Halloween Activities for Adults and Grandkids in Southern Pines, NC
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With the spookiest holiday right around the corner in Southern Pines, it's the perfect time for families to plan Halloween activities for adults and kids. These include crafts for little monsters, October lunch menus, movie marathons, decorating projects, and haunted gardening!
According to Parade Magazine, Grandparents are in a unique position to pass down family traditions to grandkids, as well as being emotionally and creatively available. Halloween, with all of its creativity, makes for a wonderful bonding experience for grandparents and grandchildren.
Southern Pines, North Carolina, transforms into a picturesque autumn small town in October. Its historic buildings also add a touch of spooky charm, making for memorable Halloween outings with family.
Turn these fall traditions for seniors and kids into true intergenerational Halloween fun!
What Are Some Halloween Activities for Adults and Little Grandkids?
Are there babies and toddlers in the family experiencing their first Halloween? Make these experiences truly special by engaging in sensory discovery crafts for these age groups. These activities are well-suited for grandparents and little grandkids.
Consider sensory and developmental play activities like Halloween sensory bins. Don't worry; these activities are supposed to be a little messy! Fill the bin with the following items:
- Orange-dyed rice
- Orange play-dough (or homemade salt dough)
- Orange sand
- Black and orange buttons
- Black and orange puff balls
You can also fill a clear bin with water, orange food coloring, and iridescent powder or glitter to make a water-swirl bin.
Create a pumpkin wash station for your littlest grandkids.
Build a mini outdoor kitchen with wash bins for "sinks." Provide soap, scrub brushes, and cloths for cleaning pumpkins. This activity is a fun way for grandparents to teach little ones practical skills.
Once they're clean, the pumpkins will be ready for the pumpkin-painting station. This particular activity is best for preschoolers and kindergartners.
While the littlest grandkids may be too young for trick-or-treating, families can set up indoor trick-or-treating environments. Grandparents can help turn living rooms and dining room entranceways into "porches" for toddler trick-or-treating.
You could even turn your home into an indoor pumpkin patch with store-bought pumpkins or pumpkins from a nearby patch. Create "vines" out of green construction paper or fabric, and let the little ones pick out their favorites!
What's a Good Halloween Lunch Idea?
Before the kids take to the neighborhood in their trick-or-treating costumes, host a family lunch that brings grandparents and grandkids together. A themed meal is a wonderful memory to add to a memory care book or photo album.
For starters, turn simple sandwiches into a spooky feast!
Use ghost-shaped cookie cutters to make ghost sandwiches out of white bread. Use any filling you'd like, from simple meat and cheese to peanut butter and jelly. "Mummy" hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls are also a hit; serve them with a side of blood-red ketchup.
Make a strawberry-flavored "brain" jello mold with canned fruit cocktail. A dirt and "worm" cake is another fun Halloween dessert: all you need is boxed chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and gummy worms. You can also buy Halloween cake decorations from a local craft store.
Turn your Halloween lunch into an edible craft activity! Grandparents and grandkids can assemble Halloween bento boxes from a variety of prepared foods, including:
- Clementine "pumpkins"
- Banana ghosts
- Pumpkin-shaped mini sandwiches
- "Brain matter" spaghetti
- Harvest trail mix
Set up a Halloween beverage station, including a haunted hot cocoa table with ghost marshmallow peeps!
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a Good Halloween Movie for Grandparents and Grandkids?
Gather the family, pop some popcorn, and settle in for a Halloween movie marathon that Grandparents and grandkids can enjoy together.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) is an absolute classic this time of year.What's the plot? Linus's unshakeable belief in "the Great Pumpkin" inspires anticipation among the Peanuts gang, culminating in a true Halloween classic.
Next up is The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, made in 1949. This vintage animated film by Disney is a take on the Halloween classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This is a good choice for older grandkids, while the Great Pumpkin is a better choice for little grandkids.
Hocus Pocus, released in 1993, may be one of the most iconic Halloween movies of the 1990s. The film follows three resurrected witches from historic Salem who find themselves in the present day. The movie's nostalgic appeal makes it a perfect choice.
What Are Some Halloween House Decorating Tips for Grandparents?
Decorating the home for Halloween is a wonderful way for grandparents and grandkids to bond.
Instead of traditional pumpkin carving with sharp tools, opt for a pumpkin-decorating station. Remember the pumpkin-washing station from earlier? Those pumpkins are now ready for decorating!
Add the following items to your decorating station:
- Craft paint and fabric paint
- Googly eyes
- Yarn
- Glitter glue
- Glue-on shapes
- Feathers
- Puff balls
Mason jars can easily be transformed into Halloween lanterns with flameless tealight candles, twinkle lights, and orange tissue paper.
How Do You Make a Halloween Garden?
Gardening activities are wonderful memory care crafts that bring generations together.They're also sensory activities that encourage curiosity in the littlest grandkids.
Consider a haunted graveyard with DIY tombstones and skeletons. You could also create a mini spooky garden in a barrel or wheelbarrow. Create a small scarecrow out of old flannel and autumn leaves.
You could plan your Halloween garden ahead of time by buying "spooky" plants like Ghost Plant (Monotropa uniflora) or Black Mondo Grass.
Plan Your Family-Friendly Celebrations for Halloween
Add these Halloween activities for adults and grandkids to your checklist. Start planning your craft and decorating projects, lunch menus, and movie marathons. Don't forget to take plenty of pictures for memory care!
TerrBella Southern Pines offers even more opportunities for grandparents and grandkids to bond through craft projects, birthdays, and assisted living events.
Our leadership team brings over 40 years of experience to the Southern Pines senior community. We're proud to offer the Celebrations Activities and Events program, keeping an active social calendar with game nights, crafting, outings, patio lunches, and wellness classes.
Call us today to learn more about our community and to discuss your goals for senior living.