Halloween · by Play Type
Halloween costume ideas for kids, by how they play
The costume that makes it to the last house is the one they can play in. A Builder wants to have made it. A Competitor wants to run in it. Find your kid below. Each Play Type also gets one thing to do together the week of Halloween, and a couple of ideas for a boo basket.
Not sure how your kid plays? The quiz takes two minutes.
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For a Builder
Makes things, and wants to see them exist.
The costume
A robot they build out of a box
Give them a box that fits over their shoulders, a roll of foil tape and the weekend. You cut the head and arm holes, they do the rest: bottle caps for buttons, a dryer vent hose for arms if you have an old one. It will be lopsided and they will defend every inch of it. Keep the box short enough that they can still see their feet on porch steps.
Halloween week
Build a candy chute for the porch
A cardboard mailing tube, or three paper towel tubes taped end to end, propped on the railing. They decorate it and test it with half the candy bowl. On the night, they're the one who runs it when the doorbell rings. It's an afternoon of building that ends with a job.
For the boo basket
- A small LEGO Halloween setOur pick: LEGO Jack-O'-Lantern Pickup Truck (40822)177 pieces, so it's one sitting on a cold night. The box says 8 and up. Find it
For an Explorer
Wants to know what's over the next hill.
The costume
A cave explorer with a headlamp that works
A hat, a vest or a khaki shirt, boots, a backpack for the candy and a real headlamp. The headlamp is the whole costume as far as they're concerned. It also means you can spot them three houses ahead, which is the actual point.
Halloween week
Let them plan the route
The night before, walk the neighborhood after dark and notice which houses have lights on and decorations up. Draw the streets on paper and let them mark it. On Halloween they lead. You'll walk farther than you planned and they'll remember every turn.
For the boo basket
- Glow sticks for the whole groupOur pick: JOYIN glow sticks, 100 packThey come with connectors for necklaces and bracelets. Put one on every kid and you can count heads in the dark. Find it
For a Competitor
Keeps score, even when nobody asked.
The costume
A referee
A black and white striped shirt, black pants, sneakers and a whistle. It's easy to run in, and that matters more to a Competitor than how it looks, because they'll be racing the other kids to every door. They also get to call fouls all night. You'll regret the whistle by seven.
Halloween week
The candy count
When you get home, everyone dumps their bag on the table and counts. Most pieces wins, and the only prize is the title until next year. Then the winner gets a handshake from everybody else. It's a small, sticky way to practice losing, which is the thing a Competitor needs most.
For the boo basket
- A fast card game with a Halloween lookOur pick: Spot It! The Nightmare Before ChristmasSpot It rounds take a minute, which is short enough for a rematch every time somebody loses. Find it
For a Storyteller
Every toy has a name and a backstory.
The costume
A cape, a hat and a name they make up
Skip the costume with a character's name on the bag. A plain cape and a hat can be a vampire at the first house, a wizard at the second and somebody's long-lost aunt by the end of the street. Ask who they are at every door. You'll get a different answer each time, with a backstory.
Halloween week
A ghost story where everyone adds a line
Lights off, one flashlight, and each person says one sentence before passing it on. Agree first on how scary is too scary for whoever's youngest. Storytellers never want it to end, so decide the ending up front: the ghost goes home after ten turns.
For the boo basket
- A bat finger puppetOur pick: Folkmanis Mini Bat finger puppetSmall enough for a boo basket, and the bat will end up narrating. Find it
- Story dice for the ghost storyOur pick: Rory's Story Cubes ClassicNine dice with pictures on them. Roll them before the lights go off, and the story has to use every one. Find it
For a Collector
Needs the whole set.
The costume
A bug collector
A vest with pockets, a hat, a net from the garage and a clear jar with a plastic spider in it. Honestly, for this kid the bag matters more than the costume. Give them a pillowcase. They're going to count every piece later either way.
Halloween week
The great candy sort
Clear the table on Halloween night and let them sort the whole haul, by kind first and then into what they'll trade. Set the trading rate before they start, two small for one full size, or it gets ugly. For a Collector this is the best part of the night, so don't rush it.
For the boo basket
- A tackle box for sorting candyOur pick: Plano Three-Tray Tackle BoxThree trays of little compartments, one kind of candy in each. After November it holds rocks, shells or cards. Find it
- Halloween stickers for a little oneOur pick: Usborne Little First Stickers HalloweenOver 250 reusable Halloween stickers, for a younger Collector. Made for 3 to 5 year olds. Find it
For a Performer
Play is better with an audience.
The costume
A magician who does one trick at every door
A cape and a hat, plus one trick learned the week before and practiced on everyone in the house. By the fifth porch they have a routine, and the neighbors who are into it will ask for a second trick. Face paint finishes it if they want a bigger look.
Halloween week
A costume runway in the hallway
The night before Halloween, tape a runway down the hall, point a flashlight at the far end and put on something loud. Everyone in the house walks it once in costume. The Performer walks it five times. Be the crowd.
For the boo basket
- Face paintOur pick: Snazaroo Face Paint Palette Kit, RainbowWashable, and enough for a cat face or a very serious magician's mustache. Find it
For a Puzzler
Wants to know how it works.
The costume
A detective
Any long coat of yours and a hat. A small notebook for writing down clues, and a magnifying glass if you have one. Puzzlers like a costume with a job, and a detective has one: working out which house on the street has the full-size bars.
Halloween week
A candy hunt with clues
Hide their first piece of Halloween candy and write five riddles that lead to it, with the last clue taped inside the jack-o'-lantern. Make one clue too hard on purpose. They'll get it, and they'll tell you it was easy.
For the boo basket
- A Halloween jigsaw with big piecesOur pick: Ravensburger Spooky Fun, 100 XXL pieces100 big pieces and a busy Halloween scene to hunt through. The box says 6 and up. Find it
- An escape room game in a boxOur pick: EXIT: The Haunted Roller CoasterFor 10 and up, played together at the kitchen table. You cut and tear the cards to solve it, so it's a one-time game. Save it for the week of Halloween. Find it
On the night
- Do a test walk the weekend before.Stairs and a dark porch, in the full costume. That's when you find out the mask slides or the box hits their knees, and there's still time to fix it.
- Put something that lights up on every kid.A headlamp or a glow stick is enough. Costumes are mostly black, and Halloween is mostly after dark.
- Eat a real dinner before you go.Even a fast one. The night goes better when the first thing in their stomach isn't a fun-size bar.
- Agree on the candy rule before the bag fills up.How many tonight, where the rest lives. It's an easy talk on the walk out and a hard one at the kitchen table.
Not sure which one is your kid?
Most kids are a mix of two Play Types, and the costume usually comes from the stronger one. The quiz takes two minutes. No account needed, and adding a name is optional.
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