Halloween games for kids indoors

1 · Imagine

The Ghost Hotel

Estimated time: 8–12 minutes
What you need: Three cushions, a small blanket and two soft toys.
Setup: Arrange the cushions on the floor with space to walk around them.

Your mission

1. Turn the cushions into rooms in a hotel for friendly ghosts.
2. Give each soft-toy guest a funny name and decide what makes their room special.
3. Welcome your guests and invent one thing that happens during their stay.

You’re done when: Both guests have a room and you’ve told their Halloween hotel story.

Playing together or adapting it: One child can be the receptionist while another voices the guests. Swap roles halfway through.

2 · Move

Monster Delivery Service

Estimated time: 5–8 minutes
What you need: Three rolled-up socks and two baskets or open boxes.
Setup: Place the baskets a few clear steps apart on the floor.

Your mission

1. Put the socks in the starting basket: they’re parcels for friendly monsters.
2. Deliver one parcel at a time using a different monster walk—tiny vampire steps, a slow zombie shuffle or a gentle monster march.
3. Choose your funniest walk for the final delivery. Walk carefully; this isn’t a race.

You’re done when: All three parcels arrive at the monster’s door.

Playing together or adapting it: Take turns inventing the walk. A seated player can pass parcels with monster arm movements.

3 · Create

Make a Pocket Monster

Estimated time: 10–15 minutes
What you need: Paper, washable colouring pens or crayons; optional stickers.
Setup: Put the materials on a table. No scissors are needed.

Your mission

1. Draw a monster small enough to live in your pocket.
2. Give it three unusual features, such as spaghetti hair, star-shaped toes or a nose that blows bubbles.
3. Name it and draw the snack or home it would love.

You’re done when: Your monster has a name, three features and something it loves.

Playing together or adapting it: Create one monster together, adding a feature in turns, or introduce separate monsters to each other.

4 · Find

The Witch’s Missing Ingredients

Estimated time: 5–10 minutes
What you need: A basket and five safe household items: something soft, round, purple, shiny and funny. Items can fit more than one clue.
Setup: An adult sets the search boundary and checks which objects are suitable.

Your mission

1. The witch has lost the ingredients for her giggle potion. Find one object for each clue.
2. Bring your ingredients to the basket without opening cupboards or climbing.
3. Give each ingredient a magical name: a sock might become “dragon fluff”.

You’re done when: You’ve matched all five clues and named your ingredients.

Playing together or adapting it: Search as a team, or give each player two clues and solve the last one together.

5 · Kindness

The Friendly Ghost’s Thank-You

Estimated time: 8–12 minutes
What you need: Paper and colouring pens or crayons.
Setup: Choose someone you’d like to thank: a sibling, parent, grandparent or friend.

Your mission

1. Draw a friendly ghost with a speech bubble.
2. Write or say one specific thing you appreciate about that person. An adult can help with writing.
3. Give them the picture, or keep it ready for the next time you see them.

You’re done when: Your ghost carries a real thank-you for someone.

Playing together or adapting it: Each child can make a card, or everyone can add a message to one family ghost.

6 · Silly

The Monster Weather Report

Estimated time: 5–8 minutes
What you need: No materials; an optional cardboard tube can be a pretend microphone.
Setup: Choose a clear spot to perform, or sit together.

Your mission

1. Invent three ridiculous Halloween weather forecasts: raining pumpkins, a breeze of ghost giggles or a fog of purple socks.
2. Present your report using your funniest monster voice and gestures.
3. Ask the audience to choose what they’d wear in that weather.

You’re done when: You’ve announced three forecasts and someone has chosen their outfit.

Playing together or adapting it: One child presents while another adds sound effects, then swap. Solo players can report to their soft toys.

7 · Together

Build a Pumpkin Patch

Estimated time: 10–15 minutes
What you need: Six sheets of scrap paper, crayons and a cushion.
Setup: Draw a pumpkin on each sheet. Leave the papers flat on a table or floor.

Your mission

1. Together, give each pumpkin a different face.
2. Arrange them around the cushion to make your imaginary pumpkin patch.
3. Invent a short story together, taking turns to add one sentence about a pumpkin.

You’re done when: All six pumpkins have faces and everyone has added something to the story.

Playing together or adapting it: Younger children can draw expressions while older children help with the story. Nobody has to make a perfect pumpkin.

8 · Outside

Bring the Night Walk Indoors

Estimated time: 8–12 minutes
What you need: Paper, crayons and three cushions; optional battery-powered torch.
Setup: Keep the room normally lit. Draw a moon, tree and friendly owl, then place them beside the cushions.

Your mission

1. Outside adventures can happen in your imagination too. Walk around your indoor trail and pretend you’re exploring a moonlit garden.
2. At the moon, invent a night-time sound. At the tree, spot an imaginary creature. At the owl, ask it a question.
3. Return and tell someone what you discovered.

You’re done when: You’ve visited all three stops and shared your discovery.

Playing together or adapting it: One child guides the walk while another describes discoveries. Swap roles, or travel together seated using the pictures.

9 · Surprise

The Mystery Monster Mission

Estimated time: 5–10 minutes
What you need: Three pieces of paper, crayons and a bowl.
Setup: Draw a ghost, pumpkin and bat on separate papers; fold them and put them in the bowl.

Your mission

1. Pick one paper without looking.
2. Your surprise task is: ghost—teach a friendly ghost a dance; pumpkin—invent a pumpkin’s favourite joke; bat—show how a tiny bat gets ready for bed.
3. Perform your idea, then let the next player draw a task.

You’re done when: Everyone taking part has completed one surprise task.

Playing together or adapting it: Play cooperatively. Anyone can swap a task or ask a partner to help; there’s no wrong performance.

Keep the adventure going

Print it and play: browse the free Halloween mission pack in A4 or US Letter.