Wow!! You're planning EXACTLY the same party I throw for my kids every year LOL!! We have 'lots of fun and the time goes by REALLY fast. For the toddlers I found that pin the nose on the pumpkin, the pinanta ,coloring pages from the internet and the cake was more than enough for a 3 hour party. There was always a rush to finish up the last game before the end of the party. My advice to you would be to not buy anything fancy for food because chances are the kids won't eat it.(ask me how I know THAT one!!) Make sure that everything is set up before the party(little 'uns CAN'T wait*grin*) and have a lot of patience and some ear plugs handy(lol).
Have fun and enjoy and don't forget to take some pictures!!

Your party sounds wonderful!
When my daughter was young we would have a halloween birthday party and the kids liked "Ghost Bowling". Cover the narrow part of the bowling pins with kleenex & tie them with orange or black yarn. Draw on eyes and a round mouth & set them up. Another thing we would do is have a mini pumpkin hunt.
Hope the party is lots of fun!
Vera

One year I bought smaller size pumpkins along with enough black sharpees for each child to use as well as a number of colored sharpees for the kids to share.

As the kids got older, the pumpkin project elevated to the carving stage. You can easily find the "kid friendly" pumpkin carving tools. I have several sets accumulated over the years. Most of the carving tool kits come with patterns as well. I have several books which I've photocopied the patterns for. I'd let each child pick an pattern and then they would carve away. It was a huge hit. I know you're thinking messy, but it really isn't if you plan it well. Lay out lots of newspaper on a table and when the kids are done carving you just have to roll it up and throw it away. You will have to help them "gut" the pumpkins, but I always did that in advance of the party.

I love to carve and do several large pumpkins for decorating for the party and the kids loved the idea of carving, and the pumpkins made a great non-candy "party gift" as well.

I also like the idea of baking cupcakes and letting the kids decorate their own. You can do the frosting ahead and just put out bowls of "decorating" stuff like gummy worms, etc.

I think the Martha Stewart website may have some kid party ideas. I always enjoy watching her holiday shows, and I think she did one children's party if my memory serves me.

I think the younger kids do well with a project at a party, it keeps them from getting into the run wild around the house.

Have fun!

You could play Pass the Pumpkin(hot potato). I like playing this game a little different for this age group. Little ones do not always understand when they are "out" and the game continues without them. So instead of them just leaving i would have prizes in a bucket for the child to pick from when the music stops. Maybe the winner could pick 2 prizes. I never had any tears from this version.

Also a Ghost Hunt would be great fun. Think of it like an Easter egg hunt but the kids are hunting for ghosts. You could make the suckers ghosts and hide them around the house or yard. Kids love this game. I play a version of it at every birthday party for my kids. It is always a huge hit for every age.

Parties are so much fun. Let us know how it went.

I ran a home daycare for eight years and the best games are hands on games... a favorite game was... instead of bobbing for apples it was strawing for spiders... in a big tub put tons of spider rings...each child got their own straw... the kind that bend around the top... and then they try to scoop up as many spiders and they can... some wanted to see how many they could get on one straw.. some to see how many they could get at one time... some just wanted the orange spiders.. some just black... its not as easy as it seems...perfect for toddlers...

Another favorite was... treasure face pumpkins... clean out a pumpkin and fill it with sand or in my case we did inside the house, I filled it with rice and beans, raw of course.... then added Mr. potato head parts... eyes, nose, mouth..ect.... I pre-marked where to put the face... I did the front and back of the pumpkin so that two faces could be added at one time.... the kids would dig in the pumpkin for the face parts and add them to the pumpkin... they never knew what kind of face they would make...

bean bag toss was another favorite... three hula hoops and bean bags... have them toss them in the hula hoops (hula hoops at different spots) ... for toddlers its a challenge to aim... but they love it... have plenty of bean bags cause some kids claim them as "Mine"...

I have more if you need them....
Missy

I am having a birthday/halloween party for my almost 2 year old. I am having them decorate their own cupckaes for dessert, but would like a few simple games that we can play if the party seems to be going flat.

I love the ghost hunt idea!

I would love some more ideas (if you have them Missy).

Thanks.

I am thinking about having a birthday/Halloween party for my daughter when she turns 1. Her birthday is October 25th, but I'm going to have the party on Saturday the 27th so that its easier for people to attend.
I've been reading some of the posts above, but I still can't seem to figure out what type of activities to have. There will be between 3 and 6 children there between the ages of 1 and 10, including my daughter but it will be mostly adults.
Can anyone give me any advice on fun activities for both kids and adults? I know its about 10 weeks away but a party like this needs some planning.