Happy Halloween! Who says kids get to have all of the fun on Halloween? While celebrating this spooky holiday is certainly not the same for grownups as it is for kids, Halloween is definitely a holiday to be enjoyed by both, especially when you can participate in fun activities together. 

Here are seven Halloween activities to enjoy with your kids:

1. Customize Trick-or-Treat Bags

Who wants to carry around an old pillow case or an ordinary trick-or-treat bag that every other kid in the neighborhood has? Help your kids channel their creative sides by purchasing plain tote bags that they can decorate themselves. This way you'll both know at a glance which bag belongs to them.

2. Attend a “Ghostly Gala”

Halloween parties are super fun! If you can't host your own event, there are plenty of places for you to enjoy with your family. The Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City, for example, hosts an annual Halloween event known as the Ghostly Gala where kids can get their faces painted, meet live animals and listen to spooky music. Everyone is encouraged to show up in their costumes. If your kids are on the young side and/or don’t like being frightened, this is just right for them, too. It's a fun-filled event for all!

3. Go to a Halloween Festival

Can't get enough of trick-or-treating? Whether you have pounded the pavement of your own neighborhood streets and are looking for new territory for your goodies or you prefer to explore other areas for trick-or-treating, a Halloween festival may be just what you are looking for. The Halloween festival in Stony Brook Village hosts a scarecrow competition, a costume parade, and trick-or-treating, too!

4. Bake Spooky (But Tasty!) Sweets

Bake cookies with ghosts, bats and witches on them. Decorate cupcakes with classic Halloween-colored frosting. Master the art of making the perfect pumpkin pie. Whatever you choose to bake, involve your kids in the process. It’s a chance to spend time together as a family and make some sweet memories. If you’re short on ideas, you can easily search online for Halloween recipes and get inspired. Plus, you and your kids can do this after Halloween with any leftover candy. Feel free to alter recipes to make your Halloween treats healthy delights, too. All-natural peanut butter and dark chocolate, for example, can be molded into delicious pumpkin-shaped peanut butter cups, minus the high fructose corn syrup and artificial food colors.

5. Create a Halloween-Themed Music Playlist

There’s no better time to bust out Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” or Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash” than Halloween. Create a playlist with your kids so that everyone can participate. While you're all decorating trick-or-treat bags and eating spooky treats, you can get your Halloween groove on! 

6. Turn Milk Containers into Ghosts

Don't recycle those empty plastic milk jugs just yet! Transform them into ghosts. All you’ll need is a black sharpie. It's easier than carving a pumpkin! Your kids can create their own masterpieces that you can display on a windowsill or on your front porch for the entire neighborhood to see. You could cut an opening on one side to place a small, battery-powered artificial candle, a glow stick, or even Christmas lights to light up your ghost. Please don't use a real candle because that could be a fire hazard!

7. Enjoy Some Halloween Nostalgia

Family traditions make holidays special. Maybe you grew up watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown every year with your parents. Maybe you look forward to watching a certain Halloween-themed episode of your favorite childhood TV show. Whatever it is, continue the tradition and perhaps set a new one, too, like dressing up as your favorite character! Remember, Halloween is a holiday that can be celebrated by EVERYONE!

Halloween is a great holiday to enjoy with your loved ones, as long as you keep it safe and fun! When choosing your festivities, keep in mind your children's ages and interests. Make it fun but not too scary! Here's to a spooktakular day!