Spooktacular Play: Tricks, Treats & Toys for Halloween

Is your playroom haunted by boredom? This week, Charlene DeLoach reveals why Halloween toys might be the pumpkin spice of playtime. A seasonal trick that resets routines, sparks creativity, and keeps kids engaged without adding clutter. From spooky collectibles to festive crafts, discover how a few intentional toy picks can turn October play from “trick” to treat.

In this episode of the Playroom Chronicles podcast, we discuss the importance of Halloween toys in revitalizing playtime for children during the October slump,  strategies for incorporating seasonal toys into family routines, and emphasizing the value of novelty and tradition. The conversation highlights six specific Halloween-themed toys that encourage creativity, connection, and independent play, while also fostering family traditions and memories. 

FEATURED TOYS:
Tiny Nightmares (Just Play)
Deddy Bears (INNOV8)
Deddy Bears Tomb Lock Game (Moose Toys)
Haunted Ruin (Playmobil)
Createon Magnetic Tiles (Crayola)
Made By Me Halloween Window Art (Horizon Group)

Takeaways

• Halloween toys can break through the October slump.
• Seasonal toys add novelty and excitement to playtime.
• Creating a 'toy crypt' can reinvigorate play each year.
• Tiny Nightmares are great for older kids.
• Deady Bears offer a cute yet spooky option for younger kids.
• Family game nights can be themed around Halloween.
• Magnetic tiles can be used for creative play and decor.
• Playmobil products can serve as both toys and decorations.
• Crafting Halloween window art can be a fun family activity.
• Incorporating seasonal toys can build anticipation and excitement.

Chapters

00:00
Reviving Playtime with Halloween Toys

00:46
Dig Out The Toy Crypt

04:12
Top Halloween Toy Recommendations

04:16
Tiny Nightmares by Just Play

05:23
Deddy Bears by Innov8

07:08
Deddy Bears Tomb Lock Game by Moose Toys

08:10
Creaton Magnetic Tiles from Crayola

09:18
Haunted Ruin by Playmobil

09:58
Made By Me Halloween Window Art from Horizon Group

10:37
Halloween Help

Keywords

Halloween toys, playtime, family activities, seasonal toys, kids boredom, toy strategies, creative play, family traditions, independent play, toy storage

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Transcript

Charlene DeLoach (00:00)

If playtime at your house has been haunted by boredom recently, these spooktacular toy tips might bring it back from the dead.

Hey there, welcome back to the Playroom Chronicles podcast. And today we're gonna be talking about Halloween toys. And no, not those plastic pieces of junk that ends up in the donate pile by November. I'm talking about good Halloween toys that you can use strategically to break through the October slump, reset your play routine, and bring your kids back into focused independent play. Because let's be real, by mid-October, the new school year shine has worn off. It's starting to get darker out earlier, is at an all high, after school energy is low, and your kids, yeah, totally over it, and over the toys they were probably excited about six weeks ago. And you're totally not imagining it. This is the part of the year where families hit a wall and you're like, what do I need? Do I need to buy more? Especially at a time we see all these gift guides coming out.

But really what you need is a spark, a shift, a spooktacular shift because Halloween toys, well basically they're the pumpkin spice of playtime in the fall. You don't need them all year, but right now they're exactly what everyone is craving. And they add just enough novelty to shake things up. We like it as parents, don't we? That pumpkin spice latte that you can get at the coffee shop. The special seasonal. themed cup that you get with the coffee in it, right? We love it. So let's do it for our kids too and give them something fun and fresh to dive into.

And I've been doing this Halloween toy strategy for over a decade now, because years ago when my kids were hitting that October slump and I was like, my goodness, I don't know what to do right now. I had a few Halloween themed products in for review. So I took one of them out. I still remember it was a Playmobil haunted house and my kids just went crazy for it. But it was now November and I was like, I don't want haunted house out, so I put it away. But then the following year, I pulled it back out and they got so excited. And I've been doing it every year since. And we've added to our Halloween collection, which I will talk about in a minute.

So a little bit of storage and a little bit of foresight, you can then bring it out every year and reinvigorate play. But as your kids get older, it also brings back a lot of memories because they remember when they got that or they remember when they played with that or, I mean, we do it with Christmas ornaments.

Well, do it with Halloween toys too. And as your kids get older, it fosters some communication and conversation and connection. basically those Halloween themed toys, you know, obviously just go into a bucket or a bin and get put into our storage area, but we like to call it the Halloween toy crypt.

And that's where we put everything come the beginning of November and we pull it out every year. And let me tell you, if I don't pull that out by October 1st, even my teens are like, where is it? We want it out. Why is that Playmobil haunted house set? Not on the kitchen table. It's October 1st, mom, let's go. So you're going to see this new tradition that you're to start in addition to the play that you can invoke too. So let me share with you six Halloween toys that are available today that

I love, not just because they're cute and Halloween themed, but because in and of themselves, they actually do something useful in terms of play.

So you guys ready to hear my six? All right, let's dive in.

So the first one I want to talk about are Tiny Nightmares. And yes, that's the name of the product, Tiny Nightmares, from a company called Just Play. They are like these little three-inch collectible horror figures like Chucky and Pennywise and Michael Myers. And what I love about these is that they are perfect for tweens and teens because often kids feel too old for some toys, But they still want something playful. So Tiny Nightmares are perfect for that because they feel mature and cool and have the collectible factor. And they're great to offer as a reward for teens this time of year. You can say, hey, finish your English project by Friday and you get to, quote unquote, unbox a nightmare on Saturday. It's silly, it's fun, but it is surprisingly effective. And then year after year, you have these really fun collectible figures that look great to have out around the house for the holiday Halloween season. And depending on where they are in their developmental play journey, they still might want to play with them and create a little haunted school scenario using these figures. It can be a lot of fun and lot of longevity too.

Here is number two. It's a product that has a lot of awards under its belt. They're called Deady Bears And these are plush bears that are part creepy, part adorable. They have these unique tragic backstories, some gothic flair, they even come in boxes shaped as coffins. So they're a intro into spooky for younger kids, Familiar plush with just enough Halloween edge. And I believe plush is so fun for Halloween play. So not only because you get to these fun plush figures, so the younger kiddos can now be carrying them back and forth to school as a fun play thing but then of course you can do a lot of fun play things in the playroom with the plush. But we have actually created a seasonal ritual where all of our Halloween themed plush is called our Boo Crew. So we have a mishmash of people in our Boo Crew, or I should say plush in our Boo Crew. So we have some Squishmallow and we have one of my classics because I saved them myself. Beanie baby in there. So we just have this hodgepodge boo crew. But the boo crew only comes out in October and it builds anticipation. Everyone gets excited. We pull it out and we're like, my gosh, I remember this one. Where have you been? Et cetera, et cetera. And then what we also do every October is we add to our boo crew. We bring another boo crew member in and we have a whole fun discussing what is out there. Deddy Bears is now actually going to be adding to our Boo Crew this year, But it's fun, it's a great way even for teens to get involved in with the Boo Crew. they get excited about figuring out which one they want to buy this year to add to the crew.

Now Deddy bears are so popular that it leads me to number three which is the Deddy bears tomb lock game from Moose Toys and it's a game it comes in a coffin shaped box which is really fun simple simple to play. And what I really like to do is to have a a fang-tastic family game night every October. And my kids really look forward to this. And some of the games that we have in our Toy Crypt are things that frankly are like preschool aged or appropriate, but my kids remember it and they want to play it again. So now some of these games they're really fast to play so we play a whole bunch of them on our Fangtastic family game night but you know it could be something like playing Clue it could be Ghost Castle there's so many fun-themed games that you can bring in for your fantastic family game night. You know, put some spooky music on, have some fun Halloween lights on, some really yummy food and it's just a instant tradition that you can add to your family.

Okay, number four is Createon Halloween Magnetic Tiles from Crayola. So magnetic tiles are classics. It's just these are magnetic tiles, but they are colored, the Halloween colors. It reminds me of like all the food and snacks that are out right now. You know, can go get a Rice Krispie treat and it's a Rice Krispie treat, but it's in, you Halloween packaging or Halloween colors. Same idea, like orange and black and purple, but It adds a little bit of a fun play. If you don't have magnetic tiles, well, now you have a Halloween set that you can pull out every year. My kids love to use them and create like a little haunted house that we put out. We like to leave a bowl out on that coffee table. So now it becomes, Halloween themed decor, So it's fun for the whole family. It's themed, it's decor, it's play, it's all of it. And of course we put it away into our toy crypt and we bring it out the following year. And they even have like little mini versions. So it's also fun to have you can throw in your bag, keep in the car. And again, it's just some fun seasonal play can reinvigorate boredom. 

Now number five is a classic for me. This is also by Playmobil, but they don't make the haunted house that I have anymore. Hopefully they'll bring it back, but they have what they call the Haunted Ruin. So it looks like a little ruin, but it has like a Dracula and like a zombie and some glow in the dark stuff. I mean, it's really, really cute. It basically is like play meets seasonal decor. So have it out somewhere in the house. It looks really cool, but then now kids can go by, play with it, do some spooky storytelling. It's a blast. So again, display in October, play within October, store in November. But that limited window makes it magical.

Now number six, my final one is called Made by Me Halloween Window Art from Horizon Group. And you can create these sun catchers and window clings and they're, you know, all the Halloween colors and all the seasonal shapes like pumpkins and bats and things like that. And it's just a fun thing to do as a family to create these fun crafts that you can now hang on your door, hang on the window. Then what makes it really fun is that you can then store it away and then bring it out next year and you have decor. But now your kids are like, my gosh, I remember making that. So that's where it all comes together.

This Halloween toy crypt is one that can spark conversation, connection, creativity, play, all of it. So just pack it away with your decorations and costumes. And when the next October rolls around, now you have this ready to go rotation system of fun toys. In fact, try to do it for each season, you'll see that your kids will get excited for each season as a result.

So this week, pick one Halloween toy and add it to your toy crypt and use it strategically as a reset reward. Just don't go get it and give it to them. Like it's gotta be something that is reward, make it a special memory. because then it's going to add a lot more value each year that you bring it out on the rotation.

So again, halloween doesn't have to be just candy, it doesn't have to be chaos or all the things, but just with a few spooktacular picks, can creative creativity and connection and conversation.

Turns out, the trick to better play might just be a seasonal treat.