So you're hosting a kids’ Halloween party - now what?

When it comes to kids’ parties there is pressure on parents to invest huge amounts of time and money in order to make their party a ‘success’.

Do our kids really care how much money we spend on their Halloween party? Of course not, they would much rather mum popped down to BIG W and grabbed some of the awesome Halloween party decorations they have available. That way mum will have more money to spend on the treats. It’s trick or treat, right? Isn’t that what Halloween is all about?

These days it’s not just birthdays that call for celebrations. October means it’s Halloween soon, the popularity of which grows exponentially every year in Australia. It is a great opportunity to dress up, be silly and do some Halloween-inspired crafts with your kids.

Here are our tips for throwing a great Halloween party that won’t stress you out or cost you loads:

1. Decorations.

Pick two or three colours and stick to them. Orange, black and purple work well, as do silver and black. You don’t have to spend much to make a room look pretty darn awesome.

BIG W have a range of decorations starting from as little as $4. Think lanterns, cups and plates, yarn signs, bunting, party games such as Pin the Smile on the Skeleton and more.

They also have Halloween cookie and cupcake kits for $8 each and Halloween sweets & treats from $2.75 – so easy and so affordable.

2. Makeup and hair.

Paint your face with some dead-cheap (pardon the pun) coloured makeup, tease your child’s hair and spray it with a coloured hairspray and go crazy with a black pencil to create some gothic and scary faces.

3. Costumes.

Costumes needn’t be hard to pull together. From witches to devils, to vampires and zombies, it’s easy to find cheap and effective costumes. When in doubt, just throw on a mask and a cape. At BIG W kids costumes start from just $18, and adults from $20.

On my search for Pinterest-worthy Halloween decorations and supplies (without the effort) BIG W has been a huge help. All under the one roof, I found everything I needed to decorate my house inside and out, dress the kids to the nines and even myself – however reluctantly. And the party supplies? Well, they’re perfect for hassle-free trick or treating.

Good luck with your party planning – and remember keep it simple, spooky and fun.

Speaking of spooky, this year BIG W dare you to scare your friends this Halloween. Don your scariest costume, smear on your spooky makeup, then share your pic on Instagram, tagging a friend you want to scare.

Share your scary pic from October 16, dropping in the hashtag #daretoscare and tagging @bigwaustralia for your change to win 1 of 20 BIG W $100 wish cards, more than enough to cover the cost of your scary outfit.

What are you doing for Halloween this year?