Fun Ways to Scare Kids For Halloween!

Halloween is my second favorite holiday! I enjoy this holiday because it offers us the opportunity to pretend to be whatever we want to be. We can release our inner monster and have a frightfully fun time. It's truly all about the kids and witnessing their expressions and excitement. Those little beggars get to dress up in their creative costumes and go door to door and beg for candy. What a spooktacular evening for them!

I always have plenty of treats available for my goblins! I used to have the kids perform a trick before they got their candy. The tricks were simple. Toss a ball in a bucket, it usually only took one or two throws to get their treats but there were some kids who just had a bad aim even though the bucket was in front of them, of course they still got candy...just not as much. One year I had the little witches and warlocks answer questions...such as simple basic math problems. I was amused with their quizzical glances at me, but I was trying to teach them that nothing in life was free. The parents of the ghouls were impressed with my tactics.

Halloween 2008 was one of my favorites! The presidential election of Obama vs McCain was in full force. I was a strong supporter for Obama and for fun, I ordered a bunch of stickers from eBay that said OBAMA FOR 2008. I placed the stickers next to my bowl of goodies. The trick or treaters would walk up my front stoops and see my display. The majority of them eyed my stickers. I was a bit surprised. I had them there for the adults. These kids varied in ages from 3-12. I asked whether they would like an Obama Sticker or candy. Most of them said both...duh. What shocked me the most was the 4 to 6 year olds immediately saying "I want a Bawack Obama sticka." Huh, they said the name perfectly, well almost. I thought "WOW" this is impressive! Either these beggars were brainwashed or they are true supporters! I wished they were old enough to vote! That was a memorable Halloween.

I've grown up a bit since then and now I don't demand tricks anymore. I now just enjoy scaring them. In a nice way of course. Kinda. Each year Sunshine sets up her station on the porch with candy, music and some tricks up her sleeve. One of my favorite tactics is to play haunting music that gets louder as the princesses and the pirates approach the house. I watch as the little tiaras and masks get closer to the house and they look so excited and eager to plead for a treat. I reach for my iPod and the music gets louder, they get a bit concerned but keep on walking towards the porch...spooky, eerie tunes blaring a bit louder now and their eyes are getting bigger BUT they approach me with no fear ... "Twick or Tweet" ... those kids received extra candy for their bravery!

Another fun way to frighten them is to have my little doggy Foxy outside. Foxy is only 8 pounds, she's a small girl. Foxy's not a people person BUT she's harmless and doesn't have the capability to harm a fly! I figured Foxy would bark and the kids would hightail it out of town. The children approach my work station...Foxy pops up her little head and BARKS....the children seem a bit shocked at first and then proceed to say "awwww, what a tute doggy, can I pet her?" HELLO KID, the dog is barking at you, shouldn't you be scared!?! Extra candy for bravery again.

My third favorite way is to casually hide behind a bush and trick the treaters into thinking that I'm not home. They assumed that they can help themselves to the candy bowl. I patiently wait until the glistening gowns and vampire capes stride over to the goodies. They look around for someone. They don't see anyone. Their hands reach into the cauldron of tempting treats. I leapt into action and yelled "BOO!" They began to SOB which in turn made me CRY!!! I then dumped the remaining candy into their pumpkins which were already overflowing with the evenings stash of freebies! I bid them a farewell and then went indoors to retrieve more candy for my next victims. I should now pause to emphasize...always take into consideration the ages of the children with any scare tactic. Use your best judgment and common sense. I thought I did. No one is perfect.

My final favorite way to frighten the kiddies is by having a witch or ghost battery operated doll that plays scary sounds. I thought for sure this would do the trick. Those ghouls can't fool Sunshine any longer they will run for the hills! The button is off until the kids say "Trick or Tweet" and then the witch begins to heckle and the ghost begins to move and dance. The kids look at the dolls in awe, proceed to smile and then turn to their parents and say, "I want one of those, pleaseeee!" Seriously, kid!? What happened to being scared of these things? I was scared when I was a kid!

I guess times have changed. Maybe it's time for Sunshine to continue on with her growth spurt and come up with another game plan for entertaining herself on Halloween! The fun of Halloween is endless. I've always been a fan and always will. The kids dressed up in their costumes are such a joy to share the holiday with. I'm looking forward to what the most popular costume will be this year. Happy Halloween to all and have fun making memories and scaring the children! If that's even possible anymore. Maybe you'll have better luck then me. BOO to YOU!!!