities aside, a little imagination, planning and unique games like the lucky (or unlucky) 13 activities listed here, can turn the average, ghostly get-together into the most fun fright fest of the year.

The post 13 Halloween Party Games for Kids appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Halloween is just around the corner and what could be more fun than carving pumpkins together? Everyone can get involved from choosing the right pumpkins, to decorating them and roasting homemade pumpkins seeds.  Many families plan a trip to the pumpkin patch to select the perfect pumpkins for this festive holiday.  Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes so it will be easy to find one for kids of all ages to decorate. Below, you’ll find some decorating tips and must have items to make pumpkin carving memorable for the entire family!

The PG001 Pumpkin Gutter & Carving tool by Dakota Products – This attachment works with any drill to easily gut the inside of your pumpkin and prepare it for carving. It reduces the time required for gutting so you can spend more time being creative and decorating. It won’t damage any of the seeds, so you can save them for roasting later.

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Kit – for your Jack O’Lantern – Set of 18 Glow by Pumpkin Teeth –  For kids who may be too young to carve their own pumpkin, adding accessories to their creation allows them to participate without feeling left out.  These funky teeth actually glow in the dark and are fun for kids to add onto their pumpkin for an extra spooky design.

Pumpkin Masters “Creature Features” Pattern Book by Seasonal Distribution – Do your kids love creepy creatures? This stencil and pattern book will help them create a fantastic looking pumpkin with just a little bit of help. Simply pin the pattern to the exterior of the pumpkin and use a tool to trace the pattern.  It makes pumpkin carving easy and fun!  Coat your pumpkin with petroleum jelly when you’re done to help it retain moisture and hold its shape.

Extreme Pumpkin Carving, Second Edition Revised and Expanded: 20 Amazing Designs from Frightful to Fabulous by Vic Hood – If your kids are older and you want to create a masterpiece along with your kids, the Extreme Pumpkin Carving book can provide insight on how to take your pumpkin carving skills to the next level.  Your neighbors will be in awe of your skillfully crafted designs.

Make a Pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern Halloween Sticker Sheets by Rhode Island Novelty – Stickers are an another excellent tool for youngsters to use to decorate a pumpkin without having to do any carving. There are hundreds of stickers to choose from making it possible for younger kids to get involved in the fun of pumpkin decorating and get into the Halloween spirit.

Yellow Halloween Pumpkin Flicker Lites by Fun World Costumes – Do your candles burn out before you’re done passing out candy to your Trick or Treaters?  Try adding some illumination to your pumpkin instead of using a candle to provide a soft glowing flickering light.

Colossal Pumpkin Carving Kit by Fun World Costumes – Having the right tools for pumpkin carving is essential to make the activity fun.  This basic carving kit makes it easy for everyone to use and get started carving.  Whether the design is simple or complex, these tools will help your family create their favorite spooky characters.

Halloween is the perfect time to sip hot cider, eat s’mores and tell ghost stories.  It is also a wonderful time to spend quality time together as a family.  Whether your kids are young or old, make a day of it by planning a trip to the pumpkin patch to find unique pumpkins that fit your kids’ personalities and help them create their own Halloween masterpieces.  To see more info and get links to products check out https://kinsights.com/products/packs/123/fall-pumpkin-decorating/

The post CREATE SPOOKY JACK-O-LANTERNS WITH YOUR KIDS THIS HALLOWEEN THAT WILL MAKE “FRAIDY CATS” OUT OF YOUR TRICKER OR TREATERS appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Most kids will probably say Halloween is one of their favorite times of the year. It’s a time of great excitement—there’s picking out the perfect costume, school parties, trick or treating and trips to the pumpkin patch. Just don’t forget to keep your little goblins happy and safe this Halloween season with a few simple tips. Whether you’re a Beggar’s Night newbie or a seasoned trick or treating pro, life gets hectic and we may skip a safety step or two in a hurry. 

Here are a few refresher tips and ideas to ensure your Halloween:

Find Community Events. Younger kids can be apprehensive about going door-to-door trick or treating.  If that’s the case, head out to a kid-friendly community Halloween fair or event. There will still be “trick-or-treating” (just maybe booth-to-booth instead of door-to-door) as well as costumes and fun. My kids love this as there are usually extra and unusual activities like bobbing for apples, face painting and more.

Don’t let your little tyke get overtired this Halloween. Plan ahead! Trick or treat early; plan on only going to only a few houses then head home so you can stick with your nightly routine. After dinner allow your child to stay up and help hand out candy for a certain amount of time before taking a bath and going to bed.

Wear a costume that can easily be seen. Add reflective tape, wear glow-in-the-dark tights, and throw a blinking light in your candy bag. Do whatever you need to do to make sure you and your child can be seen regardless of how dark it gets.

Don’t mix running and costumes! Remind your children to walk (instead of run) and don’t forget to use the sidewalks. Steps pop up in the dark, roots suddenly appear, dresses seem longer, shoes are bigger… remind your child to slow down. The candy will be at the door regardless of when they arrive. The trick is to arrive safely.

Set a meeting time and place. If your kids are a bit older and don’t want mom and dad cramping their style. Regardless if you plan on separating from your children or not, set a place where you will meet should you become separated.  Most towns have a set time for trick or treating so the residents know when people will be coming and going.  Respect others by sticking to this time and ask your kids to do the same.

Find safe areas for trick or treating. Stick to neighborhoods with a lot of homes like a subdivision and good street lighting. This isn’t a time to roam new areas that you and your children are unfamiliar with.  If you do not feel your neighborhood is as safe as it should be, find a better one for your kids.

No porch light, no stopping.  Do not stop at a home with no porch light on.  This is the owner’s way of declining visitors for whatever reason. And only accept candy from someone’s doorway (preferably someone you know). It’s always a good idea to check over your kid’s candy before they dig in as well (it also gives you first dibs on the best candy!).

Swap the door-to-door with a party at home.  If your kids are willing, skip the whole door-to-door routine and have a party at home.  Invite friends, put on spooky music, play games, serve a fun dinner like hot dogs or tacos and Halloween themed party snacks.  A party like this can be more fun than traipsing around in cold weather waiting for a Tootsie Roll. 

Have fun! Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for kids.  It’s also a great time for families to spend time together. So relax, take lots of photos, have fun and be safe!

Have a happy Halloween!

Daddy Nickell

Robert Nickell, aka Daddy Nickell, father of 7, offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents.  Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddyscrubs.com, delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel, and the DaddyScrubs blog where he covers topics about parenting all from a Dad’s perspective.

The post Daddy Nickell’s Safe Trick or Treating Tips appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

(BPT) – Each year autumn marks a time for change – leaves turn colors, the air becomes crisp and parents everywhere prepare for their children to return to school. -The new season brings with it a shift in rhythms and patterns, including a new weekly routine for families as children go back to school.

For young children starting school, it’s important to maintain a learning environment even after the last school bell rings and they return home. Spend this time building family traditions and making learning fun by incorporating some of these fun indoor and outdoor fall activities into your seasonal routine. –

Explore the outdoors:

• Set up a scavenger hunt with your kids to teach them about the differences between the tree seeds — this activity allows children to run around the neighborhood learning about the wide variety of living things in their environment.
• Collect fallen leaves to create a beautiful fall collage. This is a fun activity for young children as they can use their imagination and creativity to design a unique image celebrating the fall season.
• Use a metallic marker so kids can write on the leaves, creating patterns or images, then place the leaves on wax paper and apply Mod Podge to keep the design in place as it hangs.

Build, create inside your home: Help your children build and create with a new toy line for fall 2013, the Mega Bloks Hot Wheels collection. Kids can now build, collect and race their favorite Hot Wheels vehicles from scratch with unique features like built-in missile launchers and a stunt test facility with crashing doors. -Construction toys can play an important part in the mental development of growing children.

Visit a local pumpkin patch: One of the most cherished fall traditions for families is spending a day at a pumpkin patch. Full of fun and games, the pumpkin patch is a perfect place for young children. Whether you’re making your way through the corn maze, interacting with the animals in the petting zoo, or enjoying a hay ride around the grounds, your family is sure to have a blast.

Halloween prep:

• Use the pumpkins brought home from the patch to design a spooky Jack-o’-lantern with your children. Let them design a face on the front of the pumpkin and cut it out for them.
• As Halloween approaches your little one will need a costume. Whether it’s shopping for the perfect costume or making one from scratch, use this time to learn more about your child’s likes and dislikes while encouraging them to express their creativity.
• Make this fall season unforgettable and continue to help your children grow by introducing these lifelong family traditions.

The post Fun and creative kids’ activities just in time for fall appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

(BPT) – Whether prepping for trick-or-treaters or hosting a party fit for Frankenstein, turning your home into a haunted house can be fun and easy. With these tips, before you know it, your home will be transformed into the spookiest house on the block.

Create terrifying tombstones. Set the stage before trick-or-treaters even hit the front door. Use wood, cardboard or thick Styrofoam to create tombstones that you can put in your front yard. After cutting out the desired shape, use a matte gray spray paint to cover the surface, and then use black paint to write creative epitaphs such as “Dare to Disturb” or “Happy Haunting.”

Get creative with pumpkins. Everyone enjoys a good jack-o-lantern, but why not choose to think outside the box when decorating with pumpkins this year? Instead of carving, try spray painting or using your favorite Halloween candy to decorate pumpkins in fun, spooky patterns. Plus, this is a project that even the littlest witch can enjoy.

Download a haunted playlist. Nothing is quite as spooky as the sound of doors creaking or ghosts shrieking. Put together a haunted playlist that you can listen to while guests arrive, or stick speakers near an open window to entice the nearby trick-or-treaters to stop by for some candy.

Serve spine-chilling treats. Use your free time on Halloween to make these simple but yummy treats designed to look like spiders. Serve them when guests arrive to kick-off the scary festivities.

Reese’s® Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spiders (6 Servings)

Ingredients:

• 6 Reese’s (R) Peanut Butter Pumpkins
• 1/4 cup Hershey’s (R) Milk Chocolate Chips
• Large pretzel twists (2 -1/2 to 3 inches)
• 12 yellow Reese’s Pieces (R) Candies

Directions:

Line tray or cookie sheet with wax paper. Remove wrappers from peanut butter pumpkins and place alongside each other on tray leaving 1 inch of space between each peanut butter pumpkin. For each spider, cut 8 matching curved sections from pretzels which will form the legs. Set aside remaining pretzels pieces.

Place milk chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at medium an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and smooth when stirred. Transfer to small heavy duty plastic food storage bag. Cut off one corner of bag about 1/4 inch from the tip.

Attach pretzel legs and yellow candy “eyes” to spider with melted chocolate; place dot of melted chocolate on each eye. Allow chocolate to set before moving spiders.

For more wickedly delicious recipes, visit CelebratewithHersheys.com.

The post No tricks here: Treat guests to a hair-raising Halloween experience appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.