Harvest Party Ideas

When you have kids who are involved in school and church activities it can be extremely difficult to plan a party where someone won’t be offended. That’s why harvest parties are so incredibly popular. It’s as if somehow parents of different faiths and backgrounds got together and came up with an idea that they could all stomach. So don’t be discouraged this year if you are in charge of the Halloween harvest party. Get creative!

Here are some sure-fire hits that the kids and their parents will love:

1. Hay rides – Filling a tractor trailer with hay bales is a timeless pastime that children and adults love. Riding out into the pumpkin patch to pick your special pumpkin and riding all the way back to the barn is a fall tradition.
2. Bonfires – A large bonfire in a safe outdoor setting is a great way for kids and adults to  join hands, sing songs or just roast marshmallows. S’mores will bring everyone together, just wait and see.
3. Bobbing for Apples may sound gross to our modern sensibilities. The idea of everyone’s saliva in a big bin of water is definitely gross, but with a simple twist you can hang apples from string around a tree and loosely tie children’s hands behind their back with a bandana and see who can “eat” the apple the fastest.
4. Burlap 3-legged races are still a favorite among children today. It combines coordination, teamwork and good old fashion fun! Prizes for the most improved, fastest overall and best teamwork really improve morale.
5. Pumpkin carving or painting. Even if some families don’t celebrate Halloween, they can get behind a group activity.

If you have time, have a yummy snack or hunt for candy in hay bales. You might even show an old movie on the wall of the barn, a hoe down dance, or scarecrow building contest, and don’t forget the classic kid’s costume contest. Harvest parties should be fun and fast paced so don’t let anyone wonder what’s happening next, stay one step ahead and everyone will have a great time.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.