Today is Halloween. Costumed kids will be roaming neighborhoods, huddling in tight groups to giggle and stay safe in the night. Adults join the fun by being ready with bowls of treats…and sometimes even haunted porches! Halloween is a great cooperative play occasion when young and old come together to celebrate and have fun!
My neighborhood in Northern California goes super crazy on Halloween. There’s even a haunted house that artists co-create. Last year it featured a room covered in black and white polka dots with people in matching polka dot suits. They were totally camouflaged—until they jumped out at you! What an amazing community event. Just for the fun of it.
Here are some more ideas to summon the Spirit of Cooperation to your Halloween gathering:
* Play BUILD A MONSTER! But first you have to find all of the pieces. Shred a bunch of old newspaper and create a “haystack” to hide the pieces of the monster. Monster pieces can be cut from felt squares and made as simply or elaborately as you wish. Monster pieces should be no smaller than four inches by four inches so that they won’t be lost in the haystack. Suggested pieces to make: a head, a neck with bolts sticking out, a torso, a brain, a heart, arms, and legs. If you have a felt board, players can assemble the monster as they find the pieces. This is a cooperative game that can be played over and over. Just toss the pieces in the haystack and stir it up to start again. Thanks to party palooza for this game. Their site: http://www.partypalooza.com/Halloween-Games-Party-Ideas.html
* Dunk for apples. Root for the dunker. Everyone wins!
* When kids return from trick-or-treating, ask them to pour the loot into a big bowl or bucket to make a witch’s cauldron. Play this sharing game: everyone sits in a circle around the cauldron. Each player takes a turn going to the cauldron to select a treat for the person sitting next to them in the circle.
* Kids fill a treat bag with donations from their own Trick-or-Treating booty. Donate the bag of treats to a local food back, or homeless shelter.
* Kids sit in a circle and tell a progressive spooky story. Start it out with a Halloween theme such as this “The night was black, the moon was full, and an old house was very dark. An owl perched in a crooked tree and a cat with green eyes sat nervously on the porch. Suddenly, the door to the house creaked open…” The game is over when everyone has had a turn adding to the story.
• Make or go to a haunted house. Appreciate how much cooperation it took to create such a spectacle!
How do you summon Spirit of Cooperation on Halloween. Share your ideas with us at CooperativeGames.com!