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  1. #1
    gatorsmom is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Default Activities for teen Halloween party?

    My 8th graders still want to go trick or treating but my high schoolers no longer want to. Instead I suggested we have a party at our house for their friends on Halloween. These are pretty active kids and will appreciate any activities we have planned. I'll have movies going in the living room for them when they want to warm up inside but I suspect they will want to run around outside most of the time. I've noticed when it's just kids standing around, they get bored and leave. We have a nice size property so we could have the kids spread out for some activities. I was thinking an extensive scavenger hunt for prizes but didn't have a creative idea for it. Any ideas that could be fun for teens on Halloween?
    " I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mahatma Gandhi

    "This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems." Martin Luther King, Jr.

  2. #2
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    My friend used to host the best Halloween parties in middle school. We had them in her basement and her parents left us alone. We just listened to music, danced and hung out. If some kids want to leave that's totally ok. I think most teens like independence. If they are asking for help though then that's a different story. I wouldn't have it all spread out. You get people feeling lonely or having FOMO. Light an outdoor fire, have some snacks and call it good.

  3. #3
    Kestrel is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    We're planning a photo booth for selfies at our trunk-or-treat, it was a huge hit last year with the teen/tween group that were there mostly to escort younger siblings. Just a big frame decorated up, then accessories like hats and props.

  4. #4
    firstbaby is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    One of my high schoolers had a Halloween party last year that I would call a success. There was ping pong, fire pit, an Xbox and a PS4 station, snacks. We gave them a lot of space - only rule was they needed to come in and out through the front door not basement door. And no backpacks.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by firstbaby View Post
    One of my high schoolers had a Halloween party last year that I would call a success. There was ping pong, fire pit, an Xbox and a PS4 station, snacks. We gave them a lot of space - only rule was they needed to come in and out through the front door not basement door. And no backpacks.
    If it's boys, this might be the way to go. I can't really see them wanting to take part in a scavenger hunt unless there's a super cool prize on the line. I can't remember -- do you have a heated pool? They might be into that.
    DS: Raising heck since 12/09

  6. #6
    gatorsmom is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by carolinacool View Post
    If it's boys, this might be the way to go. I can't really see them wanting to take part in a scavenger hunt unless there's a super cool prize on the line. I can't remember -- do you have a heated pool? They might be into that.
    It's boys and girls. I'm considering having the pool open and that's usually a big hit, I but it could be very cold here on Halloween night.

    These kids are all kind of geeky. They frequently go to Escape rooms together. Lately corn mazes are their draw (and we have a lot to choose from in rural Wisconsin!) They LOVE when we have laser tag wars in our fields. The girls get into it too. But I've done laser tag so many times that it's getting old. We were going to do a corn maze but had to cut our fields this weekend. These aren't the kinds of kids to just sit around and chat around the fire. Some of them will. But it would be fun to have something else to do along the lines of a scavenger hunt or game. And we certainly have the space for it.

    I could do a super cool prize for a scavenger hunt or game. I guess I could let my kids decide what that would be. No ideas for games? Anyone participated in a team builder activity that was fun and creative? Something I could adapt for teens?
    " I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mahatma Gandhi

    "This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems." Martin Luther King, Jr.

  7. #7
    Liziz is online now Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    So this might be totally not cool, but I have recently participated in several get-togethers with a bunch of Minute to Win It style games. A huge variety of ages, including teens, were into the games and having a blast with them. Not having teens of my own yet I have no idea if that would work, but since you specifically mentioned games, I'm throwing it out! If you just google it there's a ton of ideas out there, many are super simple and low/no cost to set up, and many are easy to make Halloween themed if desired. I also think a photo booth (self-made!) like Kestral suggested is a great addition.
    Lizi

  8. #8
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    I’d put your kids in charge of planning. Just have them put together a supply or shopping list for you.
    My kids and their friends will bring games or activities to each other’s houses. Parents really don’t plan stuff. I know it’s fun to but I think that they can come up with something, like hide and seek, all on their own and have a blast. It’s fun to see what they can come up with!


    Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

  9. #9
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    essnce629 is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by SnuggleBuggles View Post
    I’d put your kids in charge of planning. Just have them put together a supply or shopping list for you.
    My kids and their friends will bring games or activities to each other’s houses. Parents really don’t plan stuff. I know it’s fun to but I think that they can come up with something, like hide and seek, all on their own and have a blast. It’s fun to see what they can come up with!
    Agree. I'm pretty sure my 18 year old DS1 never attended a party in high school that had parent planned activities. The only thing the parents would be involved with would be food planning. DS1 and his friends are big foodies. One friend had a pizza chef come for his 18 birthday and made personalized pizzas in an outdoor pizza oven and for their graduation dinner they had a Benihana type chef do a dinner outside. "Activities" as far as I know just included sitting around talking, swimming, playing video games, watching movies, playing ping pong or pool, and doing dumb stuff they'd come up with on their own.
    Latia (Birth & Postpartum Doula and Infant Nanny)
    Conner 8/19/03 (My 1st home birthed water baby!)
    Parker 5/23/09 (My 2nd home birthed water baby!)

  10. #10
    newnana is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    My teen and her friends do better when there are activities available, not necessarily led or organized. She LOVES to be involved in the planning and then she and her friends have a tendency to modify the activities based on how the group dynamic happens to flow. They aren't as good at just hanging out, but end up doing that after doing a few set up things like you mentioned: corn maze, escape room, laser tag. This particular group doesn't need any sort of prize, the activity itself is the draw.

    In our case, we'd have some silly games set up they can choose to do or not. DD loves to google and pick and choose/make these. Think things like:
    - bucket toss with $store jack-o-lantern buckets screwed to a board and different level of points with black tape labelled in the bucket. Bonus points if you find the eyeball painted ping pong balls for this
    - Darts with a giant wall of balloons shaped like a pumpkin with candy inside. You pop it, you eat it. Safer version is a punch wall with some mechanism to determine who gets to open the next tissue paper spot. We have a large set of foam dice for this type of thing, but it could be something as easy as riddles/puzzles, whoever gets the answer first.
    - Witch hat ring toss with glow sticks as the ring.
    - Wink murder.
    - Halloween themed charades/team type pictionary/ etc. Big dry erase board/marker and a jack o lantern full of clues.
    - Halloween scategories, (we have a tendency to pick time tested games and just give them a party aligned theme.) set up a board or printable with themes: kind of candy, halloween costume, scary movie, etc and roll the scategories dice to figure out what letter everyone is using. The dry erase board for this is good because if they are having fun and want to keep playing, they are good at coming up with additional themes.
    - If you are in a neighborhood, halloween themed scavenger hunt with neighbors decorations: vampire, tombstone, decorative cobwebs, coffin, spider, etc.
    - Shuffleboard: board of some type a few feet high - do not enter or some other halloween tape stuff as the line, anything halloween themed as the pucks: oreos, orange puck lights, those fake battery operated candles, whatever.

    Glow ball wiffle ball?

    Having something for our teens to poke around near tends to start conversations. They either are bored and start doing the games and modifying them; or do the games, and lose interest when they get caught in a conversation. It makes for good tension breakers around here.

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