One of the first things you should decide is whether the party is going to have a specific theme. For example, if the theme was going to be a haunted house, all the guests would have to dress up as something related.
You could set up a haunted house and all the kids would have to go through it to get to the party. Your decorations would tie into the theme, and you could even have some helpers dress up as mummies and ghosts.
Whatever theme you choose, one of the things you'll need to plan is some party games. Kids love it when they get to act crazy and win prizes!
There are always the traditional games like bobbing for apples. You can always put a new spin on things though. For example, instead of pin the tail on the donkey, you could make it pin the grin on the pumpkin.
Another great game for a Halloween party is gross taste test contest. Take some common foods and come up with gross sounding names for them. For example, gummy worms in pudding could become "mummy guts".
Blindfold the kids and have them try the food. They have to guess what it is and whoever gets the most guesses right wins a prize. Most kids love things that sound gross (but really aren't) but make sure you check for any food allergies first.
There are also lots of games you can play with balloons. You could have a relay where the kids run a race with a balloon stuck between their legs. Make sure you get orange & black balloons, or something that fits in with your theme.
You could also plan a costume contest with prizes for the best costumes. This will give the guests an inventive to come up with some really creative costume ideas. Have a bunch of different categories to make sure all the kids win a prize.
Whatever you plan for your party, keep in mind that kids get a ton of candy at Halloween. You might want to make your prizes something a little different.
