Fun and Frightening Halloween Decor Ideas for Kids

Halloween is a special occasion that you can make truly memorable for your whole family. One way to do this is to adorn your home with creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky decorations.

Here is a detailed list of fun and frightening Halloween decor ideas in which you can involve your kids!

Glow-in-the-Dark Lights

Replace your standard lights with eerie glow-in-the-dark Halloween jar lights to dot around the house.

You'll need:

• Glow-in-the-dark paint (available at craft stores or online)
• A paintbrush
• Glass mason jars
• A black-light (or UV-A light)
• Water
• A bowl

The method is simple and fun:

1. Wash your jars.
2. Mix your paint with your paintbrush to evenly dissolve all the glowing particles.
3. Carefully make many tiny dots on the inside of your jars, one color at a time. Paint as many dots as you have the patience for. The more dots, the prettier your jar lights will look!
4. Leave your creations to dry. And you're done!

Be mindful that glow-in-the-dark paint requires charging. Use a lamp or sunshine to charge them so they shine bright in the night. Use your black light at night to make the jars pop!

Place your Halloween punch, pumpkin candies, spider cookies, etc., on your dining room transformer table. Extend the table to your desired length and disperse your glowing lanterns in between the tasty treats.

Purchase a fog machine from a department store or online. Give your spooky treat table a foggy finish, and make sure the fog can be seen through your windows!

Bloody Windows

Involve your kids in making bloody handprints for your Halloween window decor! A great way to spend quality time with your children, to foster a happy and rewarding family life, is through crafts.

You'll need:

• Craft glue
• Red and blue food coloring
• Plastic wrap
• A large cutting board
• Tape
• Surgical or latex gloves (to avoid staining)
• A bowl

Method to the madness:

1. Wrap your plastic wrap smoothly around your cutting board. This requires meticulousness. Maybe leave your kids out of this step!
2. Secure the plastic wrap with tape on the backside of your cutting board.
3. Add an ounce of craft glue to your bowl. Release a single drop of blue food coloring into the bowl and mix thoroughly.
4. Add red food coloring, one drop at a time, while stirring the mixture until you've achieved your desired bloody color. Make your final glue color a shade lighter than you want your handprints to be. Your final product will end up a shade darker when dried.
5. Paint your and your kids' hands with a thick layer of plain craft glue. Make hand prints all over your plastic wrap. Let these base layers dry fully before continuing.
6. Pop on a pair of latex gloves and paint your hands with a thick layer of your dyed glue. Press your hands onto the base layer handprints you've already made. Allow these to dry completely before proceeding.
7. Slowly peel the handprints off the plastic wrap. If they tear, the glue may not be thick enough. Repeat step 6 until the glue is sturdy enough to peel without breakage.
8. It's time to make your haunting window arrangement! Scatter your bloody handprints on your windows and create a stir in your neighborhood.

Set candles inside orange and black cups on the window sill to create a spooky ambiance.

Preserved Head-in-a-Jar

Nothing says Halloween like a spooky decor prank! A preserved head-in-a-jar is a fantastic way to scare your family members and add extra creepiness to your Halloween decor.

You'll need:

• Photo editing software
• A large jar
• Yellow food coloring
• Water
• Access to a printer and a laminating machine. Your local print/copy store will do.

Method:

1. Take a photo of your best dead face or ask another family member to do it. This will be your preserved head. Keep it a secret from the rest of the family!
2. Use your photo editing skills to closely crop the photo around your face. 
3. Print and laminate the final image. Ensure the photo fits snugly inside your jar.
4. Fill your jar with water and add a few drops of yellow food coloring to create the preserving fluid.
5. Submerge your laminated picture in the water. 
6. Place your jar in the fridge

You'll notice how beautifully the water distorts the flat image. Thus, giving the illusion of a decapitated head in a jar of preserving fluid.

Watch the fright unfold each time someone opens the fridge. Once every family member has been pranked, place the jar outside on a side or coffee to scare trick-or-treaters!