15 Ways to Celebrate Halloween Indoors During COVID-19

Check out 15 creative ways to enjoy Halloween this year in the UAE while keeping safe from Covid-19

Posted on

1 October 2020

Posted by

Clarice

15 Ways to Celebrate Halloween Indoors During COVID-19

Don't let Covid-19 cancel Halloween for you and your children

Who doesn't love Halloween festivities? The trick-or-treating, costume parties and haunted houses really brings that All Hallows Eve spirit. But with Covid-19 still spreading in Dubai and the rest of the UAE, we can't have high-risk activities this year.

Halloween may be different this year, but staying safe indoors won't make the annual celebration of all things mysterious, spooky and magical any less so.

Whether you have a fourth grader who's bummed that there's no trick-or-treating this year, or a preschooler who likes dipping their hands in icky creepy slime, you can still channel Halloween vibes at home with these things-to-do!

Here's a list of fun indoor Halloween activities for kids in the UAE.

1. Bust out the slime

Over the last few years, children have become fascinated with making and playing with slime! Level up some slime this Halloween by making it extra spooky.

We love DaveHax's easy DIY tutorial for glow-in-the-dark spider slime.

Indoor Halloween activities for kids in Dubai during Covid-19

2. Halloween movie night

It's a safe, lowkey and free/affordable activity, with plenty of family-friendly "scary" movies for everyone. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and huddle your family together on the sofa for these fun and kid-friendly movies that are perfect for celebrating Halloween:

Goosebumps
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Casper
Hotel Transylvania
The Addams Family (best for older kids)
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein
Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween!
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Gremlins (best for older kids)
Hocus Pocus
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Disney's Coco

And there's plenty more films to explore that may be available on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Starzplay, or for rent on TV or your handheld device's movie store.

3. Carve pumpkins at home

Absolutely classic - buy some pumpkins from your local supermarket for you and your kids to carve and display them.

It's a Halloween activity that will get children's creative juices flowing.

4. Halloween scavenger hunt

Celebrate Halloween in Dubai with an exciting and rewarding indoor scavenger hunt.

One idea would be to hide glow-in-the-dark Halloween goody bags around your home (or garden if you have one). Give your child a flashlight and send them off searching for sweet, sweet treasure.

5. Halloween face mask designing contest

Here's a fun activity if your child wants to celebrate Halloween with their friends. Gather their friends over a Zoom call and have a Halloween content where they will design face masks.

Use new single-colour cotton face masks and some arts and crafts supplies to see who will be the most creative one. Check out the suggestions below, like a face mask beard, cat, or monster!

6. Hang up a Halloween piñata

Load up a Halloween-themed piñata with treats and other little trinkets, then blindfold your kids and let them have a go at whacking it open. It's a great stress-reliever, especially since school resumes on Sunday the day after Halloween.

7. Decorate your home's garden

As summer is officially over in Dubai, the weather is getting cooler. If you have a garden or a significantly-sized balcony at home, transform into your own little outdoor Halloween party.

For homes with plenty of space in the backyard or balcony, consider setting up a family obstacle course, maze, or a little fun Halloween fair with games and prizes.

Spray your kids with Silly String while they try to snatch candy; do some apple bobbing by filling in a large tub or inflatable pool with water and some apples; set up an obstacle course with fake spider webs... the list is endless!

8. Halloween charades

Turn the classic party game of silently acting out clues for players to guess into a Halloween edition.

Consider Halloween-themed topics such as spooky characters (Casper, Frankenstein; Dracula, etc.) or family movies (Hotel Transylvania, Scooby Doo, Goosebumps, etc.).

9. Have a dance party

If you have a kid who loves to sing or dance, check out these kids' Halloween songs to add to your October playlist:

"This Is Halloween" by Danny Elfman
"The Addams Family Theme" by Vic Mizzy
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson
"Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett
"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr.

"Magic Dance" by David Bowie
"Ghost In My House" by Jumpin' Jamie
"Halloween Night" by Like Father, Like Son

10. Bake Halloween treats

Don't let all the restrictions sour Halloween for your child this year. If you have an oven at home and are open to baking, try asking your little monster for help with whipping some donuts, cupcakes, or other baked Halloween goodies.

11. Enjoy some arts and crafts

For more creative activities this Halloween in Dubai.

You can let your child sink their teeth into this absolutely batty DIY vampire bookmark. Check out the tutorial here.

Or get some rocks and paint them into zombies. Check out the tutorial here.

You can also DIY your child's Halloween costume for 2020. Sure, store-bought costumes can be a fast and fancy answer, but helping kids bring their creative ideas to life can be very rewarding.

12. Read some Halloween-themed books

Want to make bedtime a little spookier? Nothing beats reading a book to your little one and letting their imaginations run wild. We've got a list of children's Halloween books to add to your October bookshelf:

"The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat" by Stan and Jan Berenstain
"The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt" by Riel Nason
"How to Catch a Monster" by Adam Wallace ad Andy Elkerton
"Scooby-Doo: A Haunted Halloween"
"The Night Before Halloween" by Cynthia Fisher
"Peppa's Halloween Party"
"Monster Academy" by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple
"My Monster Mama Loves Me So" by Laura Leuck
"What Was I Scared Of?" by Dr. Seuss
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down" by Jeff Kinney

13. Play pumpkin golf at home

Remember those carved pumpkins we mentioned earlier in the list? You can put them to good use while letting your child practice their putting prowess with this indoor activity.

Set up the pumpkins into a mini golf game at home. Be sure to carve just enough space for the golf balls to enter.

Photo credit: A Girl and a Glue Gun

14. Toilet paper mummy race

Give your kids a few rolls of toilet paper, then watch them have fun racing to turn each other into an Egyptian mummy.

15. Door to door decorations

If you live in an apartment or gated residential community, ask your neighbours to join in on celebrating Halloween. Since it's not advised to have large gatherings, you and your neighbours can instead place Halloween-themed decorations on their doors.

As you and the kids walk through the building's corridors or drive through the neighbourhood, it'll be a fun sight to see other people's creative and spooky decor.