A Halloween party for kids needs three things: a bit of spooky atmosphere, games that keep them moving, and something memorable enough that they talk about it at school on Monday. You don't need to spend a fortune — most of the best Halloween party games use things you already have, plus a laptop and a TV.
Here are 20+ Halloween party games for kids, organised by energy level and age. Most are free. The haunted magic mirror at the bottom is our favourite — it turns your TV into a living spooky mirror that kids can't walk away from.
Spooky musical statues
The classic, Halloween-ed. Play spooky music (Monster Mash, Thriller, Ghostbusters, the Addams Family theme). When the music stops, kids freeze as a spooky statue — a ghost, a vampire, a zombie. The best statue pose each round wins a small prize, or you can play elimination-style for older kids.
If you have a laptop and TV, Magic Mirror's Statues game does this automatically — it plays the music, pauses at random, and uses your webcam to judge who moved. The Halloween effects (ghost trails, thermal vision, X-ray) make it spookier than the regular version. It's free to play.
The haunted magic mirror (our top Halloween pick)
Turn your TV into a haunted mirror. Open Magic Mirror on a laptop, plug it into the TV with HDMI, press "Show on TV," and choose spooky effects. Kids see themselves on the big screen transformed in real time:
- Ghost — a translucent afterimage trails behind every movement, like a haunting.
- Thermal — see body heat as colour. Glowing red faces, cold blue hands. Spooky and scientific.
- X-ray / Predator — an infrared-style effect that makes everyone look like an alien.
- Neon glow — edges light up in electric blue and green. Great in a dark room.
- Time warp — movements replay in slow motion, like a horror film.
- Kaleidoscope — multiply every face into a creepy pattern.
Three effects are free forever. The full set of 71 effects and 12 games is £6.99 one-time. Set it up in a dark room with a coloured light and it becomes the centrepiece of the party — kids will queue up to see themselves as ghosts, aliens, and thermal zombies. It runs itself for the whole party.
Active Halloween games
Mummy wrapping race
Split into teams of 2–3. Give each team a roll of toilet paper. One child is the mummy, the others wrap. First team to fully wrap their mummy wins. Cheap, hilarious, and the photos are excellent. Use cheap single-ply — it tears easily for small hands.
Zombie race
Kids race from one side of the room to the other, but they have to move like zombies — stiff legs, arms outstretched, groaning. First zombie to cross the line wins. Works best for ages 5–8.
Witch hat ring toss
Make witch hats from black card and place them on the floor. Kids throw glow sticks or hoops at the hats. Worth different points for different hats. Simple, cheap, and works for all ages.
Ghost hunt
Cut ghost shapes from white paper and hide them around the house. Kids hunt for them. The one who finds the most wins. For older kids, write clues on the ghosts that lead to a treasure. Takes 15 minutes and costs nothing.
Pass the pumpkin
Like pass the parcel, but with a small pumpkin or a pumpkin-shaped balloon. Play spooky music, pause it, whoever is holding the pumpkin is out. Last child standing wins.
Spooky party games with a screen
Pass the bomb (Halloween edition)
A hot-potato game with a Halloween twist. Magic Mirror's Pass the Bomb game puts a bomb on screen that chases the busiest player. When the 20-second fuse runs out, it explodes. Play it with spooky lighting for maximum effect.
Dance-off (Monster Mash)
Two kids face the TV and dance to a Halloween song. The rest cheer for the winner. Magic Mirror's Dance-Off game scores movement energy and picks a winner automatically. Play Thriller or the Monster Mash.
Calm Halloween activities
Pumpkin decorating
Instead of carving (which is dangerous for small hands and messy), give kids mini pumpkins and markers, stickers, or paint. Each child decorates their own. This is an activity and a party favour in one.
Halloween photo booth
Set up a dark corner with spooky decorations and a camera. Let kids take turns posing with witch hats, vampire capes, and fake cobwebs. If you're using Magic Mirror, the ghost and thermal effects make every photo spookier — and the snapshots save automatically to your downloads folder.
Spooky story circle
Dim the lights, give one child a torch, and have each child add one sentence to a scary story. "There was a old house on the hill..." "And in the house lived a..." Each child adds their piece. The story gets sillier and sillier. Perfect wind-down activity.
Halloween party games by age
- Ages 3–5: Ghost hunt, pumpkin decorating, spooky story circle, sleeping lions (call it "sleeping ghosts"), the haunted mirror with gentle effects (kaleidoscope, emoji rain).
- Ages 6–8: All of the above plus mummy wrapping, zombie race, witch hat ring toss, pass the pumpkin, spooky musical statues, dance-off.
- Ages 9–10: All of the above plus pass the bomb, dance-off, the haunted mirror with thermal/X-ray/neon effects (this age loves the genuinely creepy ones), spooky story circle with horror sound effects.
How to set the Halloween atmosphere
- Dim the lights. Turn off overhead lights, use lamps with orange or purple bulbs, or buy cheap LED tea lights.
- Play a spooky playlist. Monster Mash, Thriller, Ghostbusters, Superstition, Somebody's Watching Me, the Addams Family theme. Put it on low in the background.
- Use the TV. The haunted mirror running in a dark corner is atmosphere and entertainment in one. Kids drift over, pull spooky faces, and come back throughout the party.
- Cobwebs and props. Stretchable cobweb material is £1 from any pound shop. Drape it over furniture and doorways. Add plastic spiders.
For more party ideas, see our guides to birthday party entertainment ideas, indoor party games for kids, and our original Halloween party camera effects guide.