6 off-the-shelf Halloween activities for kids from small businesses

Kids love getting into the spirit of Halloween with crafts and activities to get stuck into. But as busy parents ourselves, we know that sometimes you need to take some shortcuts to make sure the kids’ grand plans fit in with your own.
All the big retailers have their Halloween ranges, and it would be super easy to pop a few into your basket next time you’re shopping. If like us, however, you like to support small businesses where you can, why not check out these recommendations?

Make your own Halloween skeleton keyring
It’s fair to say we love pretty much everything that Cotton Twist do! Their activity kits and personalised gifts are so well thought out and their customer service is exceptional. They have a full range of Halloween activities to choose from, but these fun keyrings jumped out at us!

Kids will have loads of fun creating shadows with these cute and simple puppets available from Molly Meg. No need to faff around with scissors and glue, just cut straight to the playing! You could even create a shadow theatre from an old box too.
Monster colouring and activity book
Incredibly cute illustrations of monsters and pumpkins fill the pages of this lovely book created by Letterfest. With 24 pages of fun, it’s a book they’ll come back to again and again. Why not pair with a new set of pencils or gel pens for an extra special treat?
Colour-in monsters and ghosts tablecloth
This large poster/tablecloth from Eggnogg is 127 x 95cm and adorned with funny ghosts and ghouls. You can use coloured pencils, crayons, pastels, chalks, paints or felt tips to colour it in. Not only will it make a great centrepiece for a Halloween-themed meal but you’ll have hours of fun making it!
Tweens and teens will love folding and then writing these deliciously spooky origami notes, available for Little Lulubel.
Why not also check out our simple and easy Halloween craft ideas here, plus our guide to having Halloween fun at home. Or for some brilliant Halloween book recommendations check out 7 spooky Halloween books for 8-year-olds and up and 7 fang-tastic Halloween books for kids aged 5-8.